BATTLE // June 5, 1967
Operation Focus
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Overview
Operation Focus was the opening airstrike by Israel at the start of the Six-Day War in 1967. It is sometimes referred to as the "Sinai Air Strike". At 07:45 on 5 June 1967, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) under Maj. Gen. Mordechai Hod launched a massive airstrike that destroyed the majority of the Egyptian Air Force on the ground. Following Syrian and Jordanian attacks in retaliation, the Israeli Air Force bombed air bases in those countries. By noon, the Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian Air Forces, totaling about 450 aircraft, were destroyed. It was also very successful in disabling 18 airfields in Egypt, hindering Egyptian air operations for the duration of the war, and remains one of the most successful air attack campaigns in military history.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Significance
Operation Focus opened the Six-Day War by eliminating the Arab coalition's air power in a single morning. Launched at 07:45 on 5 June 1967, the Israeli Air Force under Maj. Gen. Mordechai Hod destroyed the majority of the Egyptian Air Force on the ground, then struck Syrian and Jordanian air bases after those states entered the fighting. By noon, approximately 450 aircraft belonging to the Egyptian, Jordanian, and Syrian air forces had been destroyed. Eighteen Egyptian airfields were disabled, denying Egyptian forces effective air cover for the remainder of the war. By neutralizing the coalition's air arms before they could contest the skies, Operation Focus gave Israel uncontested air superiority that shaped every subsequent phase of the conflict — ground offensives in Sinai, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights all advanced under conditions the strike had created. The operation is regarded as one of the most consequential preemptive air campaigns in modern military history.
Tactics
The Israeli Air Force launched its strikes in the early morning, timing the attack for 07:45 when Egyptian pilots and air defenses were assessed to be less alert. Aircraft targeted Egyptian planes on the ground, destroying the bulk of that force before it could become airborne. After Syria and Jordan launched retaliatory attacks, the IAF redirected strikes to air bases in those countries as well. The campaign disabled 18 airfields in Egypt through repeated strikes, not merely destroying aircraft but degrading the infrastructure needed to sustain Egyptian air operations throughout the war.
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