Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on Sunday marked the 52nd anniversary of the 1973 October War by chairing a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to discuss national security and by laying wreaths at memorials in Cairo, the presidency said.
The war began on Oct. 6, 1973, when the Egyptian army launched a surprise attack against Israeli forces in the occupied Sinai Peninsula. Supported by the air force, the army crossed the Suez Canal and dislodged Israeli forces on the eastern bank of the waterway by destroying the giant “Bar Lev Line” defensive earthen barrier with high-pressure water hoses. The confrontation ultimately led to the restoration of the Sinai Peninsula to Egyptian sovereignty.
In his capacity as supreme commander of the armed forces, Al-Sisi began the military council meeting by congratulating the Egyptian people and the armed forces on the anniversary. He praised the military’s efforts “to support the pillars of security and stability on all strategic fronts,” a presidency spokesperson said.
The meeting reviewed a number of topics “in light of the changes in the international and regional arenas and their connection to Egyptian national security,” the spokesperson added. Defence Minister Abdel Meguid Sakr also briefed the council on the armed forces’ tasks, including border protection and cooperation with government ministries on sustainable development projects.
Earlier on Monday, Al-Sisi attended a formal ceremony at the memorial to the unknown soldier in Cairo’s Nasr City. He laid a wreath, and the military band played the “Martyr’s Salute.” Following the ceremony, he greeted a number ofOctober War veterans and then went to the tomb of former president Anwar al-Sadat, where he laid a wreath and met with members of the late leader’s family.
Following the ceremony, the president, accompanied by the defence minister, visited the tomb of former president Gamal Abdel Nasser, where he also laid a wreath and met with his family, the spokesperson added.
At the conclusion of the military council meeting, Al-Sisi paid tribute to the “souls of the nation’s righteous martyrs,” stressing that “the spirit of the October victory will remain firmly embedded in the conscience of the Egyptian people for generations to come.”
