June 5: Six-Day War Begins

Today in history, June 5, 1967: the first hours of the Six-Day War changed the map of the Middle East. After weeks of escalating crisis, Israel launched preemptive air strikes against Egyptian airfields, and the conflict quickly widened to include Jordan and Syria. In only six days, Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Golan Heights. The war was brief, but its consequences were not: borders, diplomacy, security fears, and the search for peace are still shaped by what began that morning.