TODAY IN HISTORY
January 5, 1912: The 6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party begins in Prague. This otherwise relatively unremarkable event became quite historically significant when, during the multi-day conference, party bigwig Vladimir Lenin and his Bolshevik supporters broke away to form their own party, the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Bolshevik). You may know them better as the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, though that was still a few years away.
January 5, 1941: Allied forces capture the eastern Libyan port city of Bardia after a three day battle with its Italian defenders. A key engagement in the British military’s “Operation Compass” campaign, the capture of Bardia allowed the Allies to push deeper into Libya, eventually seizing all of the Cyrenaica region. It also prompted the Nazi German government to intervene in North Africa to bolster the faltering Italians. Bardia changed hands several times, with the Germans taking it in April 1941, the Allies taking it back in January 1942, the Axis taking it again in June 1942, and the Allies capturing it for good after the Second Battle of El Alamein in November 1942. This battle is also notable for being the first World War II engagement to feature soldiers from Australia, who made up the bulk of the Allied force with an Australian general, Iven Mackay, in overall command.
January 5, 1957: US President Dwight Eisenhower promulgates the doctrine that comes to bear his name, calling for US intervention in the Middle East to prevent the region from coming under Soviet domination. I haven’t checked lately but I’m sure this worked out really well for everyone involved.
MIDDLE EAST
LEBANON
The Israeli military (IDF) bombed at least four villages across southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday after issuing evacuation warnings, then attacked at least two southern towns without warning. Israeli officials claimed that they were targeting Hezbollah and Hamas-linked sites. I haven’t seen any indication of casualties yet.
