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2006 Lebanon War

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2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
(Arab-Israeli conflict)
Part of the 2006 Middle East conflict
File:54995.jpg
An IDF M109 self-propelled howitzer fires into Southern Lebanon
Date12 July 2006 — (ceasefire]
Location
Lebanon and northern Israel
Result Cease-fire currently in place. Gradual IDF withdrawal. Both sides claim victory.
Belligerents
File:Flag of Hezbollah.svg Hezbollah Israel Lebanon
Commanders and leaders
Hassan Nasrallah (Secretary General / Spiritual Leader) Dan Halutz (CoS)
Moshe Kaplinsky [1]
Udi Adam (Regional)		 Michel Sulaiman (CoS)
Casualties and losses
Hezbollah militia:
Killed: 65 confirmed by Hezbollah[2] / 180 identified out of 530 estimated by IDF[3]
21 captured
(Israeli government and Hezbollah reports)
Amal militia:
8 killed[4]
PFLP-GC militia:
1 killed[5]

Civilians:
43 killed[6][7]
about 1,350 injured (of which about 1,200 lightly injured or treated for shock) [8]
500,000 displaced [9]
Soldiers:
118 killed[6][7]

402 wounded
2 kidnapped

Civilians:
727-1009 killed [10] [11] [12]

3,600 injured [13][14][15][16](Lebanese government reports)
One million displaced [17][18]
Soldiers:
36 killed[19],
100 wounded
350-400 captured, but released[20][21]
For other casualties see Casualties of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
See also: Timeline of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

The 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict aka 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War is an ongoing military conflict in Lebanon and northern Israel, primarily between Hezbollah and Israel. The conflict began on 12 July 2006, two weeks after the start of the 2006 Israel-Gaza conflict. A cease fire came into effect at 05:00 UTC, 14 August 2006.

The conflict began with a cross-border Hezbollah raid and shelling, which resulted in the kidnapping of two and killing of three Israeli soldiers. Israel then initiated an air and naval blockade of Lebanon, massive airstrikes across much of the country, and ground incursions into southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has launched numerous rocket attacks into northern Israel and has engaged the Israeli Army on the ground with hit-and-run guerrilla attacks.

The conflict has killed hundreds of people, mostly Lebanese (with a yet unknown proportion of civilians and Hezbollah fighters), damaged infrastructure across Lebanon, displaced more than a million Lebanese and 500,000 Israelis, and disrupted normal life across all of Lebanon and the northern part of Israel. Attacks by both sides on civilian population centers and infrastructure have drawn sharp criticism internationally.

On 11 August, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved UN Security Council Resolution 1701, in an effort to end the hostilities. On 12 August, the Lebanese government and Hezbollah approved the resolution, and on 13 August the Israeli government did the same.[22] A ceasefire, guided by the resolution and accepted by both Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, took effect on 14 August at 8:00 AM local time (1 AM GMT)

Beginning of conflict

Main article: Zar'it-Ayta ash-Shab incident

At 9:05 AM local time (06:05 UTC), on 12 July 2006, Hezbollah initiated a diversionary Katyusha rocket and mortar attack on Israeli military positions and on the villages of Even Menahem and Mattat.[23] At the same time, a ground contingent of Hezbollah attacked two Israeli armored Humvees along the Israel-Lebanon border, near the village of Zar'it, kidnapping two Israeli soldiers and killing three.[23] Five others were killed later on the Lebanese side of the border during a mission to rescue the two captured soldiers.[24] In a report the Lebanese police force stated that the Israeli soldiers were attacked and captured on the Lebanese side of the border on 12 July during a mission to infiltrate the Lebanese town of Ayta ash-Shab.[25] However, the UN, EU, G8,[26] and prominent news agencies[27] have characterized the Hezbollah action as “cross-border”. In an interview with The Times on 2 August, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said: “The war started not only by killing eight Israeli soldiers and abducting two, but by shooting Katyusha and other rockets on the northern cities of Israel on that same morning. Indiscriminately.”[28]

Hezbollah's attack was named Operation Truthful Promise, after a "promise" by its leader Hassan Nasrallah to capture Israeli soldiers and swap them for convicted murderer Samir Kuntar and some other Lebanese prisoners still held by Israel.[29] Later on, Hassan Nasrallah declared: “No military operation will return the Israeli captured soldiers…The prisoners will not be returned except through one way: indirect negotiations and a trade of prisoners.”[30]

