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'''[[Lebanese Communist Party|LCP]]''': 12<br>
'''[[Lebanese Communist Party|LCP]]''': 12<br>
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Revision as of 18:20, 8 October 2006

2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
(Arab-Israeli conflict)
Part of the Israel-Lebanon conflict
File:2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict titlepic.png
Smoke over Tyre after an Israeli bombardment (top), a Katyusha-damaged building in Haifa (bottom left), an IDF M109 self-propelled howitzer fires into Southern Lebanon (bottom right)
Date12 July 2006 — 8 September 2006
(cease-fire started 05:00 UTC, 14 August 2006)
Location
Lebanon and northern Israel
Result Cease-fire
Belligerents
File:Flag of Hezbollah.svg Hezbollah Israel
Commanders and leaders
Hassan Nasrallah (Secretary General and Commander of Islamic Resistance)[1]
 Dan Halutz (CoS), Moshe Kaplinsky[2], Udi Adam (Regional)
Strength
5,000 - 20,000 militiamen [3] 30,000 ground troops
(plus IAF & ISC) [4]
Casualties and losses

Hezbollah militia:
74 dead confirmed by Hezbollah [5]
700+ claimed by 3rd party sources[6]
440 dead confirmed and fully identified by IDF (of an estimated 550-700 confirmed)[7][5]
13 captured[5]

Allied militia:
Amal: 17[8]
LCP: 12

PFLP-GC: 2[8]

IDF:
119 dead [9]
400+ injured

2 captured

all figures are confirmed by Israeli government

Lebanese civilians:
1,187 dead[10]
3,600 wounded [10]

Israeli civilians:
44 dead [9][11][12]
1,350+ injured[13]

Lebanese army:
46 dead
~100 wounded

UN personnel:
7 dead
12 wounded

(See Attacks on United Nations personnel during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict)
for other casualties, see: Casualties of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

The 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, known in Lebanon as the July War[14] and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War[15] was a military conflict in Lebanon and northern Israel, primarily between Hezbollah paramilitary forces and Israel. It started on 12 July 2006 and ended when a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect on 14 August 2006.

The conflict began when Hezbollah fired Katyusha rockets and mortars at Israeli military positions and border villages to divert attention from another Hezbollah unit that crossed the border and captured two Israeli soldiers and killed three. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and artillery fire on Lebanese civilian infrastructure, which Israel said Hezbollah was using, an air and naval blockade,[16] and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah in turn launched rockets into northern Israel and engaged the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in guerrilla warfare from hardened positions. [17]

The conflict killed over 1,500 people, mostly Lebanese civilians, severely damaged Lebanese infrastructure, displaced about 900,000 Lebanese and 300,000 Israelis.[18][19] and disrupted normal life across all of Lebanon and northern Israel. Even after the ceasefire, 256,000 Lebanese remained internally displaced. [10] On 6 October 2006, several weeks after the ceasefire, the New York Times reported that "Since the war between Israel and Hezbollah ended in August, nearly three people have been wounded or killed each day by cluster bombs Israel dropped in the waning days of the war, and officials now say it will take more than a year to clear the region of them.United Nations officials estimate that southern Lebanon is littered with one million unexploded bomblets, far outnumbering the 650,000 people living in the region".[20]

On 11 August 2006 the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved UN Resolution 1701 in an effort to end the hostilities. The resolution, which was approved by both Lebanese and Israeli governments the following days, also called for the disarming of Hezbollah, for Israel to withdraw, and for the deployment of Lebanese soldiers and an enlarged United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) force in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese army began deploying in southern Lebanon on 17 August 2006. The blockade was lifted on 8 September 2006.[21] On 1 October 2006 the Israeli army reported that it had completed its withdrawal[22], but UNIFIL denied these assertions. When asked about the UNIFIL report, the IDF confirmed its forces were still operating near Ghajar, a village split in two by the border.[23]

Background

Main article: Israel-Lebanon conflict

Lebanon has long failed to control militancy within its borders, and Israel has had a history of using force in Lebanon in response to militant attacks. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) recruited militants in Lebanon from among the families of Palestinian refugees who had left Israel in 1948.[24][25] By 1968, the PLO and Israel were committing cross border attacks against each other in violation of Lebanese sovereignty.[26] After the PLO leadership and its Fatah brigade were expelled from Jordan for formenting a revolt, they entered Lebanon and the cross-border violence increased. Meanwhile, demographic tensions over the Lebanese National Pact lead to the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990).[27] In 1976, Syria began a 29 year military presence. Israel's 1978 invasion of Lebanon failed to stem the Palestinian attacks, but Israel invaded Lebanon again in 1982 and forcibly expelled the PLO. Israel withdrew to a slim borderland buffer zone, held with the aid of proxy militants in the South Lebanon Army (SLA). In 1985, a Lebanese Shi'te resistance movement sponsored by Iran,[28] calling itself Hezbollah, called for armed struggle to end the Israel occupation of Lebanese territory.[29] When the Lebanese civil war ended and other warring factions agreed to disarm, Hezbollah and the SLA refused. Combat with Hezbollah weakened Israeli resolve and led to a collapse of the SLA and an early withdrawal in 2000 to their side of the UN designated border,[30] Citing Israeli control of the Shebaa farms territory, Hezbollah continued cross border attacks intermittently over the next six years. Hezbollah now sought freedom for Lebanese citizens in Israeli prisons and successfully used the tactic of capturing Israeli soldiers as leverage for a prisoner exchange in 2004.[31]

