First October War Communiqué: ‘Our Forces Are Currently Confronting the Attacking Forces’

Today marks the anniversary of Egypt’s victory in the October 6, 1973 war, a day remembered as one of the most significant chapters in the country’s modern military history.

The anniversary brings renewed attention to the first wartime communiqué and its announcement: “Our forces are currently confronting the attacking forces.”

The statement offers a brief glimpse of how the fighting was first presented to the public. Its wording focused on military action underway, rather than the wider historical significance the day would later acquire.

As Egypt commemorates the anniversary, the first communiqué remains a link to the opening of a conflict that holds a central place in the country’s remembrance of its armed forces.