MIDDLE EAST SITUATION REPORT NUMBER 35 (AS OF 1130 EDT)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-543-1-21-4
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: February 28, 2011
• Sequence Number: 21
• Publication Date: October 14, 1973
• Content Type: MEMO

Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/02/28: LOC-HAK-543-1-21-4
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE ft(3I;NCY
1.4 'October L973
INTELLIQEDICB 14EII10RANDUM
MIDDLt EAST .
Situation Report Number 35
(As of ,1130 PDT)
THE MILIT1 R'' SITUATION
GEI'1EL~~,L
l The Egyptians are oontinuing their general
offensive, in the .Ginai,? and units have,been' reported
in the Mitla Pass area. The Israelis claim to be
-holdi-ng in most 'area,;. ' Little-Israeli progrcos has
been reported: on the Syrian front, and the Arabs ap-.
parently are still able to iau ich counterattacks on
rsxae.li Positions. The Torclantan brigade has avoided
any military act3;on, and the Syrians are beginning to
1,G)'pTIAI1 ? FRONT
2. The Egyptian general offensive which began
a.t dawn this morning continues,, with pre ,sure being
exertod along tale entire Suez Front., 'eslpc_cially in
the M.itla.'psss area: The Israelis may have
turned back a gro:U11.d attack' near the Mitla Pass, and
a,t Bii: Ji `jafa the northern Sinai air control center
teas out of action, for three hours, due possibly to
combat action. Israeli ? press summaries of the battle
report heavy attrition of Egypt i.an armor, while the
Egyptians -report, several Isra.e1i? aircraft clowned.
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We have rucoa vied no of f i.cia3. Israeli account of the
fighting sifnco 0=03Q.'r01 Aviv time'.
SYRIAN N FRONT
5. The 'Tsr,e1is claim to have .repulsed continued
drab counterattcAck on the Syrian front early on 14
October, and say -they are making cvntinuad progress
over dj f f icuj;t. terrain. Tel Aviv pow claims to have
taken 414 Arab :pr`, soi ers in the action on both fronts
LTORDA IA.N I14VOLV1*1Ei1T
G. .'E'ar,1y this morning President Aar of Syria
coi,-p.laixled to Ling Husayrt that the .COmmander of the
Jordanian 40.t.h arrhr~red brigade, now in Syria, had
refused to follow, Syrian orders to ;advance. The
brigade vial Located ?.1?ast night 12 kilometers inside
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"Ira.a east of nr "x; ,. The co r -%-6nder evidoittly is fol-
lowing, K::ng Husayn's 'strict order to take wo actions
on Syrip'n orders to advance wi thout first chn-c;hing
with Jordanian aany headquarters o
7. The Syrian air force ' is. nevi flying coordinated.
air defer: ae pa.tr:n1:s, in Jordanian airspace'. TIflights
are desigrted to' P'2'ote'ct Ucardanian air bastes against
possible air 'attack by Israeli aircraft now flat Jordan
has . sent. a small ?force into Syria.
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SOVIET ? FORCES
SOVIET POLITICAL ?DEVELOVMEWTS
1..3: Soviet broadcasts in English continue to
cite foreign reports of US military efforts on be-
half of Israel in 'an attempt to .justify M08cow's
airlift to.the!Arabs. These broadcasts have referred
to articles in two' US newspapers. (Los Angeles Times
and Portsmouth 'Herald) that desc:ia`c a?rnasssv _
lift to I~raex, ding F-4 Phantom fighters and.
both Sj*larrow and Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. A
.Separate TASS broadcast on 13 October carries an Arab
report that US 'pilots have taken' part in bombing raids
on Dama,5cu ., T'hus' far they Soviets have made, no Comment
of their. own about' alleged US involvement.
14. A osco`r, i continuing the processing of Soviet
emigrants bound for. Israel. The: Dutch consul in Moscow
reports that this j?roc'essing has been normal as of 12
October and- that for the time being there are no indi-
cations that the emr. -
suit of th.e war.