Israeli action

Areas in Lebanon targeted by Israeli bombing, 12 July to 12 August 2006.
Main article: Israeli military action in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert declared the attack by Hezbollah’s military wing an “act of war,” and promised Lebanon a “very painful and far-reaching response.”[31] CNN reported that “The Israeli Cabinet authorized ‘severe and harsh’ retaliation on Lebanon.”[32] Israel’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, told Israel's Channel 10 that “[i]f the soldiers are not returned, we will turn Lebanon’s clock back 20 years.”[32] Retired Israeli army colonel Gal Luft explained the rationale behind the attack: “Israel is attempting to create a rift between the Lebanese population and Hezbollah supporters by exacting a heavy price from the elite in Beirut. The message is: If you want your air conditioning to work and if you want to be able to fly to Paris for shopping, you must pull your head out of the sand and take action toward shutting down Hezbollah-land.”[33]

Prime Minister Olmert and other officials declared that Israel held the Beirut government responsible for the attack, as it was carried out from Lebanese territory.[34] In response, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora denied any knowledge of the raid and stated that he did not condone it.[35] An emergency meeting of the Lebanese government reaffirmed this position.[36]

Satellite photographs of the Haret Hreik neighborhood [Dahieh district] of Beirut, Lebanon, before and after 22 July 2006. See also high resolution photographs before and after.

Early on 13 July 2006 Israel sent IAF jets to bomb Lebanon's international airport near Beirut, forcing that its closure and diverting its arriving flights to Cyprus. Israel subsequently imposed an air and sea blockade on Lebanon,[37][38] and has bombed the main Beirut–Damascus highway.[39]

As of 3 August 2006, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry, the Israeli Air Force had carried out almost 7,000 bombing sorties across Lebanon, hitting 3,300 targets.[40] There has been a focus on targeting transportation infrastructure such as roads and bridges.[citation needed] According to the IDF official website, missions attacking Lebanese infrastructure were essential for weakening Hezbollah's rocket-launching capability.[41]

On 23 July 2006 Israeli land forces crossed into Lebanon in the Maroun al-Ras area, which overlooks several other locations said to have been used as launch sites for Hezbollah rockets.[42]

On 25 July IDF forces attacked Bint Jbeil, an important Hezbollah stronghold opposite the Israeli border. On 27 July, Hezbollah ambushed the Israelis and killed 8 soldiers, though Israel says it also inflicted heavy losses on Hezbollah.[43] By 29 July, the bulk of the combat had ended, and Israel withdrew its troops and left the town.[44]

On 1 August Israeli commandos landed in Baalbeck, capturing five people in Operation Sharp and Smooth.[45] Troops had landed near Dar al-Himkeh hospital west of Baalbeck as part of a 'widescale operation' in the area.[46]

Less than a week later, the IDF destroyed the last bridge across the Litani river. [47]

On 12 August, less than half day after United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 approved, the IDF established its hold in Lebanon, within framework of broadened military operations. Over the weekend the IDF nearly tripled its forces in southern Lebanon in relation to the forces in the field on 10 August. IDF troops were ordered to advance towards the Litani River. [48][49][50]

Hezbollah action

Main article: Hezbollah rocket campaign in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
See also: Hezbollah rocket force
File:Haifa apartment building after attack July 17 2006.jpg
A Haifa street following rocket attack 17 July 2006

According to Haaretz newspaper, "the IDF is not fighting a small guerrilla organization. It is dealing with a trained, skilled, well-organized, highly motivated infantry that is equipped with the cream of the crop of modern weaponry from the arsenals of Syria, Iran, Russia and China, and which is very familiar with the territory on which it is fighting. In such a showdown, even when you have tanks and fighter planes, the going is very slow, and, sadly, you must also pay a heavy price in terms of casualties." [51]

Hezbollah has fired rockets at civilian targets throughout the conflict, landing in all major cities of northern Israel including Haifa, Hadera, Nazareth, Tiberias, Nahariya, Safed, Afula[52] Kiryat Shmona, Beit She'an, Karmiel, and Maalot, and dozens of kibbutzim, moshavim, and Druze and Arab villages, as well as the northern West Bank.[53][54] It also hit a hospital in Safed in northern Galilee on 18 July, wounding 8.[55]

