Yom Kippur War

The Yom Kippur War, also known as the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, began on Saturday, October 6, 1973, when Egypt attacked across the Sinai and Syria invaded the Golan Heights. The initial days of the war were a stunning rout for Israel, with significant losses in tanks and aircraft. Egyptian forces breached the Bar-Lev defense line in the Sinai, and Syrian forces advanced to the edge of Galilee.¹

In response to the desperate situation, Israel called its first nuclear alert and began arming its nuclear arsenal. This alert was used to pressure Washington, D.C. into a major policy change, specifically demanding an emergency airlift of replacement arms and ammunition. The Israeli leadership, including Golda Meir and Moshe Dayan, resolved to implement three critical decisions: rally collapsing forces for a counterattack, arm and target its nuclear arsenal for the Samson Option in case of total collapse, and inform Washington, D.C. of its nuclear action to demand resupply.¹

The initial target list for the nuclear weapons included Egyptian and Syrian military headquarters near Cairo and Damascus. While no weapons were targeted on the Soviet Union, it was understood that the Soviets would quickly learn of the nuclear arming. The arming of nuclear weapons also served the purpose of forcing the United States to begin a massive resupply of the Israeli military, as the Israeli cabinet was enraged by what they perceived as an American strategy of delaying resupply to facilitate land-for-peace bargaining.¹