Suez Crisis

October 29, 1956 · Middle East Theater

October 29, 1956

When Egyptian President Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal in July 1956, Britain, France, and Israel conspired in secret to seize it back by force. Israel attacked Egypt on October 29; Britain and France followed with an ultimatum and then airstrikes. The military operation succeeded — but the political catastrophe was total. The United States, furious at being excluded from the plan and alarmed by Soviet threats of nuclear intervention, forced its own allies to back down, withdrawing all forces by December.

• ●Suez Crisis