page_title: 1982 Lebanon War
section_title: Syria
hierarchical_section_title: 1982 Lebanon War / Opposing forces / Syria
caption_attribution_description: English: Syrian anti-tank teams successfully deployed French-made Milan ATGMs during the war in Lebanon in 1982 as well.Français&#160;: Les équipes antichars de l'armée syrienne ont utilisé le missile Milan durant la guerre du Liban contre, en autres, l'armée israélienne en 1982. Italiano: Squadra anticarro siriana dotata di sistema MILAN, dislocata in Libano durante la Guerra in Libano del 1982
context_page_description: The 1982 Lebanon War, dubbed Operation Peace for Galilee by the Israeli government, later known in Israel as the Lebanon War or the First Lebanon War, and known in Lebanon as "the invasion", began on 6 June 1982, when the Israel Defense Forces invaded southern Lebanon, after repeated attacks and counter-attacks between the Palestine Liberation Organization operating in southern Lebanon and the IDF that had caused civilian casualties on both sides of the border. The military operation was launched after gunmen from Abu Nidal's organization attempted to assassinate Shlomo Argov, Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin blamed Abu Nidal's enemy, the PLO, for the incident, and used the incident as a casus belli for the invasion.
  After attacking the PLO – as well as Syrian, leftist, and Muslim Lebanese forces – the Israeli military, in cooperation with their Maronite allies and the self-styled Free Lebanon State, occupied southern Lebanon, eventually surrounding the PLO and elements of the Syrian Army.
context_section_description: The Syrian Army deployed over 30,000 troops in Lebanon.
  The largest concentration was in the Bekaa Valley where the 1st Armoured Division consisting of the 58th Mechanised and the 76th and 91st Armoured Brigades. The 62nd Independent Armored Brigade and ten commando battalions were also assigned to the division. Syria deployed around 400 tanks in the Bekaa Valley. 19 surface-to-air missile batteries, including SA6's, were also deployed in the Bekaa Valley.
  In Beirut and the Shouf Mountains were the 85th Infantry Brigade, the PLA, As-Sa'iqa and 20 commando battalions. Syria deployed around 200 tanks in this area. Their primary mission was to protect the Beirut-Damascus Highway, which was Syria's primary supply line in the region.
caption: Syrian anti-tank teams deployed French-made Milan ATGMs during the war in Lebanon in 1982.
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