Operation An-Far (short for Anti- Farouk) was a military operation launched by

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

's Givati Brigade on the night of July 8–9 during the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, also known as the First Arab–Israeli War, followed the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war in Mandatory Palestine as the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. The civil war becam ...

. Its objectives were to gain control of approaches in southern

Judea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the pres ...

and block the advance of the Egyptian army. The fighting continued until July 15, and was followed by Operation Death to the Invader. An-Far

Background

On the ending of the first

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Truce on July 8, most of the Israeli army's attention and resources were focused on Operations Danny and Dekel. In the south, the

Negev The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...

and Givati Brigades failed to link up. But in ten days, the Givati Brigade did succeed in "conquering areas in the northern Negev and in the western Hebron district foothills."

Operation

Operational Commander

Shimon Avidan Shimon Avidan (; February 7, 1911 – September 11, 1994), born Siegbert Koch (), was a Palmach soldier and IDF military leader. He was the commander of the Givati Brigade during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Biography Early life Shimon Avidan ...

held meetings at

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

headquarters on July 5 at which plans were outlined. In the first phase, the 1st

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

was to attack the Tell es-Safi area. The second phase was towards Beit 'Affa, Hatta and Jusayr. On July 7, the 1st Battalion were given their orders: "to expel the refugees encamped in the area, in order to prevent enemy infiltration from the east to this important position." According to Israeli army reports, the first phase of the operation, in which 16 villages were captured, resulted in "more than 20,000" people fleeing the area.."Morris, p.212 - citing: Major Avraham Eilon (ed), 'Hativat Givati Mul Hapolesh Hamitzri' (The Givati Brigade Opposite the Egyptian invader), (1963), pp.226-228,254.

Aftermath

The Israelis managed to achieve limited success in the operation, especially in clearing their flanks, but failed to achieve the main objective—linking up with the forces in the

desert. The result was the commencement of Operation Death to the Invader, starting July 16.

References

Bibliography

* Walid Khalidi, All That Remains, . Uses 1945 'Village Statistics' for population figures. * Benny Morris, The Birth of the Palestinian refugee problem, 1947–1949, . {{Israeli operations in the 1948 war An-Far July 1948 in Asia

Background

Operation

Aftermath

See also

References

Bibliography