Why an American-Anglo-French Clash Was Unlikely

Could Suez have gone hot through American and Anglo-French forces fighting each other?

That was extremely unlikely; Soviet military intervention was the more plausible route to a superpower conflict.

Direct fighting between American and Anglo-French forces was extraordinarily unlikely because Washington could not credibly claim total ignorance of the preparations. Public statements, intelligence contacts, and the visible assembly of nearly 150 ships made surprise implausible. An intra-NATO naval battle would also have damaged the alliance that American strategy depended on. The more credible path to a superpower war begins with Soviet intervention.