Article 40 Aleph is a clause in Basic Law: The Government, which authorizes the Israeli government to declare war. It was first used in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War, also known as the October War or Ramzan War, which lasted for approximately 19 days. The clause states that the country cannot go to war without a government decision, and once invoked, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) can act independently and at its own discretion and report to the relevant national authorities. The recent invocation of Article 40 Aleph by the Israeli Political-Security Cabinet on October 8, 2023, marks the first official declaration of war since 1973.