South Lebanon conflict ( 1982 – 2000 ) The South Lebanon conflict ( 1982 – 2000 ) or the Security Zone conflict in Lebanon refers to nearly 20 years of warfare between the Israel Defense Forces and its Lebanese proxy militia s and Lebanese Muslim guerrilla s led by the Iranian - backed Hezbollah within what was defined by Israelis as the " Security Zone " in South Lebanon . It can also refer to the continuation of conflict in this region , beginning with PLO operations transfer to South Lebanon , following the civil war events of 1971 Black September in the Kingdom of Jordan . Historical tension between Palestinian refugee and Lebanese factions fomented the violent Lebanese internal political struggle between many different factions . In light of this , the South Lebanon conflict can be seen as a part of the Lebanese Civil War . Earlier conflicts prior to 1982 Israeli invasion , including Operation Litani attempted to eradicate the PLO bases from Lebanon and support Christian Maronite militias , following PLO ' s constant attacks on civilian population of Galilee ( Northern Israel ) . The 1982 invasion resulted in the Palestine Liberation Organization ' s ( PLO ) departure from Lebanon . The creation of Security Zone in South Lebanon has benefited civilian Israeli population as Galilee suffered less violent attacks by Hezbollah ( 44 Israeli civilian casualties ) , than previously by PLO in the 1970s ( hundreds of Israeli civilian casualties ) . Despite this Israeli success in eradicating PLO bases and partial withdraw in 1985 , the Israeli invasion had actually increased the severity of conflict with local Lebanese militias and resulted in the consolidation of several local Shia Muslim movements in Lebanon , including Hezbollah and Amal , from a previously unorganized guerrilla movement in the south . Over the years , military casualties of both sides grew higher , as both parties used more modern weaponry , and Hezbollah progressed in its tactics . By the early 1990s , Hezbollah , with support from Syria and Iran , emerged as the leading group and military power , monopolizing the directorship of the guerrilla activity in South Lebanon . By the year 2000 , following his campaign promise , newly elected Prime Minister Ehud Barak withdrew Israeli forces from Southern Lebanon within the year , in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 425 , passed in 1978 ; the withdrawal consequently resulted in the immediate total collapse of the SLA . Despite the Israeli actions , Lebanese government and Hezbollah consider the withdrawal incomplete until Israel withdraws from Shebaa Farms . Following the withdrawal , Hezbollah has monopolized its military and civil control of the southern part of Lebanon . Background . Following the 1948 Arab Israeli War , the 1949 Armistice Agreements were signed with United Nations mediation . The Lebanese - Israeli agreement created the armistice line , which coincided exactly with the existing international boundary between Lebanon and Palestine from the Mediterranean to the Syrian tri - point on the Hasbani River . From this tri - point on the Hasbani the boundary follows the river northward to the village of Ghajar , then northeast , forming the Lebanese - Syrian border . ( The southern line from the tri - point represents the Palestine - Syria border of 1923 . ) Israeli forces captured and occupied 13 villages in Lebanese territory during the conflict , including parts of Marjayun , Bint Jubayl , and areas near the Litani River , but withdrew following international pressure and the armistice agreement . Although the Israel - Lebanon border remained relatively quiet , entries in the diary of Moshe Sharett point to a continued territorial interest in the area . On 16 May 1954 , during a joint meeting of senior officials of the defense and foreign affairs ministries , Ben Gurion raised the issue of Lebanon due to renewed tensions between Syria and Iraq , and internal trouble in Syria . Dayan expressed his enthusiastic support for entering Lebanon , occupying the necessary territory and creating a Christian regime that would ally itself with Israel . The issue was raised again in discussions at the Protocol of Sèvres . 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 more militant , expansionist and Revisionist Likud to power . Emerging Conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants . Beginning with late 1960s and especially in 1970s , following the defeat of PLO in Black September in Jordan , displaced Palestinians , including militants affiliated with the Palestinian Liberation Organization , began to settle in South Lebanon . The unrestrained buildup of Palestinian militia , and the large autonomy they exercised , led to the popular term " Fatahland " for South Lebanon . Since mid 1970s the tensions between the various Lebanese factions and Palestinians had exploded , resulting in Lebanese Civil War . Following multiple terrorist 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 United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon ( UNIFIL ) . In addition and despite earlier covert support , Israel established a second buffer with renegade Saad Haddad ’ s Christian Free Lebanon Army enclave ( initially based only in the towns of Marjayoun and Qlayaa ) ; the now - public Israeli military commitment to the Christian forces was strengthened . For the first time however , Israel received substantive adverse publicity in the world press due to damage in South Lebanon , in which some 200 , 000 Lebanese ( mostly Shia Muslims ) fled the area and ended up in the southern suburbs of Beirut ; this indirectly resulted in the Syrian forces in Lebanon turning against the Christians in late June and complicated the dynamics of the on - going Lebanese Civil War . Israeli Invasion . In 1982 , the Israeli