Beginning of conflict

Main article: Zar'it-Shtula incident
See also: Timeline of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

At around 9:00 AM local time (06:00 UTC), on 12 July 2006, Hezbollah initiated diversionary rocket attacks toward Israeli military positions near the coast and near the border village of Zar'it[32] as well as on the Israeli town of Shlomi.[33] At the same time, a ground contingent of Hezbollah crossed the border into Israeli territory and attacked two Israeli armoured Humvees patrolling on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, near Zar'it, killing three, injuring two, and capturing two Israeli soldiers.[32][34] Five more Israeli soldiers were killed later on the Lebanese side of the border during an attempt to rescue the two kidnapped soldiers.

Hezbollah named the attack "Operation Truthful Promise" after leader Hassan Nasrallah's public pledges over the prior year and a half to capture Israeli soldiers and swap them for convicted murderer Samir Kuntar, convicted spy Nasim Nisr, alleged terrorist Yahya Skaf who Hezbollah claims was arrested in Israel (Israel denies this), and Ahmad Farran, who is being held for reasons unknown, among any other Lebanese prisoners incarcerated in Israel.[35] Nasrallah claimed that Israel had broken an agreement to release these prisoners in a previous deal, and that, diplomacy having failed, violence was the only remaining option.[35] 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." [36]

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described the capture of the soldiers as an "act of war" by the sovereign country of Lebanon[37][38] and promised Lebanon a "very painful and far-reaching response."[39] Israel quickly blamed the Lebanese government for the raid, as it was carried out from Lebanese territory and Hezbollah had two ministers serving in the Lebanese cabinet at that time.[40]

In response, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora denied any knowledge of the raid and stated that he did not condone it.[41][42] An emergency meeting of the Lebanese government reaffirmed this position.[43]

The Israel Defense Forces began hammering Lebanon with artillery and airstrikes hours before the Israeli Cabinet met to discuss a response. Israel's chief of staff Dan Halutz said, "if the soldiers are not returned, we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years," while the head of Israel's Northern Command Udi Adam said, "this affair is between Israel and the state of Lebanon. Where to attack? Once it is inside Lebanon, everything is legitimate -- not just southern Lebanon, not just the line of Hezbollah posts." The Israeli Cabinet authorized "severe and harsh" retaliation on Lebanon.[44] A retired Israeli Army Colonel explained that the rationale behind the attack was to create a rift between the Lebanese population and Hezbollah supporters by exacting a heavy price from the elite in Beirut.[45]

When asked in August about the proportionality of the response, Prime Minister Olmert stated that 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." He added "no country in Europe would have responded in such a restrained manner as Israel did."[46]

Israeli action

Main article: Military operations of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
See also: Timeline of Military Operations in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
See also: Military equipment of Israel

During the campaign, Israel's Air Force flew more than 12,000 combat missions. The Navy fired 2,500 shells, and the Army fired over 100,000 shells [47], destroying large parts of the Lebanese civilian infrastructure. 400 miles of roads, 73 bridges and 31 targets such as Beirut International Airport, ports, water and sewage treatment plants, electrical facilities, 25 fuel stations, 900 commercial structures, up to 350 schools and two hospitals were destroyed, as well as some 15,000 homes. Some 130,000 more homes were damaged.[48] [49] [50] [51]

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz ordered commanders to prepare civil defense plans. One million Israelis had to stay near or in bomb shelters or security rooms, with some 250,000 civilians evacuating the north and relocating to other areas of the country.[52]

Areas in Lebanon targeted by Israeli bombing, 12 July to 13 August 2006.

Timeline

Early on 13 July 2006 Israel sent IAF jets to bomb Beirut International Airport, forcing its closure and diversion of incoming flights to Cyprus.[53] Israel subsequently imposed an air and sea blockade on Lebanon, and bombed the main Beirut–Damascus highway.[53]

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.[54]

On 25 July 2006 IDF engaged Hezbollah forces in the Battle of Bint Jbeil.

