Contemporary
1953 Iranian Coup: The Overthrow of Mohammad Mosaddegh
Mosaddegh was overthrown and arrested; General Zahedi became prime minister and the Shah's power was restored and expanded.
Region
Middle East
Contemporary
Suez Crisis 1956: Nasser, the Canal and the End of Empire
Military success for the invaders turned into political defeat; under US, Soviet and UN pressure Britain and France withdrew and Egypt kept the canal.
Contemporary
14 July Revolution 1958: The Fall of Iraq's Hashemite Monarchy
The monarchy was abolished and Iraq declared a republic; King Faisal II, members of the royal family and Prime Minister Nuri al-Said were killed.
Contemporary
War of Attrition 1967-1970: Egypt and Israel on the Suez Canal
A US-brokered ceasefire took effect on 8 August 1970 with no change to the front line; Egypt immediately moved anti-aircraft missiles closer to the canal.
Contemporary
Six-Day War 1967: Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Syria at War
Israeli victory; Israel took control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.
Contemporary
Libyan Revolution 1969: Muammar Gaddafi Seizes Power in Libya
The monarchy was abolished and the Libyan Arab Republic proclaimed under a Revolutionary Command Council headed by Gaddafi, who ruled Libya until 2011.
Contemporary
Black September 1970: Jordan's War with the PLO Explained
The Jordanian army defeated the Palestinian guerrilla groups; by July 1971 they had been expelled from Jordan and the PLO relocated to Lebanon.
Contemporary
Munich Massacre (1972): Hostage Attack at the Summer Olympics
All eleven Israeli team members taken hostage or attacked were killed, along with a West German police officer; five of the eight attackers died.
Contemporary
Yom Kippur War 1973: Surprise Attack and the Oil Embargo
Israel recovered militarily and ended the war across the Suez Canal, but Egypt's early success opened the way to US-brokered disengagement and later peace.
Contemporary
Turkish Invasion of Cyprus (1974): The Island Divided
Turkish forces took control of about 36–37 per cent of the island; Cyprus has remained divided along a UN-patrolled buffer zone ever since.
Contemporary
Lebanese Civil War 1975-1990: Factions, Invasions and Beirut
The Taif Agreement of 1989 rebalanced power between Lebanon's communities, and the war ended in October 1990 with Syria dominant in the country.
Contemporary
Operation Entebbe 1976: The Israeli Hostage Rescue in Uganda
Israeli commandos freed about 100 hostages; three hostages, one Israeli officer, all the hijackers present and dozens of Ugandan soldiers were killed.