| Operation Uvda | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the1948 Arab–Israeli War | |||||||
.jpg) CaptainAvraham "Bren" Adan raising theInk Flag at Umm Rashrash (a site now inEilat), marking the end of the war | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Israel |  Transjordan | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Yigal Allon Avraham Adan Moshe Dayan Yitzhak Rabin | Habis Majali (WIA) Glubb Pasha (POW) | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 2,500 troops | Unknown | ||||||
  Umm Rashrash (Eilat) Location within Israel | |||||||
Operation Uvda (Hebrew:מבצע עובדה,Mivtza Uvda) was an operation conducted by theIsrael Defense Forces during the1948 Arab–Israeli War, from 5 March to 10 March 1949. It was the last campaign undertaken by the IDF during the war and its objective was to capture the southernNegev desert, which was claimed by theKingdom of Jordan to be under Jordanian control in thearmistice talks of 1949.
The southern Negev was designated to be part of the Jewish State in the1947 UN Partition Plan. The nameuvda (עובדה) isHebrew for "fact", referring to the operation's objective to establishde facto Israeli sovereignty over the territory in question, rather than actually conquer it. As such, the Israeli forces did not meet significant resistance on their way. The region claimed during this operation is now referred to asUvda.
TheNegev,Golani andAlexandroni brigades participated in the operation, as well as a number of smaller units.
In January 1949, slightly over a month before the operation, a small unit was dispatched to reconnoiter the southern Negev, with limited resources and no ability to receive tactical aid. The unit's mission was to map the region, as the best available map of the time was aGSGS map scaled 1:250,000. The unit was reinforced by reconnaissance aircraft and heavy use was made of aerial photographystereoscopic imaging.
The unit moved in two parts: one through the center of the Negev and one through theArava. It was strictly forbidden to engage the JordanianArab Legion or enter theSinai.[1] The unit encountered Bedouins inRas al-Naqb and immediately set out to return toBeersheba using a different route. As a result, the Arab Legion again manned posts at Ras al-Naqb, which had previously been abandoned.
On 5 March 1949, (4 Adar 5709) Negev Brigade forces set out fromBeersheba to theRamon Crater, throughBir 'Asluj. Golani forces simultaneously set out fromMamshit toEin Husub.
On 6 March, the Negev Brigade travelled to Sde Avraham and began to clear land for an airfield there.
In the night of 6 March,7th Brigade reinforcements from the Gahal platoon arrived by air in the newly cleared airfield. They carried supplies and fuel vital to continue the operation.
On 7 March, Golani forces conquered the villageEin Harouf. On the same day, the Alexandroni Brigade moved from Beersheba through Mamshit towardsSodom. From there it made an amphibious landing nearEin Gedi through theDead Sea.
On 8 March, Golani conqueredEin Ghamr. The defending Jordanian forces withdrew. Simultaneously, Negev forces moved towards Umm Rashrash through the Valley of Fingers. At night, the Alexandroni Brigade set sail from Sodom on theDead Sea and landed atEin Gedi before dawn. This was called Operation Itzuv ("Stabilization").
On 8-9 March, the Alexandroni Brigade split into three groups, one of which captured Ein Gedi and the southern group capturedMasada. During that time the Negev Brigade stayed at the Valley of Fingers for two days, looking for a roundabout way to reachRas al-Naqb.
On 9 March, Golani forces capturedGharandal and proceeded to Ein Ghadyan (nowYotvata).
In the morning of 10 March, an aerial photographer discovered that the police station guarding Ras al-Naqb was abandoned. The Negev Brigade set out towards Umm Rashrash through Ras al-Naqb.
Negev and Golani Brigades actively competed on who would reach theRed Sea first, and on 10 March at 15:00, the Negev Brigade accomplished the feat, reaching the abandoned police station at Umm Rashrash (where the city ofEilat was later built). The Golani Brigade arrived two hours later.
Because Operation Uvda was the last military operation during the war,[2] the raising at the police station of the hand-drawn Israeli flag (popularly known as theInk Flag) on 10 March at 16:00 is considered to have ended the war.
The front commander sent this telegram at the conclusion of the campaign:"On Hagana day, the 11th of Adar, the Palmach Negev Brigade and the Golani Brigade present the Gulf of Aqaba to the State of Israel".
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