9 October 1973: Ahram's front page
Ahram Online, Tuesday 8 Oct 2013
“Fierce tank battles in Sinai and Golan” heads the front page of state daily Al-Ahram on 9 October 1973

Tuesday 9 October

Reporting the third day of fighting, Al-Ahram opens with the headline “Fierce tank battles in Sinai and Golan” with the article stating that the Egyptian-Israeli battle in Sinai is the “most violent since the last world war” and that Egyptian forces are continuing to advance into the peninsula and have captured the last Israeli stronghold along the Suez Canal.

Al-Ahram announces that Israel had lost 24Phantom and Skyhawk jets and 36 tanks and a number of armoured vehicles, also reporting that 45 Israeli soldiers and a number of their pilots were captured in battle. Whereas Israeli losses are highlighted in the first lines of the article, the paper writes in smaller print that ten Egyptian aircraft have been lost along with a number of soldiers and some equipment.

Under the “Egyptian Front” headline used again to record battle details, Al-Ahram states that the most intense battle along the Suez Canal was the battle of Qantara, the last Israeli-occupied city which Egyptian forces were successful in capturing.

Al-Ahram writes that Israeli forces were forced back to a new defensive line deeper in Sinai.

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On the centre left, with a hint of sarcasm, the title reads: “A strange US opinion at the Security Council: Retreat of warring parties to 6 October lines!!”

The article quotes US statements at the UN Security Council.

Underneath, Al-Ahram reports that US President Richard Nixon asked Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev to support US efforts to end the fighting, reporting that the US is attempting to halt the fighting in order to reach a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East.

Reporting more diplomacy, Al-Ahram’s front page included French Foreign Minister Michel Jobert’s statements to the effect that France “can’t blame people wanting to reclaim their land.” The same news item said French officials denied reports they had warned Libya not to use French mirage aircrafts in the battles.

The page also includes some words by renowned Egyptian writer Tawfiq Al-Hakim praising the Egyptian entry into Sinai.

The caption of the photo below the headline and deck says: “A modern tank left by the fleeing enemy is mounted by our valiant soldiers.”

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/83541.aspx