On 14 July, following Israeli bombing raids on Lebanon that killed 60 civilians [56] Nasrallah addressed Israel, saying "You wanted an open war, and we are heading for an open war. We are ready for it."[57]

After the initial Israeli response, Hezbollah declared an all-out military alert, and said it had 13,000 rockets capable of hitting towns and installations far into northern Israel. As a result, Defense Minister Peretz told commanders to prepare civil defense plans and many of the nearly 1,000,000 civilians living in Northern Israel have been sent to bomb shelters or fled their homes to other parts of the country.[58] Hezbollah continued to fire hundreds of Katyusha rockets into northern Israel's towns and cities, including Nahariya, Safed, Hatzor HaGlilit, Rosh Pina, Kiryat Shmona, and Karmiel, and numerous small agricultural villages.[59]

Map showing some of the Israeli localities attacked by rockets fired from Lebanese soil as of Monday 7 August.

Hezbollah attacks have hit as far south as Hadera in central Israel, as well as Israel's third largest city, Haifa, and the Jezreel Valley cities of Nazareth and Afula. Al-Manar has reported that the Hezbollah attack included a Fajr-3 and a Ra'ad 1 liquid-fuel missiles, developed by Iran.[60][61] One of the attacks hit a railroad repair depot, killing eight workers; Hezbollah claimed that this attack was aimed at a large Israeli fuel storage plant adjacent to the railway facility. The plant has not been hit to date. Haifa is home to many strategically valuable facilities such as shipyards and oil refineries. [62] [63]

On 3 August, which saw eight Israeli civilians killed by rocket attacks, Nasrallah warned Israel: "if you hit our capital we will hit your capital Tel Aviv" (This is an issue of controversy; Israel considers Jerusalem to be its capital). Israel has yet to strike central Beirut.[64] IBA military correspondent cited a "most senior IDF source" who stated in response that "if Tel Aviv is attacked, the national infrastructure of Lebanon will be destroyed." [65] In his 3 August speech, Nasrallah stated for the first time, however, that if Israel ceases aerial and artillery strikes of Lebanese towns and villages, Hezbollah will stop its rocket campaign. [65] On 4 August Israel attacked the southern outskirts of Beirut, and later in the day, Hezbollah launched rockets at the Hadera region, its southernmost rocket attack to date. [66]

On 7 August the Israeli Air Force shot down over the Mediterranean Sea an Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launched from Lebanon, apparently by Hezbollah. [67] "It could be that the UAV was packed with explosives", a senior IAF officer said. [68]

On 12 August 24 Israeli soldiers were killed, in the worst Israeli loss in a single day. Out of 24, five soldiers were killed when Hizbollah apparently succeeded in shooting down an Israeli helicopter for the first time. [69].

Hezbollah also engages in ground combat with the IDF, especially guerilla-type hit-and-run tactics by small; well-armed units have caused an ongoing nuisance and created additional casualties for the IDF.[70]

Targeting of civilian areas

Main article: Targeting of civilian areas in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
File:Tyre Mass Graves (PBS NewsHour).png
Mass graves for civilians following Israeli airstrikes in Tyre, Lebanon, 21 July 2006. The half-length coffins are for children.
A car in Haifa following rocket attack 17 July 2006 showing result of anti personnel shrapnel

Israeli strikes on Lebanon's civilian population and infrastructure include Beirut airport, residential buildings, ambulances, fleeing civilians, United Nations posts and personnel, ports, a lighthouse, grain silos, bridges, roads, factories, medical and relief trucks, mobile telephone and television stations, fuel containers and service stations, and the country's largest dairy farm Liban Lait[71][72][73][74][75][76].

Hezbollah has fired rockets, sometimes at a rate of more than 150 per day, exclusively at civilian targets throughout the conflict, landing in all major cities of northern Israel including Haifa, Nazareth, Tiberias, Nahariya, Safed, Afula, Qiryat Shemona, Karmiel, and Maalot, and dozens of kibbutzim, moshavim, and Druze and Arab villages[77][78][79].

Louise Arbour, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed “grave concern over the continued killing and maiming of civilians in Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.” She suggested that the actions of Israel and Hezbollah may constitute war crimes. Arbour called for Israel to obey a “principle of proportionality” and said, “indiscriminate shelling of cities constitutes a foreseeable and unacceptable targeting of civilians.…Similarly, the bombardment of sites with alleged military significance, but resulting invariably in the killing of innocent civilians, is unjustifiable"[80].

