On this day in military history....in 1956

On this day in military history....in 1956. Israel invades Egypt, precipitating the Suez Crisis. Before July 1956, the British controlled the Suez Canal. In July 1956, General Gamal Abdel Nasser's forces seized the Suez Canal and nationalized it. The British decided to use force to seize it back, and invited the French and Israelis to join with them. The plan was for the Israelis to attack the Egyptians and then the British/French would show up to "protect" the canal during the fighting. Although the operation was a success from a military standpoint, it was a failure from a strategic/diplomatic standpoint. Due to pressure from the US (and the UN, go figure), the British/French/Israelis withdrew their forces sometime after.