On October 6, 1973, the Egyptian and Syrian armies attacked Israel by surprise, deploying thousands of tanks and dense arrays of anti-tank weapons. In the early hours and days, regular armored brigades were the main force facing the attack on both fronts.

In the Golan Heights, the armored forces fought against a large numerical advantage, held off the Syrians, and then launched a counterattack that reached a distance of about 40 kilometers from Damascus. In Sinai, the armored units suffered heavy losses in the initial attempts to hold them off. Later, the forces reorganized, participated in the crossing of the Suez Canal, and advanced to

the West Bank, to the 101st kilometer from Cairo.

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It was the largest and most difficult armored battle since World War II. Battalions and companies fought until only a few tanks remained, and containment was achieved at a very heavy price.

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The war demonstrated the power of armor, but also its limitations. It proved that tanks could not operate alone against dense anti-tank formations, and reinforced the need to combine infantry, engineering, artillery, intelligence, and air. Its lessons reshaped the IDF's combat doctrine and force building. Its achievements serve as a model for armor warfare around the world.