On 26 July 2006 Israeli forces attacked and destroyed an UN observer post.[55] Described as a nondeliberate attack, the post was shelled for hours before being bombed. UN forces made repeated calls[56] to alert Israeli forces of the danger to the UN observers, all four of whom were killed. Rescuers were shelled as they attempted to reach the post. According to an e-mail sent earlier by one of the UN observers killed in the attack, there had been numerous occasions on a daily basis where the post had come under fire from both Israeli artillery and aerial bombing. The UN observer reportedly wrote that previous Israeli bombing near the post had not been deliberate targeting, but rather due to "tactical necessity," military jargon which retired Canadian Major General Lewis MacKenzie later interpreted as indicating that Israeli strikes were aimed at Hezbollah targets near the post.

See also: Attacks on United Nations personnel during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
Satellite photographs of the Haret Hreik a Hezbollah dominated neighborhood [Dahieh district] of southern Beirut, Lebanon, before and after 22 July 2006. The neighborhood is home to Hezbollah's headquarters. See also high resolution photographs before and after.

On 27 July 2006 Hezbollah ambushed the Israeli forces in Bint Jbeil and killed eight soldiers. Israel said it also inflicted heavy losses on Hezbollah.[57]

On 28 July 2006 Israeli paratroopers killed 26 of Hizbullah's commando elite in Bint Jbeil. In total, the IDF claimed that 80 fighters were killed in the battles at Bint Jbeil. [58]

On 30 July 2006 Israeli airstrikes hit an apartment building in Qana, killing at least 28 civilians, of which 16 were children, with 13 more missing.[59] The airstrike was widely condemned.

On 31 July 2006 the Israeli military and Hezbollah forces engaged Hezbollah in the Battle of Ayta ash-Shab.

On 1 August 2006 Israeli commandos launched Operation Sharp and Smooth and landed in Baalbek and captured five civilians including one bearing the same name as Hezbollah's leader, "Hassan Nasrallah". All of the civilians were released after the ceasefire.[60] Troops landed near Dar al-Himkeh hospital west of Baalbeck as part of a widescale operation in the area.

On 4 August 2006 the IAF attacked a building in the area of al-Qaa around 10 kilometers (six miles) from Hermel in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, killing 33 farm workers in the.

On 5 August 2006 Israeli commandos carried out a nighttime raid in Tyre.

On 7 August 2006 the IAF attacked the Shiyyah suburb in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, destroying three apartment buildings in the suburb, killing at least 50 people.

On 11 August 2006 the IAF attacked a convoy of approximately 750 vehicles containing Lebanese police, army, civilians, and one Associated Press journalist, killing at least seven people and wounding at least 36.

On 12 August 2006 the IDF established its hold in Lebanon. Over the weekend Israeli forces in southern Lebanon nearly tripled in size.[61] and were ordered to advance towards the Litani River.[62]

On 14 August 2006 the Israeli Air Force reported that they had killed the head of Hezbollah’s Special Forces, whom they identified as Sajed Dewayer, while Hezbollah denied this claim.[63] 80 minutes before the cessation of hostilities, the IDF targeted a Palestinian faction in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in Sidon, killing a UNRWA staff member. Two refugees had been killed in an attack on this camp six days prior to the incident.[64]

Hezbollah action

Main article: Military operations of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
See also: Timeline of Military Operations in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
See also: Hezbollah rocket force
Map showing some of the Israeli localities attacked by rockets fired from Lebanese soil as of Monday 7 August.

During the campaign, Hezbollah fired between 3,970 and 4,228 rockets, about 95% of which were 122 mm Katyusha artillery rockets carrying an up to 30 kg warhead and having a range of up to 30 km.[52][65] An estimated 23% of these rockets hit built-up areas, primarily civilian in nature.[66][52][47] Cities hit included Haifa, Hadera, Nazareth, Tiberias, Nahariya, Safed, Afula, 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. [67][68][69] Hezbollah also engaged in guerrilla warfare from well fortified positions with the IDF. These attacks by small, well-armed units caused serious problems for the IDF, especially where hundreds of sophisticated Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) were used. Hezbollah destroyed 14 Israeli Merkava main battle tanks and damaged 50. Six tanks were destroyed by anti-tank mines. Hezbollah caused additional casualties using ATGMs to collapse buildings onto Israeli troops sheltering inside. [47]

After the initial Israeli response, Hezbollah declared an all-out military alert. Hezbollah was estimated to have 13,000 missiles at the beginning of the conflict.[70]. Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that it was a trained, skilled, well-organized, highly motivated infantry that was equipped with the cream of the crop of modern weaponry from the arsenals of Syria, Iran, Russia, and China.[71] Lebanese satellite TV station Al-Manar reported that the attacks had included a Fajr-3 and a Ra'ad 1, both liquid-fuel missiles developed by Iran.[72][73]

File:Haifa apartment building after attack July 17 2006.jpg
A Haifa street following rocket attack 17 July 2006

Timeline

On 13 July 2006 Hezbollah hit Haifa for the fist time, targeting a cable car station along with a few other commpn buildings On 14 July 2006 the IDF bombed Nasrallah's offices in Beirut.[74]Nasrallah addressed Israel, saying “You wanted an open war, and we are heading for an open war. We are ready for it.”[75] Hezbollah attacked the INS Hanit, an Israeli Sa'ar 5-class missile boat enforcing the naval blockade, with a radar guided C-802 anti-ship missile. 4 sailors were killed and the warship was severely damaged and towed back to port.

