1640Z 08 June 1967 transmitted message text from
American Embassy, Tel Aviv to
Secretary of State, Washington, D.C.

JOINT EMBASSY/DAO

CINCSTRIKE AND EUCOM FOR POLAD

EXDIS

1. FOLLOWING IS SUMMARY OF IDF INTELLIGENCE CHIEF'S BRIEFING
OF MCPHERSON OF WHITE HOUSE JUNE 8, 11:30 A. M.

2. GENERAL YARIV SAID THAT THE PRINCIPAL TASK OF THE IDF
NOW WAS TO EXPLOIT ITS SUCCESS. THERE STILL REMAINED THE
SYRIAN PROBLEM AND PERHAPS IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO GIVE
SYRIA BLOW TO GET MORE QUOTE ELBOW ROOM UNQUOTE.

3. IN SPITE OF TREMENDOUS LOSSES OF SOVIET MATERIAL IN
SINAI IT SEEMED THAT SOVIETS STILL PLANNED TO SHIP MATERIAL
TO UAR. IDF KNEW THAT SHIP HAD LEFT RUSSIAN PORT IN LAST
FEW DAYS WHICH WAS LOADED WITH 70 TANKS AND ANTI-AIRCRAFT
EQUIPMENT. ISRAELIS LEARNED ALSO LAST SATURDAY THAT SOVIETS
HAD MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO AIRLIFT EQUIPMENT THROUGH
YUGOSLAVIA DOWN TO UAR. NONE OF THIS EQUIPMENT HAD
ARRIVED YET. ISRAEL ALSO HAD INFORMATION THAT SOME PLANES
FOR UAR MAY BE COMING FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA, POSSIBLY BY SHIP.
YARIV INDICATED SOME UNCERTAINTY ABOUT ACCURACY OF THIS LAST REPORT.

2. THERE WAS ALSO PROBLEM OF ADDITIONAL SOVIET-MAKE AIRCRAFT
REACHING UAR FROM ALGERIA. IDF UNDERSTOOD ALGERIA WOULD
GIVE UAR 50 AIRPLANES. BETWEEN 15 AND 20 ALGERIAN AIRCRAFT
ARRIVED IN THE UAR BEGINNING JUNE 7.

3. GENERAL YARIV THEN LAUNCHED INTO SUMMARY OF MILITARY
ACTIVITIES OF PAST FEW DAYS. HE SAID THERE WERE STILL IMPORTANT
AMOUNTS OF EGYPTIAN ARMOR IN SINAI. EGYPTIANS WERE FINDING
IT VERY DIFFICULT TO DISENGAGE FROM THE ISRAELIS; QUOTE WE
ARE ON THEIR HEEL UNQUOTE.

4. THERE WAS STILL UAR EFFORT IN THE AIR IT HAD SENT UP
THIS MORNING SU-7'S, MIG-17'S, AND MIG-21'S. THE EGYPTIANS
HAD NOW AN ADVANTAGE IN BEING CLOSER TO THEIR OWN AIR BASES.
TODAY WAS THE DAY ISRAEL HOPED TO BE ABLE TO DECIMATE EGYPTIAN
ARMOR IN SINAI. IT WAS MAKING MAXIMUM EFFORT WITH ALL AVAILABLE
AIRCRAFT. EGYPTIANS HAD IN ACTION AT PRESENT TIME BETWEEN 300
AND 400 TANKS; THEY HAD BEGUN THE BATTLE WITH ABOUT 1,000
TANKS IN SINAI.

5. YARIV THEN TURNED TO MAP AND DESCRIBED SOME OF THE
MAIN THRUSTS OF CAMPAING TO DATE. THERE HAD BEEN A CONCEN-
TRATION OF EGYPTIAN ARMOR IN SOUTH NEAR EILAT AT BEGINNING.
IDF CHOSE NOT TO REACT TO THIS CONCENTRATION BUT ONLY FEINTED
IN DIRECTION OF THOSE FORCES. AS TIDE OF BATTLE TURNED AGAINST
EGYPTIANS THAT FORCE FLED TO WEST. IN THE CENTER IDF STRATEGY
WAS TO HOLD INITIALLY; IN NORTH IT WAS TO STRIKE WITH ITS
MAXIMUM EFFORT. IN NORTH, THE ISRAELI FORCES HAD FOUND A
NEW ROUTE THROUGH SAND BETWEEN THE BORDER AND THE WADI EL-ARISH
ROAD. THIS FORCE HAD RATHER TOUGH FIGHT IN THE EL-ARISH AREA.
EGYPTIANS HAD TRIV A COUNTER ATTACK WHEN THE ISRAELI FORCES
REACHED EL-ARISH, BUT THIS WAS MISERABLE FAILURE. WHILE ALL
THIS WAS GOING ON, THE EGYPTIAN FORCES IN THE SOUTH WHICH HAD
BEEN LARGELY IGNORED SHOULD HAVE STRUCK ISRAELI FORCES IN THE
NORTH, BUT THEY COULD NOT BECAUSE ISRAEL HAD AIR SUPERIORITY.
WITH THE DEVELOPING BATTLE, ISRAELI FORCES IN NORTH, CENTER AND
SOUTH HAVE MOVED WESTWARD CATCHING UP TODAY WITH THE EGYPTIAN
FORCES TRYING TO MAKE THEIR ESCAPE ACROSS THE CANAL. AT THE
VERY MOMENT YARIV WAS SPEAKING, BATTLES WERE UNDERWAY IN
GENERAL AREAS ROMANI, EL-TASA ON THE ROAD LEADING EAST FROM
ISMAILIA, JEBEL UMN MAKHASSA, AND MITLA PASS. YARIV THOUGHT
THAT THE IDF HAD A GOOD CHANCE TODAY TO DESTROY REMAINING
ENEMY ARMOR IN SINAI, THOUGH HE DID NOT THINK ISRAEL WOULD
BE ABLE TO GET IT ALL. HE SAID THAT TO DATE OUT OF A THOUSAND
EGYPTIAN TANKS IN THE SINAI IN BEGINNING, ABOUT 300 HAD BEEN
DESTROYED. THERE WERE 300 OR 400 STILL IN SINAI (PRESUMABLY
SOME HAVE MADE THEIR GETAWAY).

