How did Israel’s air attack affect Egypt during the Six-Day War?

During the Six-Day War, Israel’s preemptive air assault on June 5, 1967, had a devastating impact on Egypt. Within the first hours of the conflict, Israeli forces struck all of Egypt’s airfields, destroying more than 90 percent of the Egyptian air force while the planes were still on the ground.12

This loss of air power left the Egyptian army without cover and highly vulnerable to attack. Consequently, Egyptian forces were quickly defeated and forced to retreat across the Suez Canal. By June 8, Israeli troops had reached the canal, having captured the entire Sinai Peninsula during the rapid and overwhelming military campaign. The defeat was demoralizing for the Egyptian public and political elite, leading Gamal Abdel Nasser to briefly announce his resignation.132