MIDDLE EAST (SITUATION REPORT NUMBER 52 AS OF 1630 EDT)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-544-5-9-3
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: January 4, 2013
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: October 18, 1973
• Content Type: MEMO

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state dept review completed
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? CENTRATJ INULLIGENCE AGENCY
.IB October.1973
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM i
navy review completed
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' MIDbLE EAST -
(Situation Report Number 52
. (As Of 16.30 Epy)
THE MILITARY SITUATION
GENERAL
1. A'sonior Defense Ministry spokesman claims that
Tel Aviv by mid-afternoon today had placed 150 tanks On
the,west hank,of the canal near Groat Bitter Lake. . The
spokesman stated that:the:Israeli bridgehead on the west
bank was about eight mileS wide to the :north and about
four miles wide to the south.
2. The Israeli offiCial Said that four Egyptian
brigades vere attempting .to envelope the bridgehead and
indicated that Tel Aviv had plans for r:apid withdrawal
of the force should this become necessary. Large-scale
tank battles also continued to rage in .the central,
sector of the Sinai front this afternoon, but details
On these bp.ttles are lacking. Tel Aviv claims to have .
destroyed 110 Egyptian 'tanks today and ;to have shot down
20 Egyptian aircraft.. Te1 Aviv acknowledges losing six
aircraft to SAMs this morning
MORI/CDF per
CO2826111.
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3, The Syrian front appears to have been the
quietest today since'the war began. There was little
actiVity either on the ground or in the air. A high-
level Israeli Military officer reperts that Damascus
is using the lull to re-equip two of its armored
divisions with new *tanks delivered by the Soviets to
the Syrian ports of Lat;akia and Tartus.
?
? THE
25X1 F6TTIAN FRONT '
4. Cairo and Tel continue to ieport extremely
heavy fighting in the Sinai, but neither !is providing
many details. Israel.olaims to have destroyed 110 tanks
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and 20. aircraft. today
5. An Istaoli.military.spokesman has reported that
the Israeli task force On the west ..bank Was substantially
reinforced during the night. Ile,claimed'that as of mid-
afternoon today Israel'had about 150 tanks a well az ?
artillery on the wis.t?bank. and that thetask'force had
overrun Egyptian
mna romnflir.c.a Iznmm
bridging equipment:
According to the Israeli, the.Kgyptians are
force of four brigades Troia thu west bank and the Cairo
arca to attack the /sraeli.foree. Cairo .also is report-
edly planning to launch a large air attabk on the force
and the. ponton bridge placed'by the Israelis across the
canal. The Israeli spokesMan said th-o Bgyptians have
severed some of their own bridges to prevent their use
.by Israeli forces. . ?
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7. Tel Aviv has rnot:characterized: the canal crosa-
.
ing as: the beginning df a: major offensive, but has been
quick to exploit the success of the small initial force.
Tel Aviv, however, is pot 'likely tb sacrifice the task
force to heavy Egyptian attack and may 'Withdraw it and
subsequently launch another such assauit. elsewhere on
the canal.
. .
9, Egypt is drafting additional manpower, accord-
Inv to an Iraqi news servAce. The seviico quotes an
announcement published in Cairo today Calling all 19-
year-o1ds to military!service. The normal conscription
age is 20. The move is apparently a contingency for
prolonged warfare, the conscripts are eeportedly not
scheduled to be through Wiith medical tests until the
end. of the month... .
TIM SYRIAN FRONT
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12. Tel Aviv remains concerned eller thd Soviet
resupply effort. 'An Israeli military Spokesman stated
that two Syrian divisions--the 1s1' and :3rd armored divi-
sions--are reh-arming witki now.equipment from the USSR.
He steed tht new tanks :are being unloaded daily at
Tart us and Latakia and then transported to Damascus for
assembly. . ? ,
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SOVIET NAVAL ACTIVITY :IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
17. No 'Soviet Carqo! ships have gonc through the.
?BoSporus southbound today, and no additional cargo ships
? ,
are expected to enter :Syrian or Egyptia.n.ports within -
the next 12 hours. To Soviet cargo ships are still in
'Latakia and seven.;?indluding.a tanker?are in Alexandria.
