South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000)
South Lebanon conflict | |||||||
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Part of the Israeli–Lebanese conflict, the Iran–Israel proxy conflict, and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict | |||||||
Israeli APCs approaching an SLA outpost in southern Lebanon, 1987 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Israel South Lebanon Army |
Hezbollah Amal Movement Jammoul PFLP–GC | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Shimon Peres Ariel Sharon Ehud Barak Erez Gerstein † Antoine Lahad Aql Hashem † |
Abbas al-Musawi † Hassan Nasrallah Nabih Berri George Hawi Elias Atallah Ahmed Jibril | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1,000–1,500 troops[3] 2,500 troops[3] | Unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Israel: 559 killed[4] (256 in combat)[3] 840 wounded[3] SLA: 621 killed per SLA (1978–2000)[5] 1,050 killed and 639 wounded per Hezbollah (1982–1999)[6] |
Hezbollah: 1,276 killed (1982–2000)[7] ~1,000 wounded (1982–1999)[6] | ||||||
270 Lebanese civilians killed[8][9][10] 500 Lebanese civilians wounded[8] 7 Israeli civilians killed by rockets[11] 1 US Navy diver killed |
The South Lebanon conflict, designated by
In earlier conflicts prior to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, including the 1978 South Lebanon conflict, Israel attempted to eradicate PLO bases from Lebanon and provided support to Maronite Christian militias in the country amidst the Lebanese Civil War; the 1982 invasion resulted in the PLO's departure from Lebanon. Israel's subsequent establishment of the Security Zone in southern Lebanon successfully shielded Israeli civilians from cross-border attacks by Palestinian militants but came at a great cost to Lebanese civilians and Palestinians. Despite Israel's success in eradicating PLO bases in Lebanon and its partial withdrawal in 1985, the invasion increased the severity of conflict with local Lebanese militias and resulted in the consolidation of several rival Shia Islamic movements such as upstart Hezbollah and the much-larger Amal Movement into an organized guerrilla movement in the Shia-majority south. Over the years, combined casualties grew higher as both sides used more modern weaponry and as Hezbollah progressed in its tactics. By the early 1990s, Hezbollah, with support from Iran and now Syria, emerged as the leading group and military power, monopolizing guerrilla activity in southern Lebanon.
With no clear end-game in Lebanon, the Israeli military was unfamiliar with the type of warfare that Hezbollah waged, and while it could inflict losses on Hezbollah, there was no long-term strategy. With Hezbollah increasingly targeting the Galilee with rockets, the official purpose of the Security Zone—to protect Israel's northern communities—seemed contradictory. Hezbollah also excelled at psychological warfare, often recording their attacks on Israeli troops.[15] Following the 1997 Israeli helicopter disaster, the Israeli public began to seriously question whether the military occupation of southern Lebanon was worth maintaining. The Four Mothers movement rose to the forefront of the public discourse, and played a leading role in swaying the public in favour of a complete withdrawal.[16]
It was common knowledge[according to whom?] in Israel that the Security Zone was not permanent, but the Israeli government hoped that a withdrawal could be carried out in the context of a wider agreement with Syria and, by extension, Lebanon. However, talks with Syria failed. By 2000, following up on his promise during the 1999 Israeli general election, the newly elected Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak unilaterally withdrew Israeli forces from southern Lebanon within the year,[13] in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425 of 1978; Israel's withdrawal consequently resulted in the immediate and total collapse of the SLA, with many of its members escaping to Israel.[17] The Lebanese government and Hezbollah still consider the withdrawal incomplete until Israel withdraws from Shebaa Farms. In 2020, Israel retrospectively recognized the conflict as a war.[12]
Background
Following the
Although the Israel–Lebanon border remained relatively quiet, entries in the diary of
The Israeli victory in the 1967 Six-Day War vastly expanded their area occupied in all neighboring countries, with the exception of Lebanon, but this extended the length of the effective Lebanon–Israel border, with the occupation of the Golan Heights. Although with a stated requirement for defense, later Israeli expansion into Lebanon under very similar terms followed the 1977 elections, which for the first time, brought the Revisionist Likud to power.[18]
Emerging conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants
Beginning with the late 1960s and especially in the 1970s, following the defeat of PLO in
Following multiple attacks launched by Palestinian organizations in the 1970, which increased with the Lebanese Civil War, the Israeli government decided to take action. Desiring to break up and destroy this PLO stronghold, Israel briefly invaded Lebanon in 1978, but the results of this invasion were mixed. The PLO was pushed north of the Litani River and a buffer zone was created to keep them from returning, with the placement of the
1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon
In 1982, the Israeli military began "
Chronology
1982–1985 occupation and emergence of Hezbollah
Increased hostilities against the US resulted in the April
Suicide bombings became increasingly popular at this time, and were a major concern of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) both near Beirut and in the South. Among the most serious were the two
An increased number of Islamic militias began operating in South Lebanon, launching guerrilla attacks on Israeli and pro-Israel militia positions. Israeli forces often responded with increased security measures and airstrikes on militant positions, and casualties on all sides steadily climbed. In a vacuum left with eradication of PLO, the disorganized Islamic militants in South Lebanon began to consolidate. The emerging Hezbollah, soon to become the preeminent Islamic militia, evolved during this period. However, scholars disagree as to when Hezbollah came to be regarded as a distinct entity. Over time, a number of Shi’a group members were slowly assimilated into the organization, such as Islamic Jihad members, Organization of the Oppressed on Earth, and the Revolutionary Justice Organization.
