On October 6, 1973, the Yom Kippur War began with a coordinated attack by Egypt and Syria against Israeli positions in the Sinai and the Golan Heights respectively. The Egyptian element of the attack, Operation Badr began with a massed air attack and artillery bombardment of Israeli positions followed by a crossing of the Suez Canal by ~32,000 Egyptian infantry which captured the Israeli side of the canal and the Israeli defensive line over the following days. Meanwhile, Syrian forces advanced against the Israeli positions in the Golan Heights, making significant gains in the process. Due to the danger presented to several Israeli cities should Syria successfully capture the Golan Heights, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) gave priority to halting the Syrian advance.

By October 9, the frontlines had largely stabilized. Early Israeli counter-attacks were largely unsuccessful due to the initial surprise from the two-front assault combined with the strong SAM (surface-to-air missile) umbrellas protecting both the Syrian and Egyptian forces hindering IAF (Israeli Air Force) operations. However, the tide of war quickly turned and by October 9-10 Syrian forces had been driven from the Golan Heights. On October 11, Israeli troops advanced into Syria and were within 40 kilometers of Damascus by October 14. October 16 saw the IDF successfully cross the Suez Canal and establish a bridgehead for crossing the canal. By October 22, Israeli forces were within 10 kilometers of the Egyptian city of Ismailia.
Following the failure of an initial UN-brokered ceasefire on October 22, the war finally ended with a second ceasefire and an Israeli military victory on October 25.

While the war had been between Israel, Syria, and Egypt, several other countries were also involved. As part of the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States were both involved by providing materiel to the Arab and Israeli militaries respectively as well as being involved in negotiations between the powers. Troops, aircraft, and equipment were also sent to aid the Syrians and Egyptians from several other nations in the region, including Algeria, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Morocco. ~4000 Cuban troops served alongside the Syrians and several North Korean pilots served alongside the Egyptians. Pakistani pilots were also claimed to have flown alongside the Syrian forces.