Short answers, pulled from the story.
Napoleon Bonaparte targeted the Ottoman city of Acre in 1799 to secure his hold on Egypt and Syria. He believed capturing this coastal fortress would open a path toward British India.
Jezzar Pasha commanded the Ottoman defenders who refused to surrender despite overwhelming odds. Haim Farhi served as Jezzar's Jewish adviser and directly supervised battle operations from the walls.
Commodore Sidney Smith anchored HMS Toulon and HMS Theseus to bombard French positions along the coast. His Royal Navy flotilla intercepted gunboats carrying siege artillery from Egypt before they could reach Acre.
The outbreak forced commanders to reconsider their strategic options immediately. This human catastrophe became the primary reason for abandoning the assault on May 10th.
Napoleon retreated two months later on the 21st of May following a failed final assault. This defeat marked his first major strategic loss in over ten years of campaigning.