Israeli withdrawal to southern Lebanon
On 16 February 1985, Israel withdrew from
Beginning of the Security Zone conflict
In 1985 Hezbollah released an open letter to "The Downtrodden in Lebanon and in the World", which stated that the world was divided between the oppressed and the oppressors. The oppressors were named to be mainly the United States and Israel. This letter legitimized and praised the use of violence against the enemies of Islam, mainly the West.
Israeli and SLA forces in the security zone began to come under attack. The first major incident occurred in August 1985, when Lebanese guerrillas believed to have been from Amal ambushed an Israeli convoy: two Israeli soldiers and three of the attackers were killed in the ensuing firefight.[27]
Lebanese guerrilla attacks, mainly the work of Hezbollah, increased. Fighting the Israeli occupation included hit-and-run guerrilla attacks, suicide bombings, and the
In 1987 Hezbollah fighters from the Islamic Resistance stormed and conquered an outpost in
On 2 January 1988,
After Israel destroyed Hezbollah's headquarters in the town of
On 27 July 1989 the
1989 Taif Agreement
The Lebanese Civil War officially came to an end with the 1989
On 29 March 1991 a car bomb in Antelias district of East Beirut killed 3 people.[39]
On 30 December 1991 a car bomb killed 15 bystanders and injured over 100 in West Beirut. The attack took place in the mainly
Outbreak of hostilities after the Lebanese Civil War
Though the majority of the Lebanese civil war conflicts ended in the months following the Ta'if Accord, Israel kept maintaining a military presence in South Lebanon. Consequently, the Islamic Resistance, by now dominated by Hezbollah, continued operations in the South.
Several days of Israeli air raids ended on 4 June 1991. Targets, in the biggest attack since 1982, included buildings belonging to
A month later, 4 July 1991, following the failure of disarmament negotiations, as required by the Taif agreement, the
Hezbollah's leader Abbas al-Musawi had announced that they would not give up their weapons. “Our guns are a red line that cannot be crossed”. On 16 July 1991 they ambushed an Israeli patrol north of the security zone in Kufr Huna.[44] Three Israeli soldiers, including 2 officers, were killed and four wounded. One Hizbollah fighter was killed. The following day the South Lebanon Army destroyed 14 houses and burnt crops in neighbouring Majd al-Zun.[45]
Prior to their disbandment militiamen from
There was further violence at the end of 1991 with an Irish soldier serving with UNIFIL killed by the SLA on the 15th November and three Lebanese Army soldiers killed by an Israeli rocket on 25 November.[48]
On 16 February 1992, al-Musawi was assassinated, along with his wife, son and four others when an Israeli
Three months after the assassination the Israeli Air Force launched five air raids on Lebanon in six days. Some of the targets struck were as far north as Baalbek. On the final day, 26 May 1992, there were more than 40 missile strikes. Over 20 civilians were killed during the offensive.[52]
In 1993, hostilities flared again. After a month of Hezbollah shelling on Israeli towns and attacks on its soldiers, Israel conducted a seven-day operation in July 1993 called Operation Accountability in order to hit Hezbollah. One Israeli soldier and 8–50 Hezbollah fighters were killed in the operation, along with 2 Israeli and 118 Lebanese civilians. After one week of fighting in South Lebanon, a mutual agreement mediated by the United States prohibited attacks on civilian targets by both parts.[53]
The end of Operation Accountability saw a few days of calm before light shelling resumed. On 17 August, a major artillery exchange took place, and two days later, nine Israeli soldiers were killed in two Hezbollah attacks. Israel responded with airstrikes against Hezbollah positions, killing at least two Hezbollah fighters.[54]
Continued fighting in the late 1990s
