Mission Cancelled 1967

An Egyptian SU-7.

According to an account by Tashin Zaki, on July 15, 1967, after Israel began shelling the Suez refineries, he was asked to plan an attack on a fuel dump in the Israeli port of Eilat. This mission was to be carried out by four SU-7 fighter bombers based at Inchas. A Major Wafai arrived with orders to proceed with the mission. However, the Egyptians determined that it would be impossible to reach Eilat from Inchas while flying at low altitude (necessary to avoid detection and interception). It would only be possible if each SU-7 carried four external fuel tanks and attacked with only its 30mm guns. Any bombs would reduce their range too much. In addition, the airmen calculated that they would have to land at Gardeka (Hurghada?) air base on the way to their target and at Helwan on the way back. Eventually they agreed to fly the mission but it was cancelled "at the very last minute."

I have a number of comments on this account.
First, I have some doubts about an order to attack occurring as early as July 1967. If the mission was in retaliation for shelling of Suez refineries, which occurred in October 1967, it most likely wasn't ordered until the fall.
Second, I assume Gardeka air base is Hurghada. It would certainly make sense to use Hurghada as a base for striking Eilat. Following loss of Sinai bases, Hurghada was the Egyptian base closest to Eilat. In addition, an attack from Hurghada was most likely to achieve surprise. Israel did not expect an attack from the south. Nearly all of Egypt's jets were deployed to the west. The Israelis did establish a base near Sharm el-Sheik, called Ophir, but it may not have been operational in 1967. A strike from the south offered the best chance of success.

I note Helwan is south of Inchas. Presumably the SU-7s were to return to Hurghada after hitting Eilat, them fly north to Helwan before returning to Inchas.
















No doubt 30mm guns would've sufficed to set a fuel dump ablaze. (I wonder, btw, if a night mission, launched while Israeli pilots were asleep, would've enabled the SU-7s to fly at higher altitude, improving their range).
Third, I assume cancellation of the mission was due to Egypt's inability, at the time, to deal with massive Israeli retaliation. A strike on Eilat would've embarrassed Israel, which had just boasted of wiping out the UARAF. Determined to demonstrate their superiority again, the Israelis would've done enormous damage to Egypt's infrastructure. They might even have hit the Aswan dam. In the fall of '67, the Egyptian Air Force was just getting back on its feet and the SAM network was nowhere near as effective as it would be later. The country could not provoke massive retaliation because it was still too vulnerable.