2006 Lebanon War Part of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Israeli-Lebanese conflict Smoke over Tyre after an Israeli bombardment. Tyre ( Arabic صور Ṣūr, Phoenician Phoenician wawsvg|12px|ו]] Ṣur, Hebrew Date 12 July 2006 — 14 August 2006 Israeli blockade of Lebanon ended on 8 September 2006 Location Lebanon and Israel Result Ceasefire, provisioned by UNSC Resolution 1701. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. A ceasefire (or truce) is a temporary stoppage of a War or any Armed conflict, where each side of the conflict agrees United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 is a resolution intended to resolve the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. Belligerents Hezbollah Amal[1] LCP[2] PFLP-GC[3]  Israel Commanders Hassan Nasrallah Imad Mughniyeh Dan Halutz Moshe Kaplinsky[4] Udi Adam Strength 600–1,000 active fighters 3,000–10,000 reservists[5] Up to 10,000 ground troops. Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation For other uses of Amal see the disambiguation page. Amal Movement ( Arabic: abbreviation of أفواج المقاومة اللبنانية transliterated The Lebanese Communist Party ( LCP; Arabic: الـحـزب الشـيـوعـي اللبـنـانـي Hizbu-sh-shuy‘uī-l-lubnānī) is a Left-wing The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين - القيادة For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Hassan Nasrallah ( حسن نصرالله) (b August 31 1960, Bourj Hammoud, Beirut, Lebanon) is the current Secretary Imad Fayez Mughniyah ( December 7, 1962 - February 12, 2008) also Transcribed Mughniyya ( דן חלוץ) (born August 7[[ 948]] in Tel Aviv, Israel) is an Israeli Air Force Lt Maj Gen Moshe Kaplinski (born 1957 is Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. Aluf Ehud "Udi" Adam (אהוד "אודי" אדם (born 1959 is a General in the Israel Defense Forces and the former head of the 30,000 in last few days. (+ IAF & ISC)[6][7] Casualties and losses Hezbollah militia: Dead: ~250 (Hezbollah claim)[8] ≤500 (Lebanese officials)[9] ~500 (UN officials' est. The Israeli Air Force ( IAF; Hebrew: זרוע האויר והחלל Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, "Air and Space Arm" commonly known as חיל )[10] ~600 (