. ? $
18. The .positions Af Soviet comba:tants remain
essentially unchanged. Two medium ling ships that
have been east of -Cyprus have apparcntly left to return
.to the Black Sea. An:LST and the three medium landing
ships that went through tho Bosporus yesterday are north?
east of crete', probably heading for the, northeast Cyprus
.area. TWo additional:LST:s are due to l'eave the eastern
Mediterranean within the 'next couple of days.
? 1?. :Throe Soviet ships continue -o trail ,the USS
Independence sonth:of.Crete.
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SOVIET POLITICAL ACTIVITY
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?.2.2. A broadcast today on Moscow's "unofficial"
_Radio Peace and Progress took a 'distinctly dovish tone ?
-regarding the war: In the context of praise for Sadat's
proposals Wednesday regarding a.peace settlement, it
lamented the quarter century of Arab-Israeli conflict
that hae "depleted the resources of. both countries." The
broadcast went on .to note that history has demonstrated
that ed conflict is unable to erradicate the sources
of the ,Arab-Israeli conflict. Although Soviet Commentar-
ies throughout -the (=Met have restated Moscow's inter-
stein a settlement of the war, they generally have not.'
stressed se.sharply the.futility of hostilities.
.SAUDI ARAEIA OIL PRODUCTION CUT (SENSITIVE)
TAG Arab producing states have promisee to
maintain oil deliveries to "friendly" countries that
give Arabs 'fleftective material help," but no major
industrial country, presently falls into this category._ ..
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.tho him14 vroduts f-40d for a .10=s4gm
oentl fficanthly reduction and applied it uniformly to all
exportS, the:impact on the United States/ Western urope,
?:Canada, and Japan. would be as shown tabulation.
'Monthly Import Percent of Consump-
?
Decline (b/d) tion in the First Month
? .? . ?
- ,
United States 160,006
?
' Western Europe 1,130,000
Japan
Canada
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230,000
' 15,000
1.0
7.2
4.2
0.8
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VEDAYEEN-LEBANON:
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27. The Israeli 'border with Lebanbn is becoming
More active. The'Israelis,c1ini that:guerrilla hit-and-
run actions are on the increase, and the Lebanose have
complained about mortar:and ?artillery:roupds from Israel
falling on Lebanese territory. This Lebanese complaint
has been confirmed bY.a.UN observatio4 post.
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?.29 The Arabs w .o eized the 13a11k of America in
Beirut .continueto hold Up to 40 people as hostages. whiLe
negotiations ..continue? with bank officials and Lebanese
officials. The tour :are; demanding . the -release of .Pales-
tinian gue.rrilla.S. from Lebanese. jails,: tho ? payment of a
$4 million ransom., and an airliner to gill' ? them to Algeria..
.The a,ttackerrzi , who say they are members of the Socialist
? Revolutionary RoVement.,. a.y tho ransom: money. is destined
to help the. Arab 'war :effort. Bank of America shead.quarters'
has g iver. perraisS ion 'to ts Beirut-ma.nager to negotiate
a ransom YVflt but has refused another request from.
1.the raiders for forel.gne,rs to be sent in from outside to
.use as. hostagos .?? .MoSt. (4 the 'hostages: being held are
believed ' tci be Lebanese ,? but the US ? EiNaassy has ,learned
that one ??isa. US -citisenl..
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KMA.IT-3OR61M
32. Kuwaiti rinahoe:Kinister 714,tiq4. has reported that
Kuwait is about to: release to Jordan approximately $42
million of, the frazen Kuwaiti subsidy. :KUwait in not,
hticii said, contemplatIng fretroactive payments Or any
perica before 1 April '1973.
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? JAPAN
? 34.
Looking forward, to the possibility of an
emergency UN General Assembly session necessitated by
stalemate in the Security Council, *some Japanese Foreign
Ministry officials belieVe Japan should make a statement
in support of the: Arab cause The US Nm1.?assy in Tokyo
omments that the rest of the government :also would be -
likely to leel that aseduro supply pf :petroleum should
be the 'primary concern og any Japanese :vote in the UN.
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