MIDDLE EAST SITUATION REPORT NUMBER 41 (AS OF 2230 EDT)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-543-2-1-5
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: February 28, 2011
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: October 15, 1973
• Content Type: MEMO

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCY AGENCY
15.0ctober 1973 '
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
MIDDLE EAST.
Situation.Report Number 41
. (ks of 2230 EDT) '.
THE,MILITARY SITUATION ?
' GENERAL
1. Both fronts were rel:atiVely quiet this
evening with little ground or air action, as both
Israeli and Arab forces regrouped after the heavy
fighting on Sunday. Tel Aviv said its forces were
.consolidating and slowly advancing on the Syrian
front today. Defense Minister Dayan stated that
the Syrians had been pushed back far enough so that
Israel could give the highest priority to the SUez
front. The Jordanian brigade had not yet been en-
gaged by Israeli forces as of this evening'.
2.
LI-o 1-elnsive against Damascus: the? Israeli shortage
there are two reasons for the hiatus in the
.of equipment--they cannot afford to be profligate
with their tanks and aircraft, and the need to"con-
sider future relations with Syria.
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' THE EGYPTIAN FRONT
4. Air an.d ground activity was light this
evening as both Egyptians and Israelis regrouped.
following the intense fighting of 14 October.
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?: Al Ahram the semi-official Cairo newspaper,
today stal7;d?EFSethe main objective of the present
Egyptian offensive is to seize cCntrol of the Mitla
and Gidi passes.
? THE SYRIAN FRONT ?
12. Fighting on the Syrian front continued to
be light this evening. Israeli forces slowly broadened
their salient in the northern sector during the day,
while the. Syrians yielded little or no ground in the
Southern sector. A UN source reports that the battle
line south of the Damascus-aunaytirah road still fo1...
lows the 1967 cease-fire line.
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13. Although there have been some Israeli re-
ports of abandoned Syrian tanks, Syrian forces have
not broken and are continuing to maintain their
discipline. The Israeli forces continue to encounter
stiff Syrian resistance along the front, and there
have been no reports of entire units surrendering
as occurred in the 1967 war.
14. Israeli Defense Minister Dayan stated
today that Syrian forces had been pushed back far
enough into Syria so that Israel could now give the
highest priority to the Suez front.
?
16. liii
Tel Aviv. intends to block the formation of any .
"effective international Arab legion!" on the Syrian ? ?
25X1 front by striking each national force separately
before they can become united. The Israeli expressed
concern that Syrian forces might get a breather by
using the other Arab forces. He estimated that as
many as 100 tanks per day are being unloaded from
Soviet ships, and the Syrians may be able to reform
one of their armored' divisions if given sufficient
time. Although his estimate of tank imports.prob-
ably is exaggerated, Syria is more likely to use
its own forces rather than other Arabs for any.de-
fense of Damascus.
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17, The Israeli briefer claimed that as part
of Tel Aviv's strategy, Xdraeli armored forces had
attacked and destroyed two thirds of the Iraqi bri-
gade, including JO tanks. He said the Jordanian
force was still 20 kilometers away from the nearest
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Israeli force and was considered unpredictable be-
cause it was under the operational command of an
Iraqi division. There is no other evidence that
the Jordanian brigade is subordinate to Iraqi
command. The Israeli described .the rest of the
force as slightly better than motley, consisting
of Saudi armored car and recoilless rifle units,
part of a Kuwaiti'armored brigade, and possibly
.the Sixth Iraqi armored division and another
armored brigade.
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ARAB STATES -
26. The ruler of Kuwait.has called the National
Assembly into session tomorrow to discuss Kuwaiti
financial support for the Arab war effort. A Kuwait
English-language newspaper, citing official Cairo
sources, has reported that the Arab states have con-
tributed $920 million to the Egyptian war effort.
