An Ayyubid army commanded by Saladin made an amphibious assault on the city, defended by Conrad of Montferrat.

After the disastrous Battle of Hattin, much of the Holy Land had been lost to Saladin, including Jerusalem.

The remnants of the crusader army flocked to Tyre, which was one of the major cities still in Christian hands.

Reginald of Sidon was in charge of Tyre and was in the process of negotiating its surrender with Saladin, but the arrival of Conrad and his soldiers prevented it.

He summoned a fleet of 10 galleys commanded by a North African sailor named Abd al-Salam al-Maghribi.

After this naval setback, Saladin's forces made a final attempt to take the city, but they were defeated again, suffering heavy losses.