How the Arabs Rallied to the Support of Egypt

From The Times, 6 June 1967

Egypt’s friends and allies threw themselves into the war, or took other measures against Israel, throughout yesterday. Some of them were: –

SYRIA – An announcement was made that its aircraft were bombing Israel cities, and later it claimed to have bombed the Haifa refinery and set it ablaze.

JORDAN – Its aircraft were stated to have bombed Israel territory, and its ground forces to have destroyed eight Israeli tanks near Jerusalem.

LEBANON – Rashid Karami, the Prime Minister, said: “The battle has started and we are fully prepared for it.” Lebanese pilots claimed to have shot down an Israel jet over central Lebanon.

IRAQ – A state of war with Israel was announced, and a warning given that any state assisting Israel would be considered to be committing an act of aggression against Iraq. Iraq aircraft were said to ahve destroyed seven Israel aircraft in a raid on one base, and the Air Force claimed to have bombed Tel Aviv.

SAUDI ARABIA – King Faisel sent a message of support to President Nasser and Mecca radio said that Saudi Arabian troops had entered Jordan “to fight on the side of our Arab brothers”.

KUWAIT – The radio broadcast a decree from Shaikh Sabah as-Salim as-Sabah, the Amir, proclaiming a “defensive war” between Kuwait and Zionist gangs in occupied Palestine.” The Amir said that “the hour of asacrifice has come.”

SUDAN – Muhammad Mahgoub, the Prime Minister, issued a declaration of war on Israel while croweds rushing into the Constituent Assembly demanding arms. The Prime Minister said that Sudanese troops were leaving for the United Arab REpublic. The police put a guard on the American embassy while hostile demonstrators swarmed in Khartoum.

ALGERIA – An army contingent was due to leave last night for the Middle East to join the battle. The Army as a whole was not on the alert. A state of war with Israel was declared.

Thousands of young people stoned the American Cultural Centre in Algiers, shouting “Palestine for the Arabs”.

MOROCCO – King Hassan gave orders for units of the armed forces to be sent to the Middle East.

YEMEN – President Abdullah al-Sallal declared the republic to be at war with Israel and declared a state of emergency.

GUINEA – Conakry radio said the diplomatic relations with Israel were being severed because Israel was an instrument of international imperialism.

TUNISIA – Demonstrators rampaged through the United States and British embassies in Tunis and smashed windows of Jewish shops.