The Yom Kippur War's opening hours saw Israel caught completely off guard, a strategic failure this book meticulously dissects. Uri Bar-Joseph, drawing on a wealth of previously secret intelligence and military documents, along with interviews with key figures, reconstructs the events leading up to the 1973 Arab attack. The book details the intelligence failures that allowed such a significant surprise, examining the discussions and decisions made on the eve of the war. It offers an authoritative explanation for one of the twentieth century's most significant military surprises and a deeply traumatic event in Israel's history.

The Hebrew version of 'The Watchman Fell Asleep' garnered significant recognition, receiving the Tshetshik Prize for Strategic Studies on Israel's Security in 2001 and the Israeli Political Science Association's Best Book Award in 2002. This English translation makes available an authoritative explanation of a pivotal and traumatic event in Israeli history. The book is regarded as a comprehensive account of Israel's intelligence failure before the 1973 Arab attack, offering deep insights into one of the twentieth century's major strategic military surprises.