The Suez Crisis (1956)

The Free Officers Movement, a secret group of nationalist military officers led by Gamal Abdel Nasser and General Muhammad Naguib, overthrows King Farouk in a bloodless coup. The coup ends the monarchy and sets the stage for Egypt's assertion of sovereignty over the Suez Canal.

Britain and Egypt sign the Anglo-Egyptian Agreement, under which Britain agrees to withdraw its military forces from the Suez Canal Zone by June 1956, ending 72 years of British military presence in the canal zone.

Nasser announces the purchase of Soviet-bloc weapons through Czechoslovakia, valued at approximately USD 250 million. The deal breaks the Western arms monopoly on the Middle East and signals Egypt's growing alignment with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The United States under President Eisenhower and Britain withdraw their offer to finance the construction of the Aswan High Dam, citing concerns about Egypt's engagement with the Soviet bloc. The move provokes Nasser's retaliatory nationalization of the Suez Canal.

In a speech to a massive crowd in Alexandria, President Nasser announces the nationalization of the Suez Canal Company, declaring that revenues from the canal will fund the Aswan High Dam. The speech, which invokes the name of the canal's builder Ferdinand de Lesseps, triggers an international crisis.

Britain, France, and Israel sign a secret agreement codenamed the Protocol of Sevres. The plan calls for Israel to invade Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, after which Britain and France would issue a joint ultimatum demanding both sides withdraw from the canal zone, and then invade Egypt to "separate" the combatants.

Israeli paratroopers land at the Mitla Pass, and armored columns cross into the Sinai Peninsula, beginning Operation Kadesh. The invasion is the first phase of the coordinated Anglo-French-Israeli plan to seize the Suez Canal and topple Nasser.

Following the ultimatum issued to both Egypt and Israel, British and French aircraft begin bombing Egyptian airfields and military targets in Operation Musketeer. The bombing campaign aims to destroy the Egyptian Air Force and pave the way for an amphibious invasion.

British paratroopers of the 3rd Battalion land at Port Said, while French paratroopers seize Port Fuad. The airborne assault precedes a planned amphibious landing. The same day, Israeli forces capture Sharm el-Sheikh, securing the Straits of Tiran.

Under intense diplomatic pressure from the United States (which threatens financial sanctions) and the Soviet Union (which threatens rocket attacks on London and Paris), British Prime Minister Eden announces a ceasefire. Anglo-French forces complete their withdrawal from Egypt by December 22, replaced by the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF).

British Prime Minister Anthony Eden resigns, citing ill health, in direct consequence of the Suez debacle. The crisis had exposed Britain's diminished power and its dependence on the United States. On January 5, Eisenhower announces the Eisenhower Doctrine, pledging US military and economic aid to Middle Eastern countries resisting communist aggression.

After sustained US pressure, Israel completes its withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip. UNEF is deployed along the Egypt-Israel border and at Sharm el-Sheikh to guarantee Israeli freedom of navigation through the Straits of Tiran. Canadian Foreign Minister Lester B. Pearson receives the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in creating UNEF.