Mitla Pass

The Mitla Pass (Template:Lang-ar, Template:Lang-he) is a 32 km-long snaky pass in the Sinai of Egypt, wedged between mountain ranges to the north and south, located about 50 km east of Suez. It is famous as the site of major battles between the militaries of Egypt and Israel during the wars of 1956, 1967, and 1973. During the latter conflict, on October 14, 1973, the Egyptians tried to reach the pass with elements of their Fourth Armored Division, but their offensive was halted by IDF armor and air power. Figures of Egyptian tank losses vary with the source consulted. THE TWO O'CLOCK WAR gives the Israeli figure but the Egyptian one is lower.

Mitla incident during the Suez War

During the Israeli invasion of Egypt in the Suez War of 1956 the pass was captured by the 202nd Brigade of the Israeli army, commanded by Ariel Sharon, without the approval of the Israeli leadership. Sharon was criticised for this. see Ariel Sharon: Mitla incident.

This entry needs a disambiguation to distinguish it from the novel of the same name by Leon Uris http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitla_Pass_%28novel%29