The modern wars of the Middle East began in 1947, when the Syrians, Egyptians, Jordanians and Lebanese were unofficially at war with the Jewish settlers of Palestine. On the 15 May, the day afer Israel was declared a sovreign state, the Arab invasion began. Between then and 1973 five wars occurred: those of 1948; the Sinai War; the Six-Day War; the 1968–1970 War of Attrition and the 1973 October War. This book examines the organization, training and equipment of the key Arab armies during these conflicts and the variey of uniforms are illustrated by a number of contemporary photographs and full colour artwork.

John Laffin is an expert in 20th century forces, and has written extensively on the Australian army as well as the conflict in the Middle East. His other titles for Ospey in the Men-at-Arms series are Men-at-Arms 123: The Australian Army at War 1899–1975 and Men-at-Arms 127: The Israeli Army in the Middle East Wars 1948–73.