Beginning of the Six-Day War

Date: June 5, 1967 • Location: Cairo, Egypt

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1967.

Following Israel's initiation of Operation Focus with the goal to neutralise the Egyptian Air Force, Syrian Air Force, and the Royal Jordanian Air Force, the Six-Day War begins.

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.