Middle Eastern History

Watch Terry Anderson's first press conference after being released from captivity in this "History Uncut" video. Anderson was captured by Shiite Hezbollah militants in an attempt to drive U.S. Forces from Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War. Anderson was held hostage for 2,454 days.

Explore the chain of events that set off the Iran hostage crisis - an diplomatic standoff that would keep Americans on edge and shape the course of Jimmy Carter’s presidency.

The eight-year war between Iran and Iraq cost billions of dollars in damages and claimed millions of lives, but resulted in no real benefit to either side.

Learn about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and how it led to President Carter's Camp David Accords. See how that temporary peace agreement brought on the Oslo Accords, which became overrun by dissenting voices and extreme violence from both sides.

The Gulf War changed how battles were fought, and how they were seen at home.

Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait set off a brief but consequential conflict involving an international coalition of forces led by the United States.

Learn about the contentious history between Israel and Egypt and President Carter's role in bringing both leaders — Israeli Prime Minister Begin and Egyptian President Sadat — to Camp David to establish a framework for peace in the Middle East.

During Operation Desert Storm, Navy SEAL teams acted as decoys while ground troops marched into Kuwait.

Herod's Temple was a closely guarded holy site that stood at the center of the Temple Mount.

Learn how the Six-Day War between Israel and its Palestinian Arab rivals — Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq — redrew the map of the Middle East in 1967. See how Israel's preemptive military attacks decimated its enemies and doubled its territory.

Learn the sinister history behind the lethal chemical agent that killed the half-brother of an infamous dictator.

Learn about the diverse religious and political history that brought about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. See how WWI and WWII influenced the establishment of the nation state of Israel in 1948, which gave rise to the Six-Day War, the Oslo Accords and Hamas.

Learn how The Arab Spring started in Tunisia in 2011, causing a ripple effect of democratic demonstrations in countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Discover how the use of technology helped spur on revolution, both good and bad.

Built during the rule of Herod the Great, the Temple Mount was the size of 25 football fields.