On 17 July 2006 Hezbollah 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. Haifa is home to many strategically valuable facilities such as shipyards and oil refineries.[76] [77]

On 18 July 2006 Hezbollah hit a hospital in Safed in northern Galilee, wounding eight.[78]

On 27 July 2006 Hezbollah ambushed the Israeli forces in Bint Jbeil and killed eight soldiers. Israel said it also inflicted heavy losses on Hezbollah.[57]

On 3 August 2006 Nasrallah warned Israel against hitting Beirut and promised retalation against Tel Aviv in this case. [79] He also stated that Hezbollah would stop its rocket campaign if Israel ceased aerial and artillery strikes of Lebanese towns and villages.[80]

On 4 August 2006 Israel attacked the southern outskirts of Beirut, and later in the day, Hezbollah launched rockets at the Hadera region.[81]

On 9 August 2006 nine Israeli soldiers were killed when the building they were taking cover in was struck by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile and collapsed.

On 12 August 2006 24 Israeli soldiers were killed; the worst Israeli loss in a single day. Out of those 24, five soldiers were killed when Hezbollah shot down an Israeli helicopter, a first for the militia.[82]. Hezbollah claimed the helicopter had been attacked with a Wa'ad missile.

Position of Lebanon

Main article: Position of Lebanon in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
See also: Siniora Plan
See also: Foreign relations of Lebanon

While Israel initially held the Lebanese government responsible for the Hezbollah attacks due to Lebanon's failure to implement Resolution 1559 and disarm Hezbollah, Lebanon disavowed the raids, stating that the government of Lebanon did not condone them, and that Israel had its own history of disregarding inconvenient UN resolutions.[42] On 13 July 2006 Hezbollah hit Haifa for the fist time, targeting a cable car station along with a few other commpn buildings /> On 14 July 2006 the Prime Minister's office issued a statement that called on US President George W. Bush to exert all his efforts on Israel to stop its attacks on Lebanon, reach a comprehensive ceasefire and lift its blockade. [83] On the next day, Siniora called for "an immediate ceasefire backed by the United Nations" in a televised speech.[84] A US-France draft for a resolution that was influenced by the Lebanese Siniora Plan and which contained conditions on Israeli withdrawal, military actions and mutual prisoner release, was later rejected as inadequate. Many Lebanese accused the US government of stalling the ceasefire resolution and support of Israel. In a poll conducted two weeks into the conflict, 8% of the respondents felt that the US would support Lebanon, while 87% supported Hezbollah's fight against Israel.[85] After the attack on Qana, Siniora snubbed US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice by cancelling a meeting with her and thanked Hezbollah for its "sacrifices for the independence and sovereignty of Lebanon."[86] On 7 August 2006 the 7-point plan was extended to include the deployment of 15,000 Lebanese Army troops to fill the void between an Israeli withdrawal and UNIFIL deployment.

During Israel's raid on Tyre, the Lebanese Army reportedly fired surface-to-air missiles at Israeli helicopters, which returned fire and destroyed a Lebanese M113 Armored Personnel Carrier. [87]

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. About one third of the Lebanese casualties of the war are children under 13 years of age.
A car in Haifa following rocket attack 17 July 2006 showing result of anti personnel shrapnel

The high number of civilian deaths in the conflict has been one of it's most controversial aspects; 1,187 Lebanese civilians and 44 Israeli civilians were killed in the conflict, making up the vast majority of the casualties.[88] Almost one third of the Lebanese civilian casualties were children under 13 years of age. [89] [90]

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) initially estimated about 35,000 homes and businesses in Lebanon were destroyed by Israel in the conflict, while a quarter of the country's road bridges or overpasses were damaged. Jean Fabre, a UNDP spokesman, estimated that overall economic losses for Lebanon from the month-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah totaled "at least $15 billion, if not more."[91] Israel, however, claims that it only attacked buildings and infrastructure used by Hezbollah to launch rockets or receive re-supply from Iran and Syria.[92][93]

