Just before dawn on October 29th, 1956,

paratroopers of the Israel Defense Forces,

led by the legendary commander Aril Sharon,

descended into Egypt's Sinai Desert.

The paratroopers' goal was to conquer the strategically important Mitla Pass.

But the broader objective was to eliminate the threat posed by the Soviet-armed Egyptian military an Egypt strongman, Gamal, Abdel Nasser.

Israel was not alone in seeking Nasser's defeat.

Great Britain and France also wanted to intervene against Nasser, who had just nationalized the economically vital Suez Canal.

They only needed a pretext, and Israel provided them with one by attacking Egyptian forces in the

Mitla Pass, 20 miles away from the canal.

Thus began what is known as the Suez crisis, the second Arab-Israeli war.

Where did it all begin? The war's origins can be traced to the end of Israel's War of Independence in

1949 when Israel signed armist agreements with Jordan, Egypt and Syria. Israel viewed these agreements as precursors to peace, but the Arabs saw

them as temporary truces only, leading up to what they called the second round

to attack and destroy Israel. Throughout the early 1950s the Arabs acquired modern weapons,

above all fighter jets, which Israel still laboring under a US arms embargo could not obtain.

The Arab states also backed bands of Palestinian terrorists

known as Fidoin, self-sacrificers who launched raids against Israeli communities

from the West Bank which was then ruled by Jordan as well as from the Gaza Strip, ruled by Egypt.

In response, Israel formed paratrooper units under Ariel Sharon to retaliate against the

Fideen raids. Border tensions reached a fever pitch.

Still, war seemed unlikely unless a leader emerged who could rally the Arab world and united against Israel.

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