April 7, 1967
Israeli forces strike Syria after unarmored Israeli tractors in the demilitarized zone between the countries are fired on from Syrian territory. The confrontation quickly escalates into an air battle involving more than 130 warplanes. Israeli Mirage fighter jets take control of the situation and shoot down six Soviet-supplied MiGs over Damascus.
Military flare-ups between Israel and Syria had become common in the 1960s as Israel responded to raids against Israeli civilians from Syria. In August 1966, after a series of raids and a military confrontation, the United Nations pushed through a ceasefire that produced relative calm for the rest of the year.
In January 1967, Syria ramped up shelling of northern Israeli towns. Radio Damascus declared on January 16 that Syria “had changed its strategy, moving from defense to attack.” (Michael Oren, Six Days of War, New York: Rosetta Books, 2002, p. 42)
Syria escalated the situation knowing it had the support of the Soviet Union and having entered a mutual defense pact with Egypt in November 1966. The United Nations reconvened its Israeli Syrian Mixed Armistice Commission, but the attacks continued.
On April 1, after Palestinian guerrillas blew up a water pump at Kibbutz Misgav Am, Israeli leaders decided that the next attack would require a strong Israeli response, resulting in the dogfight April 7.
After the air battle, Egypt does not honor its agreement with Syria by attacking Israel. But the violence in the north escalates, mostly perpetrated by Yasser Arafat’s Fatah faction. The Soviets provoke Syria and Egypt by claiming that Israel is amassing troops in the north. The Six-Day War breaks out less than two months later.