Hezbollah also fired hundreds of rockets, sometimes more than 200 per day throughout the conflict, which landed in all major cities of northern Israel, including Haifa, Nazareth, and Tiberias, as well as dozens of kibbutzim, moshavim, Druze, and Arab villages,[94][67][95] while Israel destroyed large parts of the Lebanese civilian infrastructure with airstrikes and heavy artillery fire. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah defended the attacks, saying that Hezbollah had "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."[96]

Various agencies have criticised both Israel and Hezbollah; Amnesty International condemned both Hezbollah and Israel for attacks on civilians, in addition to the reported use of white phosphorus by the IDF,[97][98] and published a report suggesting that the attacks on civilians were a deliberate part of the Israeli military strategy, rather than collateral damage;[99] Human Rights Watch condemned the indiscriminate use of force against civilians by both Israel and Hezbollah. They blamed Israel for systematically failing to distinguish between combatants and civilians, which constitutes a war crime, and accused Hezbollah of committing war crimes by the deliberate and indiscriminate killing of civilians by firing rockets into populated areas. The organization 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";[100][101][102] the U.N has criticised Israel for it's use of cluster munitions and disproportionate attacks.[103] Both sides have been accused of violations of international law and war crimes.[103]

Israeli officials accused Hezbollah of intentionally using the civilian population as human shields, and several reports have alleged that Hezbollah fired rockets from residential areas to draw Israeli fire on those areas, which maximised civilian casualties.[104][105] Moreover, the IDF claimed that Hezbollah had blocked village exits to prevent residents from leaving the warzone.[106] The Association for Civil Rights in Israel points to Israeli attacks on roads, bridges and vehicles transporting refugees as preventing civilian evacuation.[107]

Environmental damage

See also: Jiyeh power station oil spill
Image from space, Jiyyeh oil slick in darkest blue; picture centered on Beirut. August 10, 2006
File:Israeli Forest Fire (2006).png
A forest fire caused by Hezbollah rockets in mid July.

The Israeli Air Force bombed the Jiyeh power station, 30 km (19 mi) south of Beirut, on 13 July 2006 and 15 July 2006, resulting in an environmental disaster. The plant's damaged storage tanks leaked 20,000 to 30,000 tonnes of oil into the eastern Mediterranean Sea, comparable in size to the Exxon Valdez oil spill.[108] A 10 km wide oil slick covers 170 km of coastline,[109][110] and was threatening Turkey and Cyprus. The slick was reportedly causing breathing problems, killing fish, and threatened the habitat of the endangered green sea turtle, as well as increasing the risk of cancer. The Lebanese government estimated the time necessary for a complete recovery to be 10 years. The UN estimated the cost for the initial clean-up at $64m. [111]

Hezbollah rocket attacks caused numerous forest fires inside northern Israel, particularly on the Naftali mountain range near Kiryat Shmona.[112] As of 8 August as many as 9,000 acres including 3,000 acres of Israel’s few forests, were damaged by fires caused by Hezbollah rockets, and at least one forest has lost nearly 75% of its trees.[113] The Jewish National Fund estimated that it would take 50 to 60 years to rehabilitate the forests.[114]

International action and reaction

A Lebanese protest in Sydney
Main article: International reactions to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
See also: Military and economic aid in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
See also: Humanitarian and economic aid in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

The conflict engendered worldwide concerns over infrastructure damage and the risks of escalation of the crisis, as well as mixed support and criticism of both Hezbollah and Israel.[115] Governments of the United States,[116] United Kingdom, Germany[117]Australia, and Canada, asserted Israel's right to self-defense. The United States government further responded by authorizing Israel's request for expedited shipment of precision-guided bombs, but did not announce the decision publicly.[118]

Among neighboring Middle Eastern nations, Iran, Syria, and Yemen voiced strong support for Hezbollah, while the Arab League issued statements condemning Israel’s response[119] and criticizing Hezbollah’s action.[120]

Many worldwide protests and demonstrations appealed for an immediate ceasefire on both sides and expressed concern for the heavy loss of civilian life on all sides. Other demonstrations were held exclusively in favor of Lebanon or Israel. Numerous newspaper advertising campaigns, SMS and email appeals, and online petitions also occurred.[121][122]

Various foreign governments assisted the evacuation of their citizens from Lebanon.[123]

Ceasefire

See also: Ceasefire attempts during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

Terms for a ceasefire had been drawn and revised several times over the course of the conflict, yet successful agreement between the two sides took several weeks. Hezbollah maintained the desire for an unconditional ceasefire,[124] while Israel insisted upon a conditional ceasefire, including the return of the two kidnapped soldiers.[125] Lebanon frequently pled for the United Nations Security Council to call for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

On 11 August 2006 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 2006, and by the Israeli government on 13 August 2006. The ceasefire took effect at 8:00 AM (5:00 AM GMT) on 14 August 2006. [126]

