JERUSALEM — The Six-Day War started on June 5, 1967. The conflict lasted for six days, during which the Israel Defense Forces engaged the militaries of Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon.
Within those six days, Israeli forces took control of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, and east Jerusalem. Levi Eshkol served as the prime minister of Israel at the time of the war. Eshkol initially held the position of defense minister but stepped down from that role at the outset of the conflict and appointed former IDF chief Moshe Dayan as defense minister.
Yitzhak Rabin served as the IDF chief of staff during the Six-Day War. Haim Bar-Lev was the deputy chief of staff of the IDF during the conflict. Bar-Lev later served as the chief of staff of the IDF.
Commanders assigned to specific fronts included Yeshayahu Gavish, who led the Southern Command overseeing operations against Egypt. Uzi Narkiss commanded the Central Command, which oversaw military operations against Jordan and east Jerusalem. David Elazar commanded the Northern Command, directing operations against Syria. Elazar later served as the chief of staff of the IDF and led the military during the Yom Kippur War.
Mordechai Gur commanded the 55th Paratroopers Brigade during the military operation to secure Jerusalem's Old City and the Western Wall. Gur later served as the chief of staff of the IDF and commanded the military operation during the 1976 hostage rescue in Entebbe, Uganda.