The Middle East is a customary name used by western countries to refer to eastern countries close to Europe, such as Egypt in West Asia and North Africa.

The so-called "Middle East War" refers to the large-scale war between Arab countries and Israel in the Middle East from 1948 to 1982, which is the longest war after the Second World War. Arab countries refer to countries with a majority of Arab nationalities, mainly distributed in Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. Israel is a country founded by Jews. The dispute between the Arab world and Israel has a long history. Historically, both the Arab nation and the Jewish nation have established countries in the Palestinian region (between the Mediterranean Sea, the Dead Sea and the Jordan River). In the 30th century BC, Canaanites originally in Arabian Peninsula moved to the coastal areas of Palestine, where they settled peacefully. In the 3rd century BC/KLOC-0, the Hebrew ancestors of the Jews conquered the Canaanites and established the Hebrew Kingdom in Palestine. Since then, Palestine has been conquered by Persian Empire, Greece, Rome, Turkey and other foreign nations, and Jews have been forced to flow around the world. /kloc-at the end of 0/9, the Zionist movement rose, advocating that Jews scattered around the world return to Palestine and establish a Jewish-dominated country. Britain occupied Palestine. At that time, there were 660,000 Arabs and only 90,000 Jews in this area, but Britain and the United States strongly supported the Zionist movement in order to control the Palestinian area and the Suez River. Under their planning, Jews who settled all over the world moved to Palestine in large numbers. Since then, the Arab-Israeli national contradictions have deepened and bloodshed has occurred continuously. 1947165438+1On October 29th, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution under the control of the United States and Britain to establish an Arab state and a Jewish state in Palestine, and Jerusalem was divided between the two countries. The Arab world widely opposed this resolution, but it did not establish an Arab country and resolutely opposed the Jewish state. 1949 On May 4th, the Jews announced the establishment of the State of Israel in the Palestinian area. 15 On May 5th, the first Middle East war broke out between Arab countries and Israel, and the Arab countries were defeated as a result. Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon have successively signed armistice agreements with Israel. There are many problems left behind after the war, which gradually triggered the second, third, fourth and fifth Middle East wars. It was not until 1989 "Palestinian State" was finally established that the Middle East issue, especially the issue of Palestinian statehood, came to an end.

The First Middle East War (also known as the Palestinian War)

The second United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on the partition of Palestine. It provides for the establishment of two Arab and Jewish States in Palestine and the internationalization of Jerusalem. Arab countries resolutely oppose the partition resolution and the establishment of a Jewish state. Britain ended its mandate over Palestine. The Jews announced the establishment of the State of Israel that afternoon. The next morning, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and other Arab countries dispatched 40,000 troops (later increased to 60,000) to attack Israel, occupying large areas of land such as East Jerusalem (the old city) and Beersheba, and approaching Tel Aviv, the "temporary capital". During the war, the number of Israeli armed forces was about 30,000. After emergency expansion, weapons procurement and unification of various armed forces, it finally grew to 654.38+million, and launched counterattacks and offensives in July, June, June and February. Albania was defeated due to internal contradictions, lack of unified command and imperialist constraints. The Afghan army lost about 1.5 million people; The Israeli army killed about 6000 people. 1949 from February to July, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria signed armistice agreements with Israel respectively. Except for Gaza and parts of the West Bank, Palestine is occupied by Israel. Nearly 1 million Palestinian Arabs have been driven out of their homes.

The Second Middle East War (also known as the Anglo-French invasion of Egypt or the Suez Canal War)

1956, Britain and France attacked Egypt on the pretext that Egypt recovered the Suez Canal Company and prohibited Israeli ships from passing through the Canal and straits of tiran, in an attempt to regain control of the Canal and suppress the Arab national liberation movement. 1 October 29th, 10, the Israeli army1paratrooper battalion parachuted at mitra Pass in Sinai Peninsula, and the ground troops also crossed into Sinai to cooperate with the British and Farr attacks. At that time, the total strength of Egypt was about 654.38+0.5 million, with more than 500 tanks and more than 250 combat aircraft (only 654.38+0.000 was available). In order to concentrate on defending the canal, Egyptian President Nasser ordered 30,000 troops stationed in Sinai to withdraw to the canal area. The Israeli army * * * dispatched 10 brigade, headed by armored forces, and occupied Sinai and Gaza for five days. 3 1 day, the British and French allied forces dispatched more than 0/00 ships of various types (including more than 0/00 aircraft carriers and cruisers). At first, more than 200 planes attacked Aihai and Air Force Base to gain control of air and sea. 165438+1October 5, parachuting and helicopter landing will be carried out near Port Said and Port Fuad; On the 6th, 22,000 landing troops were dispatched to occupy the above ports. Especially in the battle to defend Port Said, the Egyptian soldiers and civilians, loyal opposition aggressors, fully mobilized and armed the masses, joined forces with the army and the people, fought bravely, took advantage of the contradiction between the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain and France, and with the support of people all over the world, Britain, France and Israel were forced to agree to a ceasefire and withdrawal late at night on the 6th. More than 65,438+0,600 Ethiopian soldiers were killed and more than 265,438+00 aircraft were lost. British, French and Israeli troops killed more than 200 people and lost about 20 planes. British and French troops withdrew in 65438+February Since then, the United States has further intervened in Middle East affairs. In March of the following year, Israeli troops withdrew from Gaza and Sinai Peninsula (United Nations troops were stationed in the coastal areas of Gaza and the Gulf of Aqaba), but they were granted the right to sail through straits of tiran.

