Battles of the Sinai

Overview

The Battles of the Sinai refer to a series of military engagements between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Egyptian Army fought in the Sinai Peninsula from December 28, 1948 to January 2, 1949, as part of the Israeli Operation Horev. The IDF's Southern Command, under Yigal Allon, concentrated forces to push into the Sinai following their success in the Battle of Bir 'Asluj and the Battle of 'Auja.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battles of the Sinai formed part of Operation Horev, the final major Israeli offensive of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, directed against Egyptian forces. Following Israeli successes at the Battle of Bir 'Asluj and the Battle of 'Auja, the IDF's Southern Command under Yigal Allon pushed into the Sinai Peninsula itself, extending operations beyond the territory that would become Israel. The advance into Sinai represented an escalation in geographic scope, pressing Egyptian forces on ground outside the original theater of the war and increasing pressure on Egypt at a critical late stage of the conflict.

Forces & casualties