After the 1974 Cypriot coup d'état (backed by the Cypriot National Guard and the Greek military junta), Turkey sent its forces to Cyprus on July 20, 1974, and claimed it was protecting the safety of Turkish Cypriots under the Treaty of Guarantee. As a result of the military operation, Turkish forces took control of the northern third of Cyprus and divided the island along what became known as the Green Line monitored by the United Nations.