Amnesty International also condemned both sides for attacks on civilians, as well as reports of white phosphorus usage by the IDF[81][82].

Human Rights Watch has issued many reports documenting indiscriminate use of force against civilians by both Israel and Hezbollah. After investigating over 20 attacks that killed more than 150 civilians in Lebanon, they blamed Israel for systematically failing to distinguish between combatants and civilians, which may constitute a war crime. They also accused Hezbollah of committing war crimes for the deliberate and indiscriminate killing of civilians by firing rockets which cannot be aimed at military targets into populated areas, which killed over 30 civilians in northern Israel. The organization has also strongly criticized Israel for using cluster bombs too close to civilians because of their inaccuracy and unreliability, and Hezbollah for filling its rockets with ball bearings, which suggests a desire to maximize harm to civilians.[83][84][85]

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has defended their rocket attacks, saying "In the beginning, we started to act calmly, we focused on Israel[i] military bases and we didn't attack any settlement, However, since the first day, the enemy attacked Lebanese towns and murdered civilians—Hezbollah militants had destroyed military bases, while the Israelis killed civilians and targeted Lebanon's infrastructure"[86].

Articles 28 and 29 of the Fourth Geneva Convention state that “[t]he presence of a protected person may not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations.” and that “[t]he Party to the conflict in whose hands protected persons may be, is responsible for the treatment accorded to them by its agents, irrespective of any individual responsibility which may be incurred" (respectively). Hezbollah has faced criticism for mingling among Lebanese civilian population in alleged attempts to deliberately maximize civilian casualties in the area, a practice sometimes informally referred to as using civilians as "human shields"; Upon his visit to Lebanon, United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland accused Hezbollah of “cowardly blending…among women and children. I heard they were proud because they lost very few fighters and that it was the civilians bearing the brunt of this. I don't think anyone should be proud of having many more children and women dead than armed men.”[87] Israel has argued that in the light of these circumstances Hezbollah is responsible for the civilian casualties under international law.[88]

Israeli officials have defended the bombing raids by explaining that the IAF drops leaflets warning civilians to leave the area before it attacks, and has also accused Hezbollah for intentionally using the civilian population as "human shields". It is claimed that the Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon on 26 July stated that any civilians remaining in South Lebanon after being issued such leaflets should be considered "terrorists"[89].

According to an article on al arabia and IslamOnline.net Hezbollah fighters tend to wear civilian clothes while being blended within to the civilian populace. Hence, fallen Hezbollah fighters in civilian areas are likely to be accounted as civilians casualties. A hezbollah field commander Hajj Abu Hussein is quoted as saying: "Our people are outfitted as soldiers, but when we are among civilians then we dress normally. When we are in the field, we dress as soldiers". "It's not reasonable to walk around in military uniforms and carry rifles when, for example, the Red Cross comes into town."[2][3]

Environmental consequences of attacks

See also: Jiyeh power station oil spill
The oil-spillage caused by the Jiyeh bombings in mid July, had by 29 July coated the whole water surface in Byblos harbour, some 60 km north of Jiyeh.

Israeli Airforce bombings on the Jiyeh power station, 30 km (19 mi) south of Beirut, on 13 July and 15 July, has resulted in a 10,000 to 15,000 tonnes oil spillage into the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It constitutes the largest environmental disaster in the Mediterranean Sea in modern times, and if the leakage isn't contained, so all the 35,000 tonnes in the plant's storage tanks leak out, the spillage will rival the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill of 37,000 tonnes in Alaska, according to the United Nations Environment Programme[90][91]. According to Lebanon's Environment Minister Yacoub Sarraf, Israeli jets deterred firemen from putting out the fire at the storage units, which continued for 10 days, and the Israeli Navy blockade has stopped Lebanese and foreign officials from surveying the damage of the spill[92]. A 10km wide oil slick covers 80 km of Lebanon's and 20 km of Syria's coastline, moving north towards Turkey and Cyprus.[93] The slick is reportedly causing breathing problems, killing fish, and threatening the habitat of the endangered green sea turtle.[94]

Amnesty International called on Israel to consider refraining from the use of weapons with depleted uranium warheads, due to health risks. The effect of the radioactive dust created on impact is debated, though the weapon itself is considered "toxic and constitutes a health risk independent of any residual radioactivity" due to the nature of heavy metals.