In May 1994, Israeli commandos kidnapped an Amal leader, Mustafa Dirani, and in June, an Israeli airstrike against a training camp killed 30–45 Hezbollah cadets. Hezbollah retaliated by firing four barrages of Katyusha rockets into northern Israel.[55][56]
On 31 March 1995, Rida Yasin, also known as Abu Ali, was killed by a single rocket fired from an
Brig. Gen. Eli Amitai, the IDF commander of the security zone, was lightly injured 14 December 1996 when an IDF convoy he was travelling in was ambushed in the eastern sector of the security zone.[60] Less than a week later Amitai was again lightly injured when Hezbollah unleashed a mortar barrage on an SLA position near Bra'shit he was visiting together with Maj. Gen. Amiram Levine, head of the IDF's Northern Command.[61]
In December 1996, two SLA soldiers were killed in three days of fighting, and a Hezbollah fighter was also killed by Israeli soldiers.[62]
On 4 February 1997, two Israeli transport helicopters collided over She'ar Yashuv in Northern Israel while waiting for clearance to fly into Lebanon. A total of 73 IDF soldiers were killed in the disaster. On 28 February one Israeli soldier and four Hezbollah guerrillas were killed in a clash.[63]
Throughout 1997, Israeli special forces, particularly the
On 5 September 1997, a seaborne raid by 16 Israeli
On 12 September 1997, three Hezbollah fighters were killed in an ambush by Egoz commandos on the edge of the security zone. One of them was Hadi Nasrallah, the son of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. On 25 May 1998 the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in the failed commando raid were exchanged for 65 Lebanese prisoners and the bodies of 40 Hezbollah fighters and Lebanese soldiers captured by Israel.[69] Among the bodies returned to Lebanon were the remains of Hadi Nasrallah.
In the autumn of 1997 Hizbollah began using
During 1998, 21 Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon. Israel undertook a concerted campaign to hamper Hezbollah's capabilities, and in December 1998, the Israeli military assassinated Zahi Naim Hadr Ahmed Mahabi, a Hezbollah explosives expert, north of Baalbek.[71]
23 February 1999 an IDF paratrooper unit on a night time patrol was ambushed in south Lebanon. Major Eitan Balahsan and two lieutenants were killed and another five soldiers were wounded.[72][73]
Less than a week later (28 February) a roadside bomb exploded on the road between Kaukaba and Arnoun in the Israeli-occupied security zone. Brigadier General Erez Gerstein, commander of the Golani Brigade and head of the IDF Liaison Unit in Lebanon, thus the highest ranking Israeli officer serving in Lebanon at the time, as well as two Druze Israeli soldiers and one Israeli journalist were killed in the blast.[74]
In May 1999 Hezbollah forces simultaneously attacked 14 Israeli and SLA outposts in south Lebanon. The outpost in Beit Yahoun compound belonging to the SLA was overrun and one SLA soldier was taken prisoner. The Hizbullah fighters made off with an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). The area was bombed by the Israeli Air Force.[75] The captured APC was paraded through the southern suburbs of Beirut.[76]
In June 1999, following five days of Lebanese villages in the South coming under artillery fire, Hezbollah fired a salvo of
In August 1999, Hezbollah commander Ali Hassan Deeb, better known as Abu Hassan, a leader in Hezbollah's special force, was assassinated in an Israeli military operation. Deeb was driving in Sidon when two roadside bombs were detonated by a remote signal from a UAV overhead.[78][79]
Overall, in the course of 1999, several dozen Hezbollah and Amal fighters were killed. Twelve Israeli soldiers and one civilian were also killed, one of them in accident.[citation needed]
2000 Israeli withdrawal and collapse of South Lebanon Army
In July 1999, Ehud Barak became Israel's Prime Minister, promising Israel would unilaterally withdraw to the international border by July 2000. Prior to his actions, many believed that Israel would only withdraw from South Lebanon upon reaching an agreement with Syria.
