MIDDLE EAST SITUATION REORT NUMBER 46 (AS OF 0630 EDT)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-543-3-8-7
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: December 19, 2012
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: October 17, 1973
• Content Type: MEMO

?. . ? /4.21 ? ?
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/19: LOC-HAK-543-3-8-7
'
State Department review
completed ? ' ; ?
MO R I/C D F C03223249
?
eTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGE4iNCY
17 October 1973
INTE3:41'0X:GTINCE 4EMORANDLIM
MIDDLE EAST
Situation Report Number 46
(As of 0530 1p)'.0
THE MILITARY SITUATION
? GENERAL? f'
1 Both !fron t$ were quiet over tho evening but
fighting resumed at dawn. ISrael reports a large
.armor battle under way opposite Ismailia in the cen-
tral sector. of the canal. There have been no further
reports on. the status of the .Israeli -raiding party
that crossed the canal yesterday and elements still
may remain on :the wost bank.. Fighttng reSUmed this
morning. on tho 'Syrian front in what appears to be
an attempt to 'eliminate some gains Syrian forces
made yesterday. The Israelis may, also be attempting
.to outflank' Syrian positions :at Sasa.
EGYPTIAN FRONT
' 2. .Therel was little activity on the Egyptian
Front last night.but the ISraelis .reported heavy
fighting 'opposite, IsMailia at da4n. fsraeli aircraft'
were striking ground targets abbut 20 kilometers ?east
. of Ismailia?generally ' in the area of the last- re-,
ported positions .of the Egyptian Front lines. -
raeli. aircraf again this Morning attacked in the
Vicinity of ?ort ? Said where the reportedly believe
that the E9yp4ans have deploycd Scud missiles..
?
? ?
. .
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/19: LOC-HAK-543-3-8-7
25X1
25X1
25X1
SEW
4.-?
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/19 :.LOC-HAK-543-3.-8-7
. ?
t
3. h small'ISraeli %force?.crossed the canal
yesterday to raid tgyptian posl,tions on the west
bank. Israeli" situation reports state that the
force including 20 .tanks was 2erried across in the
vicinity of Deversoir. The Egyptians claim to have
? destroyed three Of seven tanks that they, say crossed
the canal and ,to be closing in on the remainder of
the force. The apparent: discrepancy between the
size of the raiding force reportod by both sides may
indicate that some Israelis romain on the west bank,
but there were no reports of continued action behind
Egyptian. lines over the evening.
,
? 5. .The Egyptians' are also reported to bo com-
mitting more of their airforce to combat. They have
been flying -defensive.fighter patrols over Egyptian
territory and this morning attempted to intercept Is-
raeli aircraft :striking 'targets near Oantarah, an
area that is well covered by surface-to-air missiles.
If the more ag4ressive tactics are being adopted, it
may indicate a? .husbanding of SAMs aS well as a desire
to contest theHcontinued" Israeli air superiority.
?
- 6., The .1.o1i3 also reported the capture of 18
4gyptian commandos in .the southern Sinai. Throughout
:the war there.-haVe been continued Egyptian' commando
operations against ISraeli'positions along- the Gulf
of $uez 'coast from Ras' Sidr to .Sharm ash Shaykh. Some
.successes havebeen reporteC, but mot of the raids
have.been thwarted.
"
?
: ?
? No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/19 : LOC-HAK-543-3-8-7
25X1
25X1
25X1
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/19: LOC-HAK-543-3-8-7
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/19: LOC-HAK-543-3-8-7
25X1
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/19 : LOC-HAK-543-3-8-7 ?
? 1111 '
ISRAEL
i ? *.
14& AccOrding to a US k:mbassy report, top Is-
raeli economic. officils claim Israolis economy is
operating at reduced speed, but at a level sufficient
to keep the population supplied with basic necessi-
ties. The longer term outlook was deemed more prob-
lematic should the war continue for more than a few
.weeks. The officials said that most of the present
difficulty stems from internal distribution and man-
power problems Available motor transportation is
now strictly-controlled by the government under a
system giving!Military industry priority over food
distribution,!' ? -
: ? .
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/19: LOC-HAK-543-3-8-7
25X1
25X1
25X1
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/19 : LOC-HAK-543-3-8-7
, ?
1 r ? ? ? ?? ?
4
. . 15. IndUStiial produC'tion'is down. The
Director-GeneraILOE the 14inistry.of Commerce and
Industry was unable to state.hyhew much, but esti-
mated:the ,figure,was somewhere between 20-80 per-
cent.Industries:employing.mainly women, such as
the electronics industry, have been least affected..
The uS EmbaSsy says that press reports.now say that
men employed .in.key.dcfonse industries such as
metal-working; Will be released. from the army.
. ? ' *, . "
*26. :Exp6rt.S.are &win sharply and imports less
so. According t: the Israeli ports Authority, ex-
ports during the'. eight days Of 7-14 odtober were
diminished more 'than 80:percent.from that normally ?
expected-9,000 tens a.s compared to 50,000 tons.
Imports, on the other.hand, showed a decline of
only 15 percent.7 Again,* motor .transportation'proh
lems are presumed. to'haVe imped'ed exports and the
:same problem is..xpected to cause difficulty in ,
.moving the imPo#s from .the .docks 'inland. Shipments
' tisuaily sent by &r ,air 4neving normally..
. . ?
. .
17. .Attheetai1 level,:Shelves are still
somewhat sparselY..stocked'asa:reSulf. of a wave of
buying during the first:few:days of the war and sub-
sequent distribution.problemS. . However, shortages
.of feedgrains, sugar,: arid especially soybeans are
deel,OPing, with stocks or the :latter sufficient for
only two weeks becauSe Some foreign. ships en route
to 16rael have refused to enter Israeli ports. In
general, buying hAs. decreased, 'except for purchases
ofmenia access45ry .items?fdr shipment to the front,
.TV sets and, radios _for following news of the war,
and tranquilizers. '?,
?? ? V i
? USSR-ISRAEL'. ? .
? 18. kiddl4 East hostilities-have not so far
. .
affected the f16W of .JeWish emigrants. from the So-
viet Union .to.israel. .According to a Dutch consular
the?D4tch .EmbaskIr. in Abscow processed
? ? .?
?
-j-
I
. , .
*-m-ffinalm".71-1-.--' No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/19: LOC-HAK-543-3-8-7 0..42Ezio.i..Enwi210,00,5607.
25X1
25X1
?
???
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/19: LOC-HAK-543-3-8-7
, .
1,700_emigrantS?from 1-15 October. The official ..
stated that at;this rate, the Odtober total will
bg.only slightly'.below.the record 3,659 emigrants
processed by the DUtch. Embassy. ?.in September.
. ??
. . .
LEBANON.-,.5"Y.RIA
? .
, .
-19. According?to its leader, the Jewish ?cem-
munity in Lebanon has experienced no significant
change in its Status there.since?the oUt_preak...of,
the war; ? the .'euish.leader? further told .a.. US Em-
bassy official tha:t although. he had no word .from
his. sources on the fate of Syrii0s JeWish.. community,
he assumed 'it was Alight, as word of severe harass-
ment or persecUtion would .otherWiSe have reached .him.
FRANCE . -
. .?
, .
20, AcCording to a highleVel French Foreign
. .
. .
:Ministry official; Paris believes that Libya is
abiding by the: terms under which it bought French
Mirage jet fighters which would :preclude their par-
ticipation in Military actions other than i'legiti-
.mate defense." He went on to say that?TelAviv has
now dropped its previous assertion that two Libyan
Varayo?.fighters were shot down Over the Sinai on.
14..October.?
. ? ? ?
. , .
21. The official also stated that the French
arMs embargo aPplies only to the immediate battle-
front states ? of Isra:el, Syria,:aordan, and Egypt.
?Other states which have joined the fighting, such ?
.as Zraq ariA SaUdi 'Arabia, remain-eligible for ?
-French. arm shipments. . .....
?
?
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/12/19: LOC-HAK-543-3-8-7
25X1
?
25X1