military began " Operation Peace for Galilee " , a full scale invasion of Lebanese territory . The invasion followed the 1978 Litani Operation , which gave Israel possession of the territory near the Israeli - Lebanese border . This follow - up invasion attempted to weaken the PLO as a unified political and military force and eventually led to the withdrawal of PLO and Syrian forces from Lebanon . By the end of this operation , Israel got control over Lebanon from Beirut southward , and attempted to install a pro - Israeli government in Beirut to sign a peace accord with it . This goal had never realized , partly because of the assassination of President Bashir Gemayel in September 1982 , and the refusal of the Lebanese Parliament to endorse the accord . The withdrawal of the PLO forces in 1982 forced some Lebanese nationalists to start a resistance against the Israeli army led by the Lebanese Communist Party and Amal movement . During this time , some Amal members started the formation of an Islamic group supported by Iran that was the nucleus of the future " Islamic Resistance " , and eventually become Hezbollah . Chronology . Occupation period 1982 – 1985 – the emergence of Hizbullah . Increased hostilities against the US resulted in the April 1983 United States Embassy bombing . In response , the US brokered the May 17 Agreement , in an attempt to stall hostilities between Israel and Lebanon . However , this agreement eventually failed to take shape , and hostilities continued . In October , the United States Marines barracks in Beirut was bombed ( usually attributed to the Islamic Resistance groups ) . Following this incident , the United States withdrew its military forces from Lebanon . 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 suicide bombings against the Israeli headquarters in Tyre , which killed 103 soldiers , border policemen , and Shin Bet agents , and also killed 49 – 56 Lebanese . Israel believes those acts were among the first organized actions made by Shi ' ite militants , later forming into Hizbullah . Subsequently , Israel withdrew from the Shouf Mountains , but continued to occupy Lebanon south of the Awali River . An increased number of Islamic militias began operating in South Lebanon , launching guerilla 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 Security Zone . In February 1985 , Israel withdrew from Sidon and turned it over to the Lebanese Army , but faced attacks : 15 Israelis were killed and 105 wounded during the withdrawal . Dozens of SLA members were also assassinated . From mid - February to mid - March , the Israelis lost 18 dead and 35 wounded . On 11 March , Israeli forces raided the town of Zrariyah , killing 40 Amal fighters and capturing a large stock of arms . On 9 April , a Shiite girl drove a car bomb into an IDF convoy , and the following day , a soldier was killed by a land mine . During that same period , Israeli forces killed 80 Lebanese guerrillas in five weeks . Another 1 , 800 Shi ' as were taken as prisoners . Israel withdrew from the Bekaa valley on 24 April , and from Tyre on the 29th , but continued to occupy a security zone in Southern Lebanon . 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 . The newfound unity among these Shi ' a resistance groups in 1985 has been credited to the disappearance of Musa al - Sadr . Fighting the Israeli occupation included hit - and - run guerrilla attacks , suicide bombings , and the Katyusha rocket attacks on civilian targets in Northern Israel , including Kiryat Shmona . The Katyusha proved to be an effective weapon and became a mainstay of the resistance in South Lebanon . The attacks resulted in both military and civilian casualties . However , a considerable number of Lebanese guerillas were killed fighting Israeli and SLA troops , and many were captured . Prisoners were often detained in Israeli military prisons , or by the SLA in the infamous Khiam detention center , where detainees were often tortured . Lebanese prisoners in Israel were arrested and detained for participating in guerilla movements , and many were held for long periods of time . In 1987 Hizbullah fighters from the Islamic Resistance stormed and conquered an outpost i Bra ’ shit belonging to the South Lebanon Army in the security zone . A number of its defenders were killed or taken prisoner and the Hizbullah flag was raised on top of it . A Sherman tank was blown up and a M113 Armored Personal Carrier was captured and driven triumphantly all the way to Beirut . After Israel destroyed Hezbollah ' s headquarters in the town of Marrakeh , a Hezbollah suicide bomber destroyed an Israeli transport truck carrying soldiers on the Israel - Lebanon border . In response , Israeli forces ambushed two Hezbollah vehicles , killing eight Hezbollah fighters . On 28 July 1989 , Israeli commandos captured Sheikh Abdul Karim Obeid , the leader of Hezbollah . This action led to the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 638 , which condemned all hostage takings by all sides . Taif Accord . The Lebanese Civil War officially came to an end with the 1989 Ta ' if Accord , but the armed combat continued at least until October 1990 , and in South Lebanon until at least 1991 . In fact , the continued Israeli presence in South Lebanon resulted in continued low - intensity warfare and sporadic major combat until the Israeli withdrawal in 2000 . Post Civil War conflict . 