According to the press adcount, Egypt has received
$300 million from Saudi Arabia, $250 million from
Kuwait, $170 million from Libya, and $100 million
each from Abu Dhabi and Qatar. There is.no?wrap-up
on financial aid to SyriaL
25)0 LEBANON
27. The situation in Beirut remains relatively
calm, although the US Embassy reports that the. American
community is becoming nervous. Agitators are calling
for anti-US activity, but the embassy has no evidence
of harassment of Americans. On 14 October, the SUnni
Muslim Grand Mufti addressed a rally, warning the US
of the "consequences of its continued military assist-
ance-to Israel."
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? THE MOOD IN EAST JERUSALEM
28. The Arab population of East Jerusalem and
the.West Bank is not posing a security threat to Is-
rael, and Tel Aviv has so far not clamped any harsh
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restrictions on the Arabs. Ordinary Arabs are ex-
pressing concern about the future, but some Jordaeian-
oriented notables are gratified that King Husayn has
decided to enter the conflict, although they are re-
lieved that fighting is not near Jerusalem.
29. Many Arab workers in Jerusalem are reported
'staying away from-their jobs, in part at the urging of
Radio Amman and Cairo's Voice of Palestine. The broad-
casts have been telling the Arabs that to remain on the
job is a sign of disloyalty to the Arab cause. The US
Consul in Jerusalem is hearing complaints that flour
cannot be bought in East Jerusalem and that sugar and
kerosene are in short supply. West Jerusalem stores
seem to be adequately stocked, however.
30. Party representatives in the Knesset are
drafting a bill to postpone until mid-December parlia-
mentary and local elections that were scheduled for.
30 October. Tel Aviv earlier had called a halt to
election campaigning.. Prime Minister Meir is to
speak to the Knesset on 16 October and May announce
.the postponement. eeee
SOVIET PRESS
31. Three brief Moscow press releases have an-
nounced the US decioion to mount military resupply
operations to Israel, but we have not received any
official Soviet reaction or commentary. Premier
.Kosygin did not refer to the resumption Of US de-
liveries in a speech tonight at a dinner in honor of
visiting Danish Prime Minister Jorgensen. Kosygin
pledged continued support for the Arab cause and
blamed the Israelis for the renewed fighting. He '
also expressed some concern that the "opponents of
detente" would use the Middle East crisis as a pretext
to revive the cold war.
tr.
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ANNEX A
ARAB REACTION TO US RESUPPLY OF ISRAEL
4. There have been no reactions from 'Cairo to
the US decision, but an Egyptian spokesman issued a
moderately worded statement today, probably before
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MarWants return to Cairo, protesting continuing
reports that. the US intended to resupply Israel. .
Noting that it is regrettable .that the US does not
distinguish between "those who-are fighting to
consolidate their occupation of usurped land and
those who are fighting to liberate this land,
the spokesman said that the "peoples of the. world"
had expected the US to uphold the principles of
the UN charter, particularly the principle of the
.non,-acquisition of territory by force. The US
Interests Section notes ?that Cairo press coverage
of US aid to Israel was less x
' 6. Other Persian Gulf states have issued state-
ments protesting the US resupply efforts, and the ?
moderate. oil producers have indicated to Western oil-
men that they might be forced to take action against
Western Oil interests in order to safeguard their own
positions. In this context, the Kuwaiti oil Minister .
has stressed that he called the OAPEC conference,-now
scheduled for Wednesday, as a pre-emptive gesture to
keep the oil "weapon" out of radical hands.; he and
'other moderates hoped before the US officially began
the airlift that by stopping short of nationaliationt
or'drattic.production cutbacks they could aid the
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Arab cause and keep their domestic positions as
well as maintain reasonably good relations with the
US.. The situation may now have changed.
7. An Israeli spokesman, in the meantime, in
a pessible effort to help get the US of the hook to
some extent, announced today that the approximately.
30,000 American volunteers who have asked to go to
Israel will not be allowed to join the army, even
in positions at the rear. He cited specifically in
this regard American veterans of the Vietnam war, who
have been widely rumored in the Arab world to be
piloting Israeli and/or US Phantoms in attacks against
Arab positions. The Israeli demurral will probably
not deter Arab propagandists; the Egyptians are
reportedly circulating among some Arab governments
copies of interrogation reports from captured Israeli
pilots who allegedly admit that they have fought in
Vietnam.
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