THE section of the Turkish forces primarily affected by the infantry assault on 19 September was VIII Army, whose headquarters at Tulkarm was captured; also affected were the retreating groups and fugitives from this particular corps – they had been ravaged by the air raids at Anebta and the cavalry raids all over the Plain of Esdraelon on the 19th and 20th. The VII Army, holding the line in the face of the 53rd and the 10th Divisions and in the Jordan Valley west of the river, was hardly affected, except for having to retreat to maintain a defensive position as VIII Army disappeared. The IV Army, east of the river, was not touched at all, except by the minor attacks by the Arabs.

The capture of el-Afule, Jenin and Beisan, however, did affect VII Army, for these were at the rear, and all were on its retirement routes. The shift of some VII Army forces westwards had helped shore up the western flank, and had blocked the British advance into the hills by XXI Corps, but this only extended VII Army's area, thinned out its line, and left it in even greater danger. Mustapha Kemal, its commander, was fully aware of the danger it faced. It had largely held its defensive line during 19 September, though some hills had been lost to the British attack that day and the previous night. By 5 p.m., however (by which time Tulkarm was captured), the outflanking attack in the west forced VII Army into a careful retreat.