Top Israeli army officials did not know what was happening in the field during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, according to newly declassified documents.
Israel’s Defense Ministry declassified documents Tuesday relating to the investigation of failures of the war.
The deliberations of the Agranat Committee established to investigate the conduct of the military and the government during the war, including testimony of senior officers such as Ariel Sharon and Moshe Dayan, were made public nearly 35 years to the day after the outbreak of the war.
Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who commanded the 53rd Division during the war, told the committee that the higher command “had no idea of what was happening on the ground,” according to a report in Ha’aretz.
Sharon also discussed his plan to cross the Suez Canal, which led to Israel’s victory.
Dayan’s testimony was reminiscent of issues that arose following the 2006 Second Lebanon War, including not calling up reservists right away and nor anticipating a full-scale war.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