Hezbollah rockets have caused numerous and fierce forest fires inside northern Israel, particularly on the Naftali mountain range near Kiryat Shmona.[95] As of 8 August as many as 9,000 acres including 3,000 acres of Israel’s few forests, have been damaged by fires caused by Hezbollah rockets, and at least one forest has lost nearly 75% of its trees.[96] Estimates are that it will take at least 60 years to rehabilitate the forests.[97]

Casualties

Main article: Casualties of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
See also: Attacks on United Nations personnel during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

Position of Lebanon

Main article: Position of Lebanon in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

While Israel holds the Lebanese government responsible for the Hezbollah attacks due to Lebanon’s failure to implement Resolution 1559 calling on it to disarm Hezbollah, Lebanon disavows the raids, stating that the government of Lebanon does not condone them, and that in any case Israel has its own history of disregarding inconvenient UN resolutions.[35] An emergency meeting of the Lebanese government reaffirmed this position.[36] Almost immediately after hostilities began, Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called for a ceasefire. On 14 July, following a phone call between Siniora and President Bush, the Prime Minister’s office issued the statement that “Prime Minister Siniora called on President Bush to exert all his efforts on Israel to stop its aggression on Lebanon, reach a comprehensive ceasefire and lift its blockade.”[98]

The next day, in a televised message to the Lebanese people, and afterwards in an interview with CNN, Siniora said “We call for an immediate ceasefire backed by the United Nations.”[99]

Ceasefire attempts

Main article: Ceasefire attempts during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

Terms for a ceasefire have been drawn and revised several times, yet have not been successfully agreed upon by the two sides. Hezbollah has maintained that it insists on an unconditional ceasefire [100], while Israel has insisted that it will agree to a ceasefire only under certain conditions, including the return of the two captured soldiers.[101]

The United Nations Security Council frequently rejected pleas from Lebanon that it call for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported the U.S. was the sole member of the 15-nation UN body to oppose any council action at all at this time.[102]

On 27 July, Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora presented the 7-point Siniora Plan at a 15-nation conference in Rome, calling for a mutual release of Lebanese and Israeli prisoners and detainees, a withdrawal of the Israeli ground troops behind the Blue Line, and that the disputed Shebaa Farms area is placed under UN jurisdiction until the ownership issue has been settled.[103].

On 4 August, the United States and France proposed a United Nations Security Council ceasefire resolution which Lebanon rejected, as it did not call for immediate Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon, nor for an immediate ceasefire.[104][105]

On 11 August, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved UN Security Council Resolution 1701, in an effort to end the hostilities. It was accepted by the Lebanese government and Hezbollah on 12 August, and by the Israeli government on 13 August. The ceasefire took effect in the region at 8:00 AM (5:00 AM GMT) on 14 August 2006. [106]

International reaction

Main article: International reactions to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
See also: International reactions to the 2006 Qana airstrike
See also: 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict photographs controversies
See also: Military and economic aid in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
Lebanese protest in Sydney

International reactions to the conflict have included widespread concern over current damage and over the possible escalation of the crisis, as well as mixed support and criticism of both Hezbollah and Israel.[107] A number of governments, including the United States,[108] United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Canada, have asserted Israel's right to self-defense. Further, the United States authorized Israel's request for the expedited processing and shipment of precision-guided bombs to Israel. The United States did not announce the shipment publicly.[109] The majority (10) of the UN Security Council members have demanded an immediate cease-fire through a UN draft resolution, which was vetoed by the US and abstained from by 4 nations (UK, Peru, Slovakia, Denmark).[110]

The EU has warned Israel about disproportionate attacks against Lebanon.[111] In addition spokespersons from the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization of Islamic Conference and an assortment of human rights organizations have condemned Israel for its disproportionate response to Hezbollah’s attacks.[112]

Neighboring Middle Eastern nations have been split in their response. Iran, Syria, and Yemen have voiced strong support for Hezbollah,[113]. The Arab League has issued statements condemning both Hezbollah’s attack[114] and Israel’s response.[115]