In January 2000, Hezbollah assassinated the commander of the South Lebanon Army's Western Brigade, Colonel Aql Hashem, at his home in the security zone. Hashem had been responsible for day-to-day operations of the SLA and was a leading candidate to succeed General Antoine Lahad.[80][81][82] After this assassination there were doubts about the leadership of the South Lebanon Army (SLA). The pursuit and assassination of Hashim was documented step by step and the footage was broadcast on Hezbollah TV channel al-Manar. The operation and the way it was presented in media dealt a devastating blow to the morale in the SLA.[83]
During the spring of 2000, Hezbollah operations stepped up considerably, with persistent harassment of Israeli military outposts in occupied Lebanese territory. As preparation for the major withdrawal plan, Israeli forces began abandoning several forward positions within the security zone of South Lebanon. On 24 May, Israel announced that it would withdraw all troops from South Lebanon. All Israeli forces had withdrawn from Lebanon by the end of the next day, more than six weeks before its stated deadline of 7 July.[84]
The Israeli pullout resulted in the collapse of the SLA and the rapid advance of Hezbollah forces into the area. As the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) withdrew, thousands of Shi'a Lebanese rushed back to the South to reclaim their properties. This withdrawal was widely considered a victory for Hezbollah and boosted its popularity in Lebanon. The completeness of the withdrawal is still disputed as Lebanese Government and Hezbollah claim Israel still holds
As a Syrian-backed Lebanese government refused to demarcate its border with Israel, Israel worked with UN cartographers led by regional coordinator Terje Rød-Larsen to certify Israel had withdrawn from all occupied Lebanese territory. On 16 June 2000, UN Security Council concluded that Israel had indeed withdrawn its forces from all of Lebanon, in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425 (1978).
Israel considered this move as tactical withdrawal since it always regarded the
Aftermath
Upon Israel's withdrawal, an increasing fear that Hezbollah would seek vengeance against those thought to have supported Israel became widespread among the Christian Lebanese of the Southern Lebanon. During and after the withdrawal around 10,000 Lebanese, mostly Maronites, fled into Galilee. Hezbollah later met with Lebanese Christian clerics to reassure them that the Israeli withdrawal was a victory for Lebanon as a nation, not just one sect or militia.[24][dubious ]
The tentative peace, resulting from the withdrawal, did not last. On 7 October 2000
According to Harel and Issacharoff the second phase of the prisoner exchange deal was only a "legal gimmick". Israel was not satisfied with the information supplied by Hezbollah and refused to release al-Quntar. "Cynics may well ask whether it was worth getting entangled in the Second Lebanon War just to keep Kuntar […] in prison for an extra few years."[87]
In July 2006, Hezbollah performed a cross-border raid while shelling Israeli towns and villages. During the raid Hezbollah succeeded in kidnapping two Israeli soldiers and killing eight others. In retaliation Israel began the 2006 Lebanon War to rescue the abducted soldiers and to create a bufferzone in Southern Lebanon.[88][89][90][91]
See also
- Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon
- Syrian occupation of Lebanon
- 2008 conflict in Lebanon
- List of modern conflicts in the Middle East
Notes
- ^ References:
- Helmer, Daniel Isaac. Flipside of the Coin: Israel's Lebanese Incursion Between 1982-2000. DIANE Publishing, 2010.
- "2000: Hezbollah celebrates Israeli retreat". BBC News. 26 May 2000. Retrieved 25 July 2006.
- ^
- "Land for Peace Timeline". British-Israeli Communications & Research Centre. 2006. Archived from the originalon 22 December 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- "Hezbollah 101: Who is the militant group, and what does it want?". The Christian Science Monitor. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
Iran has also played an instrumental role in building up Hezbollah's military capabilities over the years, which enabled the group's impressive military wing to oust Israel from south Lebanon in 2000
- "Land for Peace Timeline".
- ^ a b c d Luft, Gal (September 2000). "Israel's Security Zone in Lebanon - A Tragedy?". Middle East Forum. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ 657 killed from 1982-1985 (Wars, Internal Conflicts, and Political Order: A Jewish Democracy in the Middle East, Gad Barzilai, pp. 148), 1,216 killed from 1982-2000 (Imperfect Compromise: A New Consensus Among Israelis and Palestinians, Michael I. Karpin) = 559 killed 1985-2000
- ^ "SOUTH OF LEBANON- SOUTH LEBANON ARMY". Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8156-3053-1. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ^ "A Hezbollah recruiting drive covers its losses and deeper involvement inside Syria". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-56432-167-1.
