The operation was to be carried out by Irgun and Lehi forces on July 8 with help from the Haganah. But it was delayed by David Shaltiel possibly because he did not trust their ability after their failure to capture Deir Yassin without Haganah's assistance. He told them to first capture the Arab village Malha and thereafter they would be allowed to attack the Old City. On July 14 after a high-pitched battle the Irgunists had managed to capture the village to the price of 17 casualties and many wounded.
The Irgun forces that was commaned by Yehuda Lapidot (Nimrod) was to break through at the The New Gate, Lehi to break through through the wall stretching from the New Gate and the Jaffa Gate and the Beit Hiron Batallion to strike from Mount Zion.
The battle was planned to begin at the Sabbath, 20.00 Friday July 16 a day before the Second Cease-fire of the Arab-Israeli war. The plan went wrong from the beginning and was first postponed first to 23.00 then to midnight. It wasn't before 02.30 that the battle actually begun. The Irgunists managed to break through at the New Gate but the other forces failed in their missions. At 05.45 in the morning Shaltiel ordered a retreat and to cease the hostilities.
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2 See also 3 External Links & References |
Brigades participating in Operation Kedem
See also
External Links & References