Protests and demonstrations have been held worldwide, mostly appealing for an immediate ceasefire on both sides and to express concern for the heavy loss of civilian life, but some also showing support exclusively to Lebanon or Israel. In addition there have been numerous newspaper advertising campaigns, text and email appeals [116] and on-line petitions [117]

Various foreign governments have stepped in to assist in the evacuation of their citizens from Lebanon.[118]

The Israeli bombing of an apartment building in Qana on 30 July led to widespread condemnation from around the world. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed the United States' desire for a mutually acceptable ceasefire as soon as possible but declined to call for an immediate halt to hostilities.[119]

Historical background

Israeli-Lebanon conflict

See also: 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict § More background

The history of conflict between the two countries began with the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. After the 1967 Six Day War, and following the Black September in Jordan, over 110,000 Palestinian refugees migrated to Lebanon, making up over 400,000 refugees today. [120]. By 1975, they numbered more than 300,000, creating an informal state-within-a-state in South Lebanon. The PLO became a powerful force and played an important role in the Lebanese Civil War. In response to numerous attacks launched from southern Lebanon, Israel invaded in 1978 in an attempt to rout out Palestinian militants. As a result the United Nations passed UN Resolutions 425 and 426, which called for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to military action in Lebanon.[121]

At the end of the operation, Israeli forces withdrew from Lebanon, leaving behind a UNIFIL force. Israel invaded again four years later in 1982, forcing PLO forces out of Lebanon (mostly to Tunisia), and Israel occupied the southern part of the country. A US brokered peace treaty was ratified by the Lebanese parliament in 1983, but President Amine Gemayel decided against signing in 1984. In 1985, Israel withdrew its forces from parts of Lebanon and remained in a 4–6 kilometre (2.5–3.75 mi) deep[122] strip of southern Lebanon, described by Israel as a "security zone" which it justified as a protective measure to defend its northern towns against Hezbollah attacks. This occupation lasted until 2000. On 24 May2000 Israel withdrew its troops from southern Lebanon.

The South Lebanon Army's equipment and positions in South Lebanon largely fell into the hands of Hezbollah, which has put considerable effort into fortifying the former security zone and establishing new firing positions. Since then, Hezbollah has repeatedly attacked Israeli military positions, whilst Israel has carried out numerous attacks aimed at striking Hezbollah bases (see Hezbollah activities).[123]

On September 2, 2004, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1559 calling for the disbanding of all Lebanese militias, among other things, and an armed Hezbollah in South Lebanon is seen by many to be a contravention of the resolution, though the Lebanese government differs on its interpretation, and the United Nations has not ruled on this matter.[124][125]

Previous prisoner exchanges

See also: Israeli MIA prisoner exchanges

Over the last 30 years, Israel has released about 7,000 prisoners to secure freedom for 19 Israelis and to retrieve the bodies of eight others. In October 2000, Hezbollah captured three IDF soldiers who were killed either during the operation or in its immediate aftermath at Shebaa Farms, and kidnapped an Israeli businessman and former army colonel Elchanan Tenenbaum in Kuwait. A prisoner swap was carried out on 29 January 2004: 30 Lebanese and Arab prisoners, the remains of 59 Lebanese militants and civilians, 400 Palestinian prisoners for Tenenbaum and the remains of the three soldiers. Hezbollah requested that maps showing Israeli mines in South Lebanon be included as part of the exchange. [126][127]

Hezbollah

Main article: Hezbollah

Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shi'a Muslim organization formed late in 1982 "primarily to offer resistance to the Israeli occupation"[128]; its political rhetoric has consistently called for the destruction of Israel.[128] It is classified to differing degrees as a terrorist organisation by the US, UK, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands. The European Union does not list Hezabollah or its constituent groups in its list of terrorist organizations, but does list Hezbollah's senior intelligence officer Imad Mugniyah.[129] [130]

Hezbollah has a military and civilian wing, the latter participating in the Lebanese parliament, currently with 18% of the seats (23 out of 128) and the bloc it forms with others, the "Resistance and Development Bloc", a little less than 30% for a total of 35 seats (see Lebanese general election, 2005). It is a minority partner in the current Cabinet.

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See also

Template:Campaignbox Arab-Israeli conflict

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Media

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More background

  1. ^ Tom Zeller Jr. (2006-07-24). "Anne Frank 2006: War Diaries Online". The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-07-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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