British and French leaders expected the invasion to create an opening for Egyptian officers who opposed Nasser's faction to stage a coup. A replacement government could then accept the existing agreement, under which Egypt was already scheduled to regain control of the canal in 1968. Nationalisation twelve years early, the exclusion of Israeli shipping, disputed compensation, and surprise within parts of Nasser's own government made the seizure appear to London and Paris as a unilateral rupture rather than an orderly handover. The assumption had a serious weakness: the coalition lacked a reliable local proxy able to produce the political outcome its military success required.
Notable Point · 12:24-14:08
The Officer Coup Britain and France Expected
Anglo-French planning assumed that invasion might prompt Egyptian officers opposed to Nasser to replace him and preserve the negotiated canal settlement.