Outbreak of the Arab-Israeli War (See 1967, June 5). The USSR, which had for years supplied the United Arab Republic with military equipment and training, immediately began replacing materiel (especially planes) that had been wiped out in the Israelis' surprise attack. At the same time, the Soviet government began to strengthen its naval units in the eastern Mediterranean and even in the Indian Ocean, presaging a fundamental change in the balance of power in the Middle East and Indian Ocean areas.