- ^ "Letter Dated 7 May 1996 from the Secretary-General Addressed to the President of the Security Council". United Nations Security Council. 7 May 1996. Archived from the original on 20 May 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
- ^ "QUESTION OF THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE OCCUPIED ARAB TERRITORIES, INCLUDING PALESTINE". United Nations. United Nations Commission on Human Rights. 11 March 2004. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2006.
- Middle East Quarterly, September 2000, 13-20.
- ^ a b IDF to recognize 18-year occupation of south Lebanon as official campaign, Times of Israel, Nov 4, 2020. Accessed Nov 5, 2020.
- ^ a b Online NewsHour: Final Pullout – May 24, 2000 Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine (Transcript). "Israelis evacuate southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation." Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ "Hezbollah makes explosive return: Israel's proxy militia under fire in south Lebanon". Charles Richards, The Independent. 18 August 1993. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ Israel’s Frustrating Experience in South Lebanon, Begin-Sadat Center, 25 May 2020. Accessed 25 May 2020.
- ^ Four Mothers Archive, at Ohio State University-University Libraries.
- ^ UN Press Release SC/6878. (18 June 2000). Security Council Endorses Secretary-General's Conclusion on Israeli Withdrawal From Lebanon As of 16 June.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-937694-70-1
- ISBN 978-0-937694-70-1
- ^ Avi Shlaim, The Protocol of Sèvres,1956: Anatomy of a War Plot, International Affairs, 73:3 (1997), 509–530
- Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS. 2 October 2002. Available at globalsecurity.org.
- ^ Major George C. Solley, The Israeli Experience in Lebanon, 1982–1985, US Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Marine Corps Development and Education Command, Quantico, Virginia. 10 May 1987. Available from GlobalSecurity.org
- ^ 1982 Lebanon Invasion. BBC News.
- ^ a b c d Norton, Augustus Richard; Journal of Palestine, 2000
- ^ Khoury, Hala (1982). "Israel leaves front lines in south Lebanon". UPI. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-85345-651-3. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ Friedman, Thomas L.; Times, Special to The New York (6 August 1985). "2 Israeli Soldiers and 3 Guerrillas Killed in South Lebanon Shootout". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ Blanford, Nicholas, Warriors of God - Inside Hezbollah's Thirty-Year Struggle Against Israel, Random House, New York, 2011, pp. 85-86
- ^ Hijazi, Ihsan A. (6 September 1987). "ISRAELI WARPLANES ATTACK IN LEBANON". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ Journal of Palestine Studies (67). Page 219. Cites Wall Street Journal, Washington Post 1/4.
- ^ Middle East International No 316, 9 January 1988; Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; Jim Muir p.16
- ISSN 0377-919X. Page 221. Chronology compiled by Katherine M. LaRiviere
- ^ Middle East International No 337, 4 November 1988; p.7
- ^ Ross, Michael The Volunteer: The Incredible True Story of an Israeli Spy on the Trail of International Terrorists (2006)
- ^ Middle East International No 356, 4 August 1989; Jim Muir pp.3,4. No 356, 4 August 1989; Peretz Kidron p.5
- UN Security Council (31 July 1989). "26. The Question of Hostage-Taking and Abduction"(PDF). United Nations. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
- ^ https://open.uct.ac.za/bitstream/handle/11427/12912/thesis_law_2014_nyaundi_km.pdf pp. 41-42
- ^ Tension grows in South Lebanon as Israel bombs guerrilla targets. New York Times, 8 November 1991.
- ^ Middle East International No 398, 19 April 1991; p. 19 ‘fourteen days in brief’
- ^ Middle East International No 416, 10 January 1992; Jim Muir p. 12
- Washington Post6/6
- ^ Middle East International No 404, 12 July 1991; p.3 Jim Muir p.3, Godfrey Jansen, Lamis Andoni pp.4,5
- ^ Journal of Palestine Studies 81 Volume XXI, Number 1, Autumn 1991, University of California Press. pp.193,194 Chronology quoting Los Angeles Times 7/6, Mideast Mirror (MEM), London 7/5
- ^ Middle East International No 405, 16 July 1991; Jim Muir p.11 describes it as a battle
- New York Times7/18,7/19, Mideast Mirror 7/18. described as the most lethal attack since November 1990
- ^ Middle East International No 406, 16 August 1991; 21 days in brief p.17
- ^ Middle East International No 408, 13 September 1991; 14 days in brief p.15
- ^ Middle East International No 414, 6 December 1991; Jim Muir p.8
- Time Magazine: Vengeance is Mine (2 March 1992)
- ^ Cowell, Alan (8 March 1992). "Car Bomb Kills an Israeli Embassy Aide in Turkey". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ "1992 Global Terrorism: The Year in Review". irp.fas.org.
