Their left flank would be protected by "Smith's Group", consisting of the 158th Brigade (53rd Division) minus two battalions and the Imperial Camel Brigade. This group, under orders from the 74th (Yeomanry) Division, held the section of the Beersheba defence stretching north from the Wadi es Saba towards the Beersheba-to-Tel el Fara road. The 53rd (Welsh) Division (with a brigade of the 10th (Irish) Division attached) was deployed on a line stretching west to about from the Karm railway station. They would watch for a counterattack from Hareira to the north, and capture the Beersheba garrison if it attempted to retreat along the road to Gaza. The remainder of the 10th (Irish) Division in XX Corps reserve was deployed east of the Wadi Ghuzzee at Shellal, where the Yeomanry Mounted Division (under Allenby) was to deploy a line of outposts connecting the XX and XXI Corps (holding the Gaza end of the line near el Mendur).