Before the ceasefire, the two Hezbollah members of cabinet said that their militia would not disarm south of the Litani River, according to another senior member of the Lebanese cabinet,[127] while a top Hezbollah official similarly denied any intention of disarming in the south. Israel said it would stop withdrawing from Southern Lebanon if Lebanese troops were not deployed there within a matter of days.[128]

Reviews of the conflict

File:Economist Cover 20060819.jpg
The Economist magazine cover declaring Hezbollah de facto winners of the war.[129]

Following the UN-brokered ceasefire, there were mixed responses on who had gained most in the war. Iran and Syria proclaimed a victory for Hezbollah[130] while the Israeli and United States administrations declared that Hezbollah lost the conflict. Initially, in a poll by an Israeli radio station, Israelis were split on the outcome with the majority believing that no one won.[131] By 25 August, 63% of Israelis polled wanted Olmert to resign due to his handling of the war.[132] The Economist concluded that by surviving this asymmetrical military conflict with Israel, Hezbollah effectively emerged with a military and political victory from this conflict.[133] They cite the facts that Hezbollah was able to sustain defenses on Lebanese soil and inflict unmitigated rocket attacks on Israeli civilians in the face of a punishing air and land campaign by the IDF. Also, Israel's stated goals entering the conflict were to retrieve its two captured soldiers and destroy the military capability of Hezbollah - neither goal was accomplished.[134] Hezbollah is leading the rebuilding effort in south Beirut and Lebanon using "unlimited" support from Iran, thereby awarding Hezbollah further political clout.[135] However, given the response from Israeli military forces, which caused widespread destruction in southern Lebanon, as well as a new UN force to occupy what was formerly a Hezbollah controlled area, the conflict is generally seen as weakening Hezbollah militarily. On 27 August, Hassan Nasrallah apologised to the Lebanese people for the incident that sparked the war, saying "Had we known that the kidnapping of the soldiers would have led to this, we would definitely not have done it." This was the day before UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's visit to Lebanon, [136] On 22 September, some eight hundred thousand Hezbollah supporters[137][138] gathered in Beirut[139] for victory rally.[140] Nasrallah said that Hezbollah should celebrate the "divine and strategic victory."[141]

Israeli Prime Minister Olmert admitted to the Knesset that there were mistakes in the war in Lebanon,[142] though he framed UN Security Council resolution 1701 as an accomplishment for Israel that would bring home the kidnapped soldiers, and said that the operations had altered the regional strategic balance vis-à-vis Hezbollah.[143] Israeli chief of staff Dan Halutz admitted to failings in the conflict.[144] On 15 August, Israeli government and defense officials called for Halutz' resignation following a stock scandal in which he admitted selling stocks hours before the start of the Israeli offensive. [145]

On 21 August, a group of demobilized Israel reserve soldiers and parents of soldiers killed in the fighting started a movement calling for the resignation of Ehud Olmert and the establishment of a national commission of inquiry. They set up a protest tent opposite the Knesset and grew to over 2,000 supporters by 25 August [146], including the influential Movement for Quality Government. [147][146] On 28 August, Olmert announced that there would be no independent national or governmental commission of inquiry, but two internal inspection commissions, one to investigate the political echelon and one to examine IDF, and likely a third commission to examine the Home Front, to be announced at a later date. These would have a more limited mandate and less authority than a single inquiry commission headed by a retired judge.[148] The political and military committees were to be headed by former director of Mossad Nahum Admoni and former Chief of Staff Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, respectively. Critics argued that these committees amount to a whitewash, due to their limited authority, limited investigatory scope, their self-appointed basis, and that neither would be headed by a retired judge.[149] On 12 September, former defense minister Moshe Arens spoke of "the defeat of Israel" in calling for a state committee of inquiry. He said that Israel had lost "to a very small group of people, 5000 Hezbollah fighters, which should have been no match at all for the IDF," and stated that the conflict could have "some very fateful consequences for the future." Disclosing his intent to shortly resign, Ilan Harari, the IDF's chief education officer, stated at a conference of senior IDF officers that Israel lost the war, becoming the first senior active duty officer to publicly state such an opinion.[150] IDF Major General Yiftah Ron Tal, on Oct 4, 2006 became the second and so far the highest ranking serving officer to express his opinion that the IDF failed "to win the day in the battle against Hizbollah," as well as calling for Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz' resignation.[151] Ron-Tal was subsequently fired.[152]

US President George W. Bush questioned Hezbollah's declarations of victory "when at one time [they] were a state within a state, safe within southern Lebanon, and now [they're] going to be replaced by a Lebanese army and an international force."[153] It seems unlikely, however, that the army or the international force will attempt to disarm Hezbollah.[154][155]

The fighting resulted in a huge financial setback for Lebanon, with estimates ranging from US$7 to US$15 billion[156] in direct costs while the cost for Israel is put at US$1.6 - US$3 billion.[157] This has prompted a commentator in the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat to question the claims of victory by Hezbollah.[158] According to one analyst in the Associated Press, the main casualty was the fragile unity between Lebanon's sectarian and political groups.[159]

Media controversy

Main article: 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict photographs controversies
See also: Adnan Hajj photographs controversy

Several media commentators and journalists have alleged an intentially distorted coverage of the events, in favour of Hezbollah, by means of photo manipulation, staging by Hezbollah or by journalists, and false or misleading captioning.