The Third Middle East War (also known as the Sixth Five-Year Plan War)

During the period of 1967, the conflict between Arab countries and Israel and the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union for the Middle East intensified. With the support of the United States, Israel further expanded outward, blocked the Gulf of Aqaba on the pretext of Egypt (then known as the United Arab States), and launched a surprise attack on Arab countries on June 5. The Israeli army took advantage of the lax security of the Egyptian army breakfast and before the officers went to work, and concentrated on using 200 planes to attack the Egyptian air base, destroying most of the Egyptian army's planes on the ground, and then destroying a large number of planes in Syria and Jordan; Twenty-two brigades were dispatched to carry out multi-directional quick assault, occupying Sinai Peninsula and Gaza area within four days, then occupying East Jerusalem and the West Bank of Jordan River, and occupying Syrian Golan Heights at 10. Egypt underestimated the Israeli raid and suffered heavy losses. Jordan, Egypt and Syria were forced to agree to a ceasefire. As a result, Israel occupied more than 65,000 square kilometers of Arab territory, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs were driven out of their homes (table 1 comprehensive statistics on the military strength and war losses of both sides in the third Middle East war).

After the Third Middle East War, the Arab-Israeli confrontation continued to develop. 1967, 10 In June, an Egyptian navy ship sank the Israeli destroyer Eilat with a ship-to-ship missile, which was the first record of missile sinking a warship. 1968 since the second half of the year, Egyptian artillery units have carried out large-scale shelling on Israeli troops on the east bank of the canal. From the second half of 1969, the Israeli army began to carry out strategic air strikes on the west bank of the canal, including the surrounding areas of Cairo. Both sides also sent commandos to attack each other. Ceasefire in August 1970. These two years of fighting are called "wars of attrition". Afghanistan and Israel received new weapons and equipment from the Soviet Union and the United States respectively to prepare for the next war. The intensification of the struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States for the Middle East is an important international cause leading to the fourth Middle East war.

The Fourth Middle East War (also known as the October War)

1973 10, Egypt and Syria went to war with Israel in order to regain lost ground and get rid of the situation of "no war and no peace" caused by the United States and the Soviet Union. Iraq, Jordan, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Kuwait, Tunisia and the Palestine Liberation Organization sent troops or planes to participate in the war. Egypt (President Sadat) tried to recover part of the lost land on the east bank of the canal and create conditions for the subsequent recovery of Sinai Peninsula through negotiations. Syria (President Assad) attempted to recover all the Golan Heights. In order to realize the suddenness of the attack, Egypt and Syria adopted various deceptive measures, such as repeated mobilization and demobilization, military exercises, etc., and chose the time of war as Ramadan in Islam (Muslims fast during the day) and Yom Kippur in Judaism (Christians fast on that day and stop general official activities) to cover up the attempt and timing of the attack. 1967 After occupying part of the territory of Egypt and Syria, Israel expanded its defense depth, built defense lines on the east bank of the canal and adopted defense strategies. The Israeli army is proud of its powerful air force, tank troops and reconnaissance intelligence system, and it is arrogant and negligent. Until a few hours before the war, the Israeli high command (Prime Minister Chmell, Defense Minister Midayan, etc. ) I thought that Egypt and Syria dared not attack, only four brigades were stationed in Sinai Peninsula and three brigades were stationed in Golan Heights. At 65438+1October 6 14, Egypt and Syria, under the cover of artillery, air fire and anti-aircraft fire network, launched an attack on Sinai Peninsula (western line) and Golan Heights (northern line) simultaneously and suddenly with superior forces. On the northern line, three Syrian infantry divisions broke through the Israeli defense line on the same day, and on the 7th, two armored divisions went into action, reaching an area several kilometers away from Israel. On the western front, the Egyptian army crossed the canal with the cooperation of navy and air force. Three infantry divisions of the Second Army quickly broke through the Balaf line north of Great Bitter Lake, and two infantry divisions of the Third Army broke through the south of Great Bitter Lake. Infantry, carrying anti-tank missiles and rocket launchers, took the lead in crossing the gap between Israeli support points and destroying a large number of Israeli tanks. Engineers quickly broke the dike, opened 60 passages in 9 hours, and erected 12 pontoon bridge to ensure that two armored divisions, two mechanized divisions and other follow-up troops crossed the river. The navy fought naval battles with Israeli warships and used naval guns to support the attacks of ground troops. On June 5438+00, the Egyptian army stopped its large-scale attack as scheduled. In the case of heavy losses and extreme passivity, Israel quickly dispatched reserve forces, increasing the total strength to nearly 400,000. First, focus on the northern line, stop the Syrian army from attacking and carry out local counterattacks, and concentrate on using the main air force to attack Syrian ground forces and air defense missile positions, and air strike major cities behind Syria. 1 1, three divisions of the Israeli army turned to attack, crossed the 1967 ceasefire line, threatened Damascus, the Syrian capital, attacked Syrian aid forces in Iraq and Jordan, and won the initiative in the northern battlefield. Subsequently, the Israeli army turned its focus to the western front. On 14, when the Egyptian army launched its second large-scale attack with 1000 tanks, the Israeli army put in 800 tanks, and the infantry, tanks and artillery cooperated to fight, using helicopter gunships and other aircraft to launch "Mavericks", "Kuzu" air-to-surface missiles and "White Star Eye" TV-guided bombs, destroying 250 Egyptian tanks. /kloc-on the evening of 0/5, Israeli army division a Sharon raided the junction of the 2nd and 3rd armies in Dakuhu area, and the vanguard troops crossed the river near Dewiswa, Hubei Province on the morning of 0/kloc-6, destroying several Egyptian air defense missile positions, creating favorable conditions for air force activities. After the pontoon bridge was erected, two more divisions crossed the river, detoured south and launched an attack; On the 23rd, he arrived in Suez Bay and occupied the port of Adaibi, which formed a situation of encirclement of Suez City and the third army of Egypt and won the initiative of the western front. On the 24th, Egypt and Israel ceased fire according to the UN Security Council resolution. Egypt, Syria and Israel signed the 1 phase disengagement agreement in June and May of the following year respectively. At this point, Egypt controlled the narrow strip about 10 km deep on the east bank of the canal, and basically achieved its strategic goal (1April 1982, according to the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in March 1979, Israel completely withdrew from Sinai Peninsula). On the northern line, Israeli troops retreated to the west of the 1967 ceasefire line.

