The Six-Day War had begun the day before the closure on 5 June 1967 between Israel and several Arab states including Egypt.
Israel bombed most of Egypt's airfields and then entered and occupied the Sinai Peninsula including the entire east bank of the Suez Canal.
Egypt waged a War of Attrition against the Israelis across the canal from 1967 to 1970, in coordination with activity by allies Jordan and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Hostilities initially took the form of limited artillery duels and small-scale incursions into Sinai, but by 1969, the Egyptian Army judged itself prepared for larger-scale operations.
On March 8, 1969, Nasser proclaimed the official launch of the War of Attrition, characterized by large-scale shelling along the Suez Canal, extensive aerial warfare and commando raids.