Egyptian–Libyan War

A brief border conflict between Egypt and Libya, fought from 21 to 24 July 1977. It ended with a ceasefire after Egyptian forces struck targets inside Libya.

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Egypt–Libya border: The international boundary separating Egypt and Libya across the eastern Sahara. Disputes and troop movements along this frontier set the conflict's immediate geography.
Muammar Gaddafi: Libya's leader from 1969 until 2011, known for his revolutionary ideology and centralized rule. His policies and confrontation with Egypt's leadership drove the dispute toward armed conflict.
Abdel Munim al-Houni: A Libyan military officer and politician who served in senior government roles under Muammar Gaddafi. His role in Libya's leadership connects the war to decisions inside the Gaddafi government.
Egypt–Israel peace treaty: The 1979 treaty in which Egypt and Israel formally ended their state of war and established peaceful relations. The treaty later entrenched the foreign-policy divergence that had fueled Libyan opposition.
Libyan–Egyptian relations: The political and diplomatic relationship between Libya and Egypt since their independence. Their deteriorating relationship turned a frontier confrontation into interstate war.
Anwar Sadat: Egyptian president from 1970 to 1981 who shifted Egypt's foreign policy toward the United States and peace with Israel. His strategic realignment sharply diverged from Gaddafi's positions.
Hassan al-Tuhami: An Egyptian politician and diplomat who served as a senior aide to Anwar Sadat. He took part in efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting.
Arab nationalism: A political movement promoting the unity and independence of Arab peoples and states. The war exposed tensions between competing claims to represent Arab unity.
Egyptian Air Force: The air warfare branch of Egypt's armed forces. Egyptian air strikes were a central part of the fighting inside Libya.
Federation of Arab Republics: A short-lived political federation formed in 1972 by Egypt, Libya, and Syria. Its collapse exposed the gap between the two leaders' plans for Arab unity.