Battle of Sultan Yacoub

Battle of Sultan Yacoub
Part of the 1982 Lebanon War
A captured Israeli ERA-equipped M48 Patton tank on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia, very likely given to Russia by Syria after the battle.
Date June 10, 1982 Location Near Sultan Yacoub, Bekaa Lebanon Result Tactical Syrian victory
Belligerents
Israel	Syria
Commanders and leaders
Brig. Gen. Gioria Lev	Gen. Ali Mohammad Habib Mahmood
Casualties and losses
30 killed 3 missing 10 tanks lost 3 APCs destroyed	Unknown

The Battle of Sultan Yacoub was a battle between Syria and Israel during the 1982 Lebanon War, which occurred near the village of Sultan Yacoub in the Lebanese Bekaa, close to the borders with Syria.

Background

At the beginning of the invasion Israeli Brig. Gen. Giora Lev’s 90th Division passed through Marjayoun and took up positions around Kaukaba and Hasbaiya. From there it began to push the Syrian 76th and 91st Armored Brigade, of the 10th Division, north up the Bekaa Valley towards Joub Jannine. The Syrians made skillful use of their Gazelle helicopters to support the delaying action, firing HOT missiles into the long columns of Israeli vehicles stretched out along the roads. Israel countered with its own Cobra helicopters, used against both ground targets and the Gazelles.

Battle

On June 10 the Israeli 90th Division was rushed forward in order to gain as much ground as possible before the cease-fire came into effect. Late that night most of its 362nd Battalion as well as Pluga Kaph from the 363rd Battalion fought its way through Syrian infantry in the village of Sultan Yacoub only to become cut off and surrounded. At dawn, the Israelis broke out and escaped to the south with the support of 11 battalions of artillery firing both at the Syrians and in a box barrage around their own troops. In the six-hours ordeal the Israeli Army lost eight tanks and about 30 killed. The Israelis failed to destroy the disabled M48A3 Magach-3 tanks they left behind and they were recovered the next day by the Syrians.

Aftermath

Thirty IDF soldiers died in the battle, which was viewed as an Israeli intelligence failure. Three IDF soldiers remain missing in action: Zachary Baumel, Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman. The three soldiers were captured and were paraded through Damascus held on top of their captured tank. Time magazine reporter Dean Brelis testified to having seen the three captives alive at the time. Baumel's body recovered in an intelligence operation in 2019.

Legacy

The battle is still widely commemorated and remembered in Syria. A large painting depicting the battle is displayed in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Damascus, among other paintings depicting other significant battles in Arab and Syrian history, and one of the Israeli M48 Patton tanks captured during the battle is now on display at the October War Panorama in Damascus, with another on display in the Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia, most likely donated by Syria due to their extremely-close bilateral ties.