flag operation whose objective was to keep the British in the Suez Canal by creating instability through terrorist acts perpetrated against the British, Egyptians and Americans conducted in Egypt in the Summer of 1954. As part of the false flag operation, a group of Egyptian Jews were recruited by Israeli military intelligence for plans to plant bombs inside Egyptian, American and British-owned civilian targets, cinema, library and American educational center. The attacks were to be blamed on the Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptian Communists, "unspecified malcontents" or "local nationalists" with the aim of creating a climate of sufficient violence and instability to induce the British government to retain its occupying troops in Egypt's Suez Canal zone. Egyptian authorities uncovered the plan, which pointed to Israeli involvement. In the wake of the scandal over who actually ordered the operation, known as the Lavon Affair, Gibli was forced to resign, along with Israel's defense minister, Pinhas Lavon. References 1919 births 2008 deaths Directors of the Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel) Israeli military personnel Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent