CAIRO: The Middle East ceasefire collapsed today [Oct 23] in a renewed hail of bombing, shelling and tank battles a bare 12 hours after it went into effect. Egypt and Syria both reported a resumption of all-out war on their fronts. Each side accused the other of being the first to break the standstill order … by the United Nations Security Council.

… Cairo reported heavy Israeli bombing attacks on Egyptian army positions in the bulge west of the Suez Canal and between the port of Suez and the Bitter Lakes. It said that ground fighting was raging too. Syria reported heavy Israeli attacks north of Damascus in which it claimed 11 Israeli Phantom and Mirage jets were shot down. Syria also reported renewed ground battles, with hand-to-hand fighting on the slopes of the 8,000-foot Mount Hermon… . — News agencies

[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from Moscow,] the Soviet Government war­ned Israel about the “gravest consequences” that the continuation of its aggressive actions against Syria and Egypt will entail. The sta­tement … says that “the Soviet Gove­rn­ment, the entire Soviet people express an angry protest against the perfidious actions of the Israeli Government and demand that Israel should immediately cease fire and stop all the hostilities against the troops of the Arab States and pull back its troops to the line of cease-fire of Oct 22. …”

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2023