On 18 July 2006 Hezbollah Press Officer Hussein Nabulsi took CNN's Nic Robertson on an exclusive tour of southern Beirut. Robertson noted that despite his minder's anxiety about explosions in the area, it was clear that Hezbollah had sophisticated media relations and were in control of the situation. Hezbollah designated the places that they went to, and the journalists "certainly didn't have time to go into the houses or lift up the rubble to see what was underneath." According to his reports, there was no doubt that the bombs were hitting Hezbollah facilities, and while there appeared to be "a lot of civilian damage, a lot of civilian properties," he reiterated that he couldn't verify the civilian nature of the destroyed buildings.[160]

CNN's Charlie Moore described a Hezbollah press tour of a bombed-out area in southern Beirut on 23 July 2006 as a "dog-and-pony show" due to perceived staging, misrepresentation of the nature of the destroyed areas, and strict directives about when and with whom interviews could take place.[161]

In the same interview aired on 23 July 2006, CNN's John Roberts, who was reporting from an Israeli artillery battery on the Lebanese border, stated that he had to take everything he was told—either by the IDF or Hezbollah—"with a grain of salt," citing mutual recriminations of civilian targeting which he was unable to verify independently.[162]

Reuters withdrew over 900 photographs by Adnan Hajj, a Lebanese freelance photographer, after he admitted to digitally adding and darkening smoke spirals in photographs of an attack on Beirut.[163]

Photographs submitted to Reuters and Associated Press showed one Lebanese woman mourning on two different pictures taken by two photographers, allegedly taken two weeks apart. [164] While it is "common practice to send more than one photographer to an incident", [165] questions remained as to whether the images were wrongly captioned or deliberately staged.

Post-ceasefire events

  • On 14 August 2006, hours after the beginning of the ceasefire, about four mortars were fired inside southern Lebanon. An Israeli military spokesman said that Israel will not respond to their firing. On that day four more incidents were recorded when armed Hezbollah members said to have approached Israeli positions were killed.[166]
  • On 15 August 2006 "Israeli soldiers opened fire when four Hezbollah fighters came toward them," three of the Hezbollah fighters were killed.[167] The same day, about 10 rockets were fired by Hezbollah inside southern Lebanon. Israel reiterated it wouldn't respond since the rockets did not cross border. [168]
  • On 18 August 2006 Lebanese police sources reported that Israeli Defense Force warplanes launched four missiles toward targets in an eastern Lebanese village of Baalbek. Israeli sources acknowledge that its air force performs sorties over Lebanese territory, but denied breaking the ceasefire. Lebanese officials later contradicted the police sources stating that no missiles were fired by the Israeli planes.[169] The Associated Press reported that Hezbollah had fired at least 10 Katyusha rockets into southern Lebanon. The IDF stated that as none had crossed the border and there were no casualties, they did not respond. Earlier, skirmishes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah left six guerrillas dead.[170] UNIFIL also reported that the IDF fired a tank shell at the Lebanese village of Markaba but that there was no response from the other side.[171]
  • On 19 August 2006 Israel launched a raid in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley it says was aimed to disrupt weapons supplies to Hezbollah from Syria and Iran.[172] Lebanese officials "said the Israelis were apparently seeking a guerrilla target in a school."[173] One Israeli soldier was killed, another mortally wounded, while 3 Hezbollah fighters were wounded. Hezbollah said it won't respond to the attack. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was "deeply concerned" about an Israeli commando raid in eastern Lebanon Saturday, calling it a violation of a U.N.-backed ceasefire. The statement also cites UNIFIL troops as saying there have "also been several air violations by Israeli military aircraft."[174] Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev told the Associated Press that “[t]he cease-fire is based on (U.N. resolution) 1701 which calls for an international arms embargo against Hezbollah.”[172] Regev was referring to article 8 of the resolution which calls for an end to all weapons transfers to Hezbollah.
  • On 27 August 2006 UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that U.N. troops would not intercept Syrian arms shipments to Hezbollah unless requested to do so by the Lebanese Government.[175]
  • On 29 August 2006 UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that Israel had committed most of the truce violations and described Israel's continuing embargo as "a humiliation and an infringement on Lebanese sovereignty."[176] Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reiterated Israel's willingness to lift the blockade after full implementation of the U.N.-brokered cease fire.[177]
  • On 6 September 2006 the Israeli government announced that it would lift the blockade the following day at 6:00 PM local time (3:00 PM GMT).[178]
  • On 7 September 2006 the aviation blockade was lifted.
  • On 8 September 2006 the naval blockade was lifted.[179]
  • On 22 September 2006 Nasrallah claimed in a victory rally that Hezbollah possessed over 20,000 rockets and that it was stronger than before 12 July. According to various estimates, the organisation had fewer than 20,000 rockets before and fired about 4,000 rockets during the conflict. [180]
  • On 1 October 2006, seven weeks after the ceasefire, the Israeli army reported that it had completed its withdrawal[181], but UNIFIL denied these assertions. When asked about the UNIFIL report, the IDF confirmed its forces were still operating near Ghajar, a village split in two by the border.[182]
  • On 3 October, Israeli jet planes conducted mock exercises over Southern Lebanon. The first group conducted series of mock air raids over Nabatiyeh, Khiam and Marjayoun. The second group conducted similar manouvres over Iqlim al-Tuffah region and Western Bekaa Valley.[183][184][185]

