The Ofira Air Battle was one of the first air battles of the Yom Kippur War. On 6 October 1973, Egypt launched a massive surprise attack on Israel that included over 200 Egyptian aircraft participating in an opening airstrike. In one of the first engagements near Israeli Air Force Base Ofir at Sharm el-Sheikh, on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, two Israeli Phantoms reportedly engaged 20 Egyptian Air Force MiG-17s and their eight MiG-21 escorts on their way to attack Israeli positions in the area. By the end of the brief six-minute battle, seven MiGs were confirmed to have been shot down according to Israeli account. The remaining MiGs disengaged and the Israeli Phantoms returned to their base.