(CNN) -- Forty years ago this week, Egyptian and Syrian troops attacked the state of Israel. To enhance the surprise of their attack, the invading armies struck on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Egypt enjoyed three days of tactical success, Syria less than that. The war ended with Israeli troops approaching Damascus and an entire Egyptian army surrounded. Despite Israel's ultimate military success, the war was interpreted by many as something close to a defeat for the Jewish state. Israel's two previous wars -- in 1956 against Egypt alone and in 1967 against an alliance of all its neighbors -- had terminated in lightning Israeli victories. The Yom Kippur War lasted 19 days, longer than 1956 and 1967 combined. Israel suffered more than 2,500 killed in action. Hundreds more Israelis were captured in the first days of fighting; dozens of these captives were gruesomely tortured and killed.
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40 years ago, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on Yom Kippur
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David Frum says the betting after the war was that Israel was endangered
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Yet the military and economic threats to Israel haven't materialized, he says
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Frum: Today's conflicts are largely internal battles in Syria, Egypt, other nations
Syria lost 82 planes, a quarter of its air force; @placeholder lost not a single one.