# Canonical recap data for Suez War: Franco-British Military Intervention (1956)
# Source: https://recap.at/1956/suez-war
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: suez-war
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1956/suez-war"
title: "Suez War: Franco-British Military Intervention"
aliases:
- Operation Musketeer
- Second Arab-Israeli War
- Suez Crisis
- Tripartite Aggression
subtitle: British and French forces invaded Egypt over nationalization of the Suez Canal, marking the twilight of European imperial power.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1956-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1956
decade: 1950
country:
name: Egypt
slug: egypt
summaryShort: Franco David Shea is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Super League Greece 2 club Nestos Chrysoupoli.
summaryLong: Franco David Shea is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Super League Greece 2 club Nestos Chrysoupoli.
lede: In October 1956, Britain and France launched a military invasion of Egypt to reclaim control of the Suez Canal after President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized it. The operation exposed deep rifts within the Western alliance, triggered Soviet threats, and ultimately accelerated the end of European colonial power in the Middle East.
heroImageUrl: "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1552890358-b57c7bc06eb9?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3w5NjI1OTZ8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwzfHxTdWV6JTIwV2FyJTNBJTIwRnJhbmNvLUJyaXRpc2glMjBNaWxpdGFyeSUyMEludGVydmVudGlvbiUyMEVneXB0fGVufDB8MHx8fDE3ODEwODY1OTR8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=1080"
heroImageCredit: Ra Dragon on Unsplash
importance: 80
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Date of nationalization
  value: 26 July 1956
- label: Invasion launch date
  value: 29 October 1956
- label: Duration of major combat
  value: 8 days (29 October – 6 November 1956)
- label: Canal revenue seized
  value: $30 million annually (approximate)
- label: British and French forces deployed
  value: ~100,000 troops
- label: Estimated Egyptian military casualties
  value: ~1,000–3,000
- label: Key initiator
  value: President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt
- label: Soviet threat level
  value: Nuclear-armed intervention warnings issued 5–6 November 1956
timeline:
- date: 1954-10-19
  title: Anglo-Egyptian Agreement signed
  description: Britain agrees to withdraw its forces from the Suez Canal base by 1956, formally ending 72 years of occupation.
- date: 1956-07-26
  title: Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal
  description: President Gamal Abdel Nasser announces nationalization of the Suez Canal Company in a speech at Alexandria, seizing assets worth $100 million. The move triggers outrage in London and Paris.
- date: 1956-10-29
  title: Israel launches Sinai Campaign
  description: Israeli forces cross into the Sinai Peninsula, providing the pretext for Franco-British intervention under a secret protocol agreed at Sèvres.
- date: 1956-10-31
  title: Britain and France issue ultimatum
  description: Both nations demand Egypt and Israel cease fire within 12 hours. When rejected, RAF and French aircraft begin bombing Egyptian airfields.
- date: 1956-11-05
  title: Anglo-French amphibious landings
  description: British and French forces land at Port Said and advance down the canal. Soviet Premier Nikolai Bulganin issues nuclear threats against Britain and France.
- date: 1956-11-06
  title: UN Security Council calls for ceasefire
  description: The U.S. and Soviet Union join forces to demand immediate cessation of hostilities; U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower refuses to support British and French operations.
- date: 1956-11-07
  title: Britain and France announce ceasefire
  description: Facing U.S. economic pressure (threat to sterling reserves), UN condemnation, and Soviet nuclear threats, both nations halt combat operations.
- date: 1957-03-16
  title: Last British and French troops withdraw
  description: Final foreign combat forces depart Port Said. The UN Emergency Force assumes peacekeeping duties; Nasser retains control of the Canal.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco_Shea"
  title: Franco Shea
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The Suez War marked a hinge moment in global power. It demonstrated that the U.S. could override its closest allies, showed the Soviet Union's willingness to threaten nuclear escalation, and signaled the irreversible decline of European imperial authority in Asia and Africa. The crisis redrew the Cold War map and handed Nasser a symbolic victory that reshaped Arab nationalism.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- war
- invasion
- occupation
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- collapse
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: conflict
metaDescription: Britain and France invade Egypt in 1956 over the Suez Canal. A defining Cold War clash that ended European colonial dominance.
wikidataQid: Q64743468
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20210905055047/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco_Shea"
  capturedAt: 2021-09-05
  label: Franco Shea
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco_Shea"
