During the October 1973 Yom Kippur War, although retired from the IDF and serving as the Minister of Trade and Industry, he was recalled by Prime Minister Golda Meir back into military service to replace Shmuel "Gorodish" Gonen as chief of the Southern Command, which defended the Sinai Peninsula.
Under Yom Kippur krigen i oktober 1973 blev han – selv om han var pensioneret fra hæren og fungerede som minister for handel og industri – kaldt tilbage til aktiv tjeneste af premierminister Golda Meir for at erstatte Shmuel "Gorodish" Gonen som chef for sydkommandoen, der forsvarede Sinai.