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the supreme command did not know how to manage the situation, leading to a state of severe disorder. It appears that the command had not expected to be forced to withdraw from Nazareth, as shown by its failure to prepare forward depots to supply the soldiers with food, military equipment, and vehicles in place of those seized by the enemy or lost during the withdrawal. The soldiers were therefore forced to rely on the villagers to feed them and to sleep in the open because they had no blankets. The withdrawing forces, with their weapons and supplies, had to travel long distances on foot because there were no vehicles. This caused discontent and disorder, broke discipline and cohesion among the soldiers, led them to rely on the villagers and take their animals to ride, and led them to attack farms and houses to obtain food. The officers were exposed to the soldiers’ anger. This disorder continued for about three weeks until the units were reorganized and redistributed and defensive areas were assigned as follows:

1. The First Brigade, commanded by Major Amir and based in the village of al-Rama, responsible for protecting Majd al-Krum, with a reserve force in the center of the sector.

2. The Third Brigade, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Mahdi Salih and based in Tarshiha, responsible for protecting the Tarshiha–Nahariya line.

3. The Fourth Regiment, commanded by Colonel Wasfi al-Tal and based in the village of al-Maghar, responsible for the southern front opposite the Lubya–Nazareth line.

4. The Alawite Syrian Regiment, commanded by Colonel Ghassan Jadid and based in the village of al-Safsaf, responsible for protecting the line facing the city of Safed.

While these forces managed to reorganize and train to some extent, the second truce had been imposed and the situation on the battlefronts calmed, apart from a few clashes between Arab and Jewish patrols from time to time.

Around the end of October 1948, the Jews surprised a platoon of the Yemeni company led by Lieutenant Ibrahim al-A‘zami at Red Hill near the village of Ma‘liya with a dense curtain of fire, followed by an attack lasting an hour. It resulted in the destruction of the Yemeni platoon, which fought bravely in defense, and the enemy occupied the hill. This was a breach of the truce. The hill was then recovered in a counterattack by a force from the Third Brigade after an artillery bombardment and a concentrated attack that resulted in the destruction of the enemy force.