التدخلات السرية الإسرائيلية في الحرب الأهلية اليمنية (1964–1966)

Yemeni civil war, Israeli intervention, Arab Cold War, President Nasser, the Six-Day War, United Arab Republic, Arab unity aspirations

The Yemeni Military Movement of 26 September 1962 culminated in a civil war. As one of the episodes of the Arab Cold War, the conflict transformed into a kind of proxy war in which the ultimately victorious republican side enjoyed direct military assistance from the UAR, while the monarchist side was backed with money and weapons by opponents of Arab unity aspirations, especially Saudi Arabia. The Yemeni clashes promised a number of benefits for Israel. Above all, the UAR, Israel’s main opponent, was directly involved in the fight. Therefore, it has been a high priority for Israelis to involve the Egyptian armed forces as much as possible in the fighting there, while the Israeli Secret Service could gain valuable information about the Egyptian troops’ combat procedures. For this reason, they were ready to cooperate when the British contacted them to support the Yemeni monarchists. This study aims to present the background of the Israeli intervention, the organization and operation of the air bridge, and to assess the effects of the operation, in particular with regard to the 1967 Six-Day War.