On June 5, 1967, Egypt had 80,000 men and 900 tanks in the Sinai. What do you call that, a picnic? Nasser moved them into the Sinai in the middle of May, after the Soviets told him that Israel had moved 13 brigades against the Syrians. It wasn't true, and Nasser knew it, but he took it as a green light from his Soviet sponsors that it would be a good time for another war. Until then, the Egypt-Israel border had been quiet.
Tensions were high on the Syrian border due to Syrian shelling of northern Israel from the Golan. During May, the Syrians also massed troops, and Jordan, which had been hostile to Egypt, joined the alliance. Iraq and Saudi Arabia sent troops also. Also, as mentioned before, Nasser blockaded the Straits of Tiran (Israel had said in 1956 that it would regard this as a casus belli), told UNEF forces to scram, and called for the total destruction of Israel in public speeches.
There was no impending Israeli attack or mobilization or massing of troops before these Arab actions in May 1967, so they weren't self-defense. Let me repeat: Egypt mobilized first, and Israel only mobilized in response. They might be construed as an elaborate game of brinksmanship, or an intent to starve Israel by forcing it into extended mobilization, but if so, Nasser badly miscalculated. |