See also

Template:Campaignbox Arab-Israeli conflict

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  145. ^ "Stocks scandal spells doom of embattled Israeli army chief". Agence France-Presse. 16 August 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  146. ^ a b "Yoman", Israel Broadcasting Authority, 25 August 2006 Template:He icon
  147. ^ "Hundreds support protesting reservists", Ynetnews, 24 August 2006
  148. ^ "Olmert: An inquiry commission will not be formed, we do not have the luxury to submerge in investigating the past", Haaretz, 28 August 2006 Template:He icon
  149. ^ "Mabat", Israel Broadcasting Authority, 28 August 2006 Template:He icon
  150. ^ "Halutz disputes officer's remarks that Israel lost war". Haaretz. 2006-09-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  151. ^ [5]
  152. ^ Israeli army chief fires top general, Associated Press via Yahoo! News
  153. ^ http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/08/20060814-3.html
  154. ^ The army is back, but don't expect it to disarm Hizbollah
  155. ^ Lebanon and Israel: A chance for peace?
  156. ^ West Asia war by numbers
  157. ^ Bloomberg
  158. ^ Between Victory and Defeat
  159. ^ Lebanon's fragile unity shatters - Kuwaittimes.net
  160. ^ "CNN RELIABLE SOURCES (transcript)". CNN. 2006-07-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  161. ^ "Our very strange day with Hezbollah". CNN. 2006-07-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  162. ^ "CNN RELIABLE SOURCES, Coverage of Mideast Conflict". CNN. 2006-07-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  163. ^ Reuters withdraws all photos by Lebanese freelance, Reuters
  164. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2006/08/trusting_photos.html
  165. ^ http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/08/reuters_adnan_h.html
  166. ^ "IDF: Hours after cease-fire, 4 clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli troops; 4 Hezbollah fighters killed". CNN.com. 14 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  167. ^ "IDF: Israeli soldiers kill 3 Hezbollah fighters". CNN.com. 15 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  168. ^ [6]
  169. ^ Janelle, Chantelle (18 August 2006). "Israel flies over Lebanon, but no airstrikes". WIS-TV. Retrieved 2006-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  170. ^ Hurst, Stephen R. (15 August2006). "Rockets hit Lebanon despite cease-fire". Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-08-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  171. ^ Four Hezbollah fighters killed in ceasefire breaches: UN - Agence France-Presse (via Yahoo!). 16 August 2006
  172. ^ a b "Israel: Raid targets weapons transfer". CNN. 19 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  173. ^ "Israeli Commando Dies in Lebanon Raid". The Associated Press. 19 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  174. ^ Morales, Alex (20 August 2006). "Kofi Annan declares Israeli raid violation of ceasefire". CNN. Retrieved 2006-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  175. ^ "UN will not stop Syria sending weapons to Lebanon". The Daily Telegraph. 27 August 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  176. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5296314.stm
  177. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060831/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast
  178. ^ Israel to lift Lebanon blockade
  179. ^ Dakroub, Hussein (9 September 2006). "Israel ends naval blockade of Lebanon". Toronto Star/AP. Retrieved 2006-09-09.
  180. ^ We still have 20,000 rockets, says Nasrallah, The Guardian
  181. ^ AFP - Israel pulls remaining troops out of Lebanon
  182. ^ UN peacekeepers: Israeli troops still in Lebanon, CNN
  183. ^ Israel violates Lebanese airspace, launches mock raids
  184. ^ Israeli warplanes violate Lebanese airspace again
  185. ^ "Israel To Continue Lebanon Overflights". All Headline News. October 4, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-06.

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