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 . On 16 February 1992 , Hezbollah leader Abbas al - Musawi was killed along with his wife , son and four others when Israeli AH - 64 Apache helicopter gunships fired three missiles at his motorcade . The Israeli attack came in retaliation for the killings of three Israeli soldiers two days earlier when their camp was infiltrated . Hezbollah responded with rocket fire onto the Israeli security zone , and Israel then fired back and sent two armored columns past the security zone to hit Hezbollah strongholds in Kafra and Yater . Musawi was succeeded by Hassan Nasrallah . One of Nasrallah ' s first public declarations was the " retribution " policy : If Israel hit Lebanese civilian targets , then Hezbollah would retaliate with attacks on Israeli territory . Meanwhile , Hezbollah continued attacks against IDF targets within occupied Lebanese territory . 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 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 . However , Hezbollah soon resumed attacks on Israeli military positions and its proxy , the SLA . 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 . Continued hostility in late 1990s . Operation Grapes of Wrath resulted in the deaths of more than 150 civilians and refugees , most of them in the shelling of a United Nations base at Qana . Within a few days , a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Hezbollah , committing to avoid civilian casualties ; however , combat continued for at least two months . A total of 14 Hezbollah fighters , 1 Syrian soldier , and 3 Israeli soldiers were killed in the fighting . Brig . Gen . Eli Amitai , the IDF commander of the security zone , was lightly injured December 14 , 1996 when an IDF convoy he was travelling in was ambushed in the eastern sector of the security zone . 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 . 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 bloody clash . On 4 August 1997 , Israeli soldiers killed five Hezbollah gunmen , including two area commanders , in a clash north of the security zone . On 5 September 1997 , a raid by 16 Israeli Shayetet 13 naval commandos failed after the troops stumbled into an IED ambush , killing 12 , including the units commander , Lt . - Col . Yossi Korakin . Most of the killed and wounded commandos could later be extracted in a difficult rescue operation . The body of one soldier , Itamar Ilyah , was left behind . In 2010 Hassan Nasrallah revealed that Hizbullah had managed to hack into Israeli UAV : s flying over Lebanon and thus learn which route the commandos were planning to take and thus prepared the ambush accordingly . Shortly afterward , Hizbullah fighter Hadi Nasrallah was killed in a clash with Israeli soldiers . Hadi was the son of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah , and his body was captured by IDF . On May 25 , 1998 the remains of the dead IDF soldier was exchanged for 65 Lebanese prisoners and the bodies of 40 Hezbollah fighters and Lebanese soldiers captured by Israel . Among the bodies returned to Lebanon were the remains of Hadi Nasrallah . On 2 December 1998 Israeli army killed Zahi Naim Hadr Ahmed Mahabi , a top Hezbollah explosives expert . During 1998 21 Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon . During 1999 , several dozen Hezbollah and Amal fighters were killed . Twelve Israeli soldiers and one civilian were also killed , one of them in accident . February 23 , 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 wounded . Less than a week later ( February 28 ) a roadside bomb exploded on the road between Kawkaba and Arnoun in the Israeli - occupied Security zone . Brigadier General Erez Gerstein , commander of the Golani Division 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 Israeli soldiers and one Israeli journalist were killed in the blast . In May 1999 Hizbullah 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 . The captured APC was paraded through the southern suburbs of Beirut . In August 1999 Hezbollah leader Ali Hassan Deeb , better known as Abu Hassan , was allegedly killed by an Israeli intelligence network in Lebanon . In early 2000 , Chief - of - Staff Shaul Mofaz said that 1999 was " the IDF ' s most successful year in Lebanon " . 11 soldiers were killed by hostiles in Southern Lebanon in 1999 , the lowest casualty rate during the entire low - intensity conflict . Hezbollah and Amal casualties are unknown , but estimates run into several dozens . 2000 : Israeli withdrawal . 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 Hizbollah claim Israel still holds Shebaa farms , a small piece of territory on the Lebanon - Israel - Syria border , with disputed sovereignty . 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 Security Zone as a buffer zone to defend Israel ' s citizens . By ending the occupation , Barak ' s cabinet assumed it would improve its worldwide image . Ehud Barak has argued that " Hezbollah would have enjoyed international legitimacy in their struggle against a foreign occupier " , if the Israelis had not unilaterally withdrew without a peace agreement . 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 . The tentative peace , resulting from the withdrawal , did not last . On 7 October 2000 Hezbollah attacked Israel . In a cross - border raid , three Israeli soldiers , who were patrolling the Lebanese border were attacked and abducted . The event escalated into a 2 month fire exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah , primarily at the Hermon ridge . The bodies of the abducted soldiers were returned to Israel in a January 2004 prisoner exchange involving 450 Lebanese prisoners held in Israeli jails . The long - time Lebanese prisoner Samir al - Quntar was excluded from the deal . The government of Israel , however , had agreed to a " further arrangement " , whereby Israel would release Samir al - Quntar if it was supplied with " tangible information on the fate of captive navigator Ron Arad " . 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 . " In July 2006 , Hezbollah performed a cross - border raid while shelling Israeli towns and villages . During the raid Hizbullah 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 .