6. THE GENERAL REFERRED AGAIN TO DIFFICULTIES ISRAELIS WERE
HAVING OPERATING INCREASING FAR FROM THEIR BASES.
THEY HAD TRIED TO PUT THE AIR BASE AT EL-ARISH IN ORDER AND WERE
ALSO HOPING TO USE THE ONE AT JEBEL LIBNI. BOTH HAD BEEN
DAMAGED IN FIRST MORNING'S RAID. THERE WAS A THIRD GOOD
EGYPTIAN AIR BASE TO THE SOUTHWEST OF JEBEL LIBNI. (YARIV
DID NOT SAY WHAT SHAPE THAT BASE WAS IN.)

7. SHARM EL SHEIK HAD POSED NO PROBLEM FOR ISRAELI FORCES.
THEY HAD TAKEN OVER BY AIR BORNE TROOPS. NOW FORCES IN THAT
AREA WERE WORKING THEIR WAY UP THE GULF OF SUEZ ROAD TOWARD CANAL.

8. YARIV SAID THAT THE IDF HAD HAD NO ADVANTAGE OF SURPRISE IN
THEIR OPERATIONS. WHEN QUESTIONED ON THIS, HE DID ADMIT THEY
HAD SURPRISED THE UAR FORCE. IT WAS QUESTION IN ISRAELI MINDS
WHETHER THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO GET EGYPTIAN AIR FORCE ON
GROUND. BUT IS IT TURNED OUT, IT HAD DONE JOB IN ABOUT HOUR.
ISRAELIS HAD ALSO ACHIEVED A CERTAIN TACTICAL SURPRISE IN THEIR
FEINT TOWARD THE EGYPTIAN FORCE IN THE SOUTH NEAR EILAT.

9. QUESTIONED ABOUT CASUALTIES. YARIV SAID THEY HAD BEEN MUCH
LESS THAN EXPECTED IN SINAI AND SOMEWHAT MORE THAN
EXPECTED IN GAZA. THE PROBLEM IN GAZA HAD BEEN THAT
THE ARABS HAD BEEN CUT OFF AND RESISTED STRONGLY IN GUERILLA-
TYPE ACTIONS. A POSSIBLE FIGURE OF AS MUCH AS 5,000 CASUALTIES
HAD BEEN MENTIONED FOR ISRAEL, WAS THIS CLOSE TO THE MARK?
YARIV INDICATED THAT ALL CASUALTIES TO DATE WERE BELOW 1,000. HE
INDICATED THAT KILLED IN ACTION WERE WELL UNDER 500.

10. YARIV SAID HE STILL DID NOT KNOW HOW MANY PRISONERS THERE HAD BEEN.

11. THE TOUGHEST BATTLES? AS FOR ARMOR, THEY HAD BEEN
IN SINAI, BUT REGARDING INFANTRY ACTIONS, SOME OF HARDEST
FIGHTING HAD BEEN NEAR JENIN. THERE, YARIV INDICATED, THE
ISRAELIS HAD NOT BEEN EXPECTING JORDANIAN ACTION AND HAD BEEN
CAUGHT A LITTLE OFF BALANCE.

12. TO DATE ISRAEL HAD LOST ABOUT 20 PLANES, MOST OF IT TO
ANTI-AIRCRAFT. ABOUT 60-70 PERCENT OF THE SYRIAN AIR FORCE HAD
BEEN DESTROYED. IT HAD HAD NO OFFENSIVE INTENTIONS SINCE THE
FIRST DAY OR TWO. YARIV SAID THERE WERE NO GROUND OPERATIONS IN
SYRIA YET, QUOTE UNFORTUNATELY UNQUOTE.

13. YARIV CLOSED WITH A REITERATION OF CONCERN EXPRESSED
EARLIER ABOUT CONTINUING UAR AIR ACTIVITY BASED ON REPAIR OF
DAMAGED AIRCRAFT AND RECEIPT OF NEW AIRCRAFT. YARIV EXPRESSED
HOPE THAT POLITICAL CHANGES WOULD COME ABOUT IN EGYPT WHICH
WOULD SOON BRING ABOUT AN END OF HOSTILITIES.

GP-3. BARBOUR
BT

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