November 2–5, 1956 · Southern Sinai / Straits of Tiran Theater
November 2–5, 1956
At the southern tip of the Sinai, Egyptian guns and coastal artillery at Sharm el-Sheikh had blockaded the Straits of Tiran since 1951 — cutting Israel off from Red Sea trade and threatening Eilat. Israeli forces drove the length of the Sinai's eastern coast in an extraordinary logistical march through desert terrain to reach this remote position. The garrison, cut off and outnumbered, resisted briefly before surrendering on November 5. The Straits of Tiran were opened to Israeli shipping for the first time in five years.
Commanders