In this war, Egypt and Syria made a surprise attack and a double attack on Israel after careful preparation, and won the first battle, which greatly boosted the morale of the Arab people. The Ethiopian army's cross-river campaign showed the power of coordinated operations of various services and arms. The rapid mobilization of the Israeli army, from the north to the west, focused on the use of troops, and turned passivity into initiative, especially the deep assault on the west bank of the canal, which played a role in reversing the passive situation. The two sides invested a lot of tanks, artillery, planes and missiles. Egypt and Israel launched a war of 1800 tanks in one day, which is rare in the history of war. A, Israel used the advanced weapons and equipment of the Soviet Union and the United States at that time, and was supplemented by the strategic airlift of the Soviet Union and the United States in time, and used the information provided by the Soviet Union and the United States reconnaissance satellites. The Egyptian army's air defense system, mainly based on Sam -2, Sam -3, Sam -6 and Sam -7 missiles, mastered the battlefield air superiority at the beginning of the war, so that Israeli planes dared not enter the canal airspace for several days; Air-to-air missiles such as military rattlesnakes and dragonflies and Gabriel ship-to-ship missiles were used to deal with the planes and ships of the Afghan army. The development of large-scale electronic countermeasures makes the battlefield situation more complicated and the combat losses increase. About 60% of the aircraft losses and more than 80% of the ship losses were caused by both sides, and most of the destroyed tanks were destroyed by various missiles (Table 2 General Statistics of Military Strength and War Losses of both sides in the Fourth Middle East War). In strategic guidance and combat, the extensive use of electronic technology and the use of various tactical missiles are the outstanding features of this war.

The Fifth Middle East War (also known as Israel's invasion of Lebanon)

1On June 6, 982, Israel invaded Lebanon by land, sea and air on the pretext of attacking the Palestine Liberation Organization. As of June 1 1, Israeli forces occupied 2,800 square kilometers of Lebanese land south of the international road from Beirut to Damascus. The base of the Palestine Liberation Organization in this area was completely destroyed and the main force of the armed forces suffered heavy losses. The Syrian army stationed in the Bekaa Valley was also hit hard by the Israeli Air Force, and Sam's missile facilities and air force suffered heavy losses. On June 1 1, Syria and Israel reached a ceasefire agreement. Then, Israel mobilized heavy troops to surround and attack the west area of Beirut, where the PLO headquarters is located, for more than two months. After that, under the mediation of the United Nations and the supervision of peacekeeping forces, the PLO headquarters and its more than 10,000 armed personnel had to be evacuated from Beirut and dispersed to eight Arab countries, including Tunisia. More than 65,438+0,000 Syrian troops in Beirut also withdrew at the same time.