?T li teiaporary suspension
o ce.mrnerciai flights between Bucharest and Tel Aviv
the to the host.iljtie s had interrupted the flow of
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Jewish emigrants. through Romanx,a, but apparently
the resumption of El. Al f.li jht6 has been accompanied
by a resumption 'of emigration as- well. The US Em-
bassy in Dloscow believes, however, that a contirn a-- .
tion ;of hrstilities or . major Israeli victory would
Probably cause the Soviets to suspend or curtail em-
igration to Isral,
A SHAZzaI LINE',
,16. A French EJ t,say source claims to have
"absolutely definite" information that the Egyptians
a.te in the process of preparing a line of static
fortificatjons soma distance to the east of the canal
and hehmnd the f onts Egypt's 'strategy, according to
the French and other soiirci;s , a.s to entrench *them-.
selves unshakably and s-imply wait.for Israel to grind
itself ao;4n against Egyptian ground and antiaircraft
defenses.: Other .uses for Egyptian civil contractors
on the east bank -might be the caonstruction. SAM sites
of the SA-2 variety, which require heavy concretejon..
RAN.' SAUDI- ARABIA
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 LEBANON-'FEDAYL7 N
18.' The LOlaancase Army'reports a sharp decrease
in the level o'# : fedayeen activity in southern Lebanon;
only oric' incident of artillery rocket g'iring across
the. border into ? Israel was d?e~ected on- the. night 'of
13 October,
19.: The afforts of the Saudi .rabian and Ku-
aral.ti gover`'nmenEs* on behalf of the Lebanese appear
to be i:hb raa jo. `fadtor behind - the reduction of feda-
yeen 'border: action. At the request of the Kuwaitis,
the Syrian Governrient reportedly ordered Saida leader
Zohayr tluhsin to stop action Along the Lebanese bar'
der. Saudi Arian diplomati.o officials also appealed
to 1?'atah.' leaders to move their forces to the 'Golan
fleights. area, and to stop giving Israel a pretext for
attacking Lebanon.
20.. A? senior Lebanese army offic'or explained to
US Embassy officials that much of the #edaycon posturing
and, the ineffectual rocket; ? fixings into Israel were the
r0,u1t of a continuing pc er struggle between Saiga and
Fatah 7 er.dere, with each trying to outdo the other with-
out actually ;:taking any : i.sks '
mow.
22.. Kuwait, has' decided to dispatch a number of ?
armoitbd omits. to fight on the ,`Syrian front, .according
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to the local press.
23. Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalifa:.
Warned the US Charge yesterday 'that his government
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is conaiderinq ending the US Wavy's statLoning
agreement because of the US political stand on the
Middle _ East s1tuatiort. Re apologized throughout
thq_ conversation, reiterating Bahrain's. friendship
with the US, but said open 08 shipment of arms to
Israex,rnacl6 it difficult fbr his government to al-
low the ?US to 'znaintain a Mideast presence. The. eat-
b .ssy's assessinent is that Bahrain does not intend
to terminate the agreement at this time, but as the
situation draws out the goverAunent will be under
increa ing . pr'essuro from its neighbors.
TUNISIA
. ;
23. ".the local press reports that arrangements
for the resurtmption of relatjons between Tunisia and
Jordan ' ar. e . in :progress*,
UGANDA
24. President Amin has. -arrived in Saudi Arabia
for discussjon,~ witix. King Faysal on the Mideast crisis
About half 'of the 2,000 Ugandans "selected" as Vol-
unteers: for the Mideast have' ass clod in Kampala.
A huniha r of or-fice:rs and men' have deserted or been
arrest :c becaui5e they did not want to serve outside
Uganda.
LATE rTj&MS
2". Th6 Israeli situation report released at
1530 hours local time on 14-October reports that al-
most the -,ntire Egyptiaix army, is =4,-on the East-Bank
oi' the canal p r.ticipating in today's of ensive. The
Egyptian attack is general bu.t concentrated on the
southern sector. Thee Israelis claim to have limitod
the Eg?rptian advances to ton' kilometers. Israel ad-
mits to an `la