Egypt officer who thought to break Israeli Bar Lev line dies
CAIRO - Baki Zaki Youssef, the Egyptian army officer credited with the idea to destroy Israel's Bar Lev line on the Suez Canal's eastern bank during the 1973 Yom Kippur War died Saturday at the age of 87, according to state-owned Akhbar al-Youm.
Similarly, the state-run Al Ahram daily hailed him as a "hero" while recounting his history and the lead-up to the war.
In 1973, Egyptian forces launched a surprise attack across the Suez Canal, cutting through the Bar Lev line of Israeli defenses in the war that culminated in the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty.
Egypt was the first Arab country to make peace with Israel, in 1979, but relations have always been frosty due to popular support for the Palestinians.
