Summary of Mitchell Zuckoff's 13 Hours is a narrative recounting of the events surrounding the militant attacks on the Benghazi diplomatic compound and the nearby CIA annex on September 11 and 12, 2012. These attacks resulted in the deaths of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, State Department communications expert Sean Smith, and two CIA Global Response Staff (GRS) members, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.

A similar attack had occurred on June 5, 1967, but British soldiers were able to rescue all Americans at the Benghazi consulate.

Modern Libya is divided between a disparate east and west, still experiencing the consequences of colonial rule, uneven distribution of oil wealth, and a military coup that put Muammar al-Gaddafi in power. In 2011, Libyans joined the Arab Spring revolutions. They forced Gaddafi into hiding, found him, and killed him. Following the revolution, Benghazans were generally positive toward Americans...