Six-Day War Books
War Duration: 1967 - 1967
War Region: Middle East
About Six-Day War
The Six-Day War, fought in June 1967, was a brief but consequential conflict between Israel and the neighboring Arab states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Tensions escalated in the weeks leading up to the war as Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping and mobilized forces in the Sinai Peninsula. In response, Israel launched a preemptive strike on June 5, decimating the Egyptian Air Force and rapidly gaining ground. Over six days, Israel achieved a stunning military victory, capturing the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. The war radically altered the political landscape of the Middle East. It led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and increased Israel’s control over key religious and strategic territories. While Israel celebrated the victory as a triumph of survival and deterrence, the Arab world saw it as a devastating loss, fueling further animosity. The war’s aftermath intensified the Arab-Israeli conflict, leading to the Yom Kippur War and decades of stalled peace processes. It also reshaped global perceptions of the conflict and significantly altered U.S. and Soviet involvement in the region.