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battle, notable, Cold War

Valley of Tears

Valley of Tears was a battle fought on 9 October 1973 at Golan Heights, in what is now Israel. It was part of the Yom Kippur War. The recorded result: Israeli victory.

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Yom Kippur War 1973 on the Golan heights
Yom Kippur War 1973 on the Golan heights. Department of History, U.S. Military Academy. See Department Maps page., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought9 October 1973
WhereGolan Heights, Israel33.177N, 35.802E
OutcomeIsraeli victory
BelligerentsIsraelagainstBa'athist Syria
Casualties and losses60–80 Sho't Kal tanks and vehiclesand500+ vehicles (260–300 T-55 and T-62 tanks)
Part ofYom Kippur War1973

Where it sits in the Yom Kippur War

Battle of the Chinese Farm, 1973Battle of Ismailia, 1973Third Battle of Mount Hermon, 1973First Battle of Mount Hermon, 1973Battle of Suez, 1973Ofira Air Battle, 1973Battles of Fort Budapest, 1973Battle of Fort Lahtzanit, 1973Battle with the Egyptian 130th Brigade, 1973Battle of Latakia, 1973Battle of Marsa Talamat, 1973Second Battle of Mount Hermon, 1973Battle of Baltim, 1973Valley of Tears, 1973Air Battle of El Mansoura, 1973Battle of the Sinai, 1973Battle of Wadi Mabouk, 1973Egyptian 25th Brigade ambush, 1973Battle of Seraphum, 1973Battle of the Orchard Complex, 1973War of Attrition in the Bashan Salient, 197419731974Valley of Tears, 1973
21 placed engagements of the Yom Kippur War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date9 October 1973
PlaceGolan Heights, Israel
33.177N, 35.802E
KindBattle, Cold War
Strength1 armored brigade (~100 tanks)3rd Infantry Division; 7th Infantry Division; 9th Infantry Division (~500 tanks and vehicles)
Casualties and losses60–80 Sho't Kal tanks and vehicles500+ vehicles (260–300 T-55 and T-62 tanks)
Commanders
  • Avigdor Ben-Gal
  • Yitzhak Ben-Shoham
  • Major (rank)
  • Benjamin Katzin
  • Omar Abrash
  • Lt. Col.
Valley of TearsValley of TearsBattle of PaniumSiege of PaneasBattle of Tel AzaziatThird Battle of Mount HermonFirst Battle of Mount HermonBattle of Tel AzaziatThird Battle of Mount HermonTel AvivBeirutHaifaNablusNazarethAs SuwaydaAd NabkAz Zarqa100 km33.177N, 35.802E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1973

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: SYR 7TH INF DIV(+)Defender: IS 7TH ARMD BDE(+)
Strength31,6505,395
Casualties1,200 (3.8%)400 (7.4%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1047
Outcomedefender won
Duration2 days
Front width7.5 km7.5 km
Attacker advanced0 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 592), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

Valley of Tears is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 152 in present-day Israel.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2907870, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Valley of Tears, revision 1379647975, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.