As France was not ready for a head-on attack on Great Britain itself, the Directory decided to intervene indirectly and create a "double port" connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, prefiguring the Suez Canal.
The French Directory's plan to build a "double port" between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea was an indirect approach to challenging Great Britain's dominance in the region. This initiative served as a precursor to the eventual construction of the Suez Canal.