- ^ Middle East International No 426, 29 May 1992; Godfrey Jansen p.8
- Global Security. Archived from the originalon 6 September 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- LA Times. 20 August 1993. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ Haberman, Clyde (3 June 1994). "Dozens Are Killed As Israelis Attack Camp in Lebanon". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ Haberman, Clyde (3 June 1994). "Dozens Are Killed As Israelis Attack Camp in Lebanon". The New York Times.
- ^ "ISRAEL KILLS A HEZBOLLAH LEADER AND AIDE IN S. LEBANON RAID". Associated Press. 31 March 1995 – via Deseret News.
- ^ Middle East International No 498, 14 April 1995; Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; Editor Michael Adams; Jim Muir pp.6–7
- AP Archive. Associated Press. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ Segal, Naomi (16 December 1996). "Fighting Erupts in Lebanon After Rockets Hit Jewish State". JTA. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ Segal, Naomi (20 December 1996). "Senior IDF Officer Wounded on Visit to Southern Lebanon". JTA. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ "South Lebanon - Hezbollah guerrilla shot dead". AP Archive. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ "Israeli Soldier, 4 Guerrillas Die in Lebanon Clash". Los Angeles Times. 1 March 1997.
- ^ "4 Israelis Killed When Fellow Troops Start Fire". LA Times. 29 August 1997. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ Middle East International No 558, 12 September 1997; Michael Jansen pp.4&6-7
- ^ Lappin, Yaakov (11 August 2010). "Nasrallah recalls '97 Shayetet to 'deflect pressure'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
- ^ Blanford, p. 190-192
- ^ Survey of Arab-Israeli Relations, p. 232
- ^ Israeli Security Sources (26 January 2004). "Background on Israeli POWs and MIAs". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel). Retrieved 4 December 2011.
- ^ Middle East International No 560, 10 October 1997; Michael Jansen p.9. No 561, 24 October 1997; Michael Jansen pp.8-9
- ^ "Israel Kills Hezbollah Bomb Expert". Los Angeles Times. 2 January 1999. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
- ^ Sontag, Deborah (24 February 1999). "Israel Mourns More War Dead in Lebanon". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
- ^ Blanford, Nicholas (24 February 1999). "3 Israelis killed in Hizbullah ambush". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
- ^ "Lebanon Liaison Unit Commander Killed in Security Zone Explosion". Globes. 1 March 1999. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ Blanford, Nicholas (17 May 1999). "Hizbullah overruns SLA post, makes off with APC". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
- ^ Farhat, Sally (18 May 1999). "Hizbullah parades captured APC". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
- ^ Middle East International. No 603, 2 July 1999; Michael Jansen pp.4-5; Reinoud Leendes pp.5&7
- ^ "Israel Blamed in Fatal Bomb Attack on a Hezbollah Leader". Los Angeles Times. 17 May 1999. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ^ Blanford, p. 204
- United Kingdom Home Office, October 2001.
- ^ Jabir, Kamil (29 July 2007). "خالد بزي (قاسم) يكتب ملحمة بنت جبيل (Khalid Bazzi (Qasim) writes the Bint Jbeil epic)". al-Akhbar. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ Blanford, pp. 243-244
- ^ Harb, Zahera, Channels of Resistance in Lebanon - Liberation Propaganda, Hezbollah and the Media, I.B. Tauris, London-New York, 2011, pp.214-216
- ^ Country Profile: Lebanon Timeline, .
- ^ Camp David and After: An Exchange. (An Interview with Ehud Barak). New York Review of Books, Volume 49, Number 10. 13 June 2002. Retrieved online, 15 August 2009.
- ^ "Government statement on prisoner exchange". MFA. 24 January 2004. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
- ^ Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel (19 October 2007). "Closing the Arad file?". Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ^ Margaret Hall, American Myopia: American Policy on Hizbollah. The Muslim World: Questions of Policy and Politics. Cornell University undergraduate research symposium. 8 April 2006.
- ^ "...Hezbollah enjoys enormous popularity in Lebanon, especially in southern Lebanon...", Ted Koppel on NPR report: Lebanon's Hezbollah Ties. All Things Considered, 13 July 2006.
- ^ BBC: "On This Day, May 26th".
- ^ CNN report: Hezbollah flag raised as Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon Archived 13 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine. 24 May 2000.