In October 1973 Arab countries launched a surprise attack against Israel on the day of the Yom Kippur holiday. Israel was particularly pressured and tried to react by sea as well.
The Israelis decided to "cleanse" the Mediterranean from the threat of the Syrian navy. Under the leadership of the later Chief of the Israeli Navy Yomi Barkai five Israeli missiles (four Sa'ar 3 class and a Sa’ar 4 class ) sailed to the Syrian port of Lattakia.
At 10:28 p.m. on October 7, 1973, approaching Lattakia, the Israelis spotted the Syrian K-123 torpedo boat . The Syrian ship was quickly sunk by the fire of the 76 mm guns. of two Israeli missiles.
Then they spotted the Syrian T-43 anti-personnel weapon which they also sank with two Gabriel missiles whom the Israeli ships brought. Around 23.30 the Israelis spotted two Syrian Komar class missiles and an Osa class , Soviet-made, equipped with P-15 missiles (NATO code SS-N-2 Styx ).
The missiles in question had twice the range of the Israeli Gabriels. The Syrian boats that had also spotted the Israelis fired the Styx missiles at them. But the Israelis, using flares and mainly electronic countermeasures, routed them.
The Israelis then moved within range of the Gabriel missiles and fired five of them. The missiles immediately hit and sank the two Syrian missile boats and severely damaged the third. The wounded missile boat tried to escape but ran aground in the shallows and was destroyed by Israeli artillery.
At the time of the conflict, other Syrian ships that were in the port launched missiles against the Israelis, but instead of the enemy missiles, they hit a Greek and a Japanese cargo ship that were anchored in the port.
After this blow the Syrian navy did not dare to move any of its ships. The naval battle of Latakia was the first naval conflict in history between ships equipped, on both sides, with surface-to-surface guided missiles and the first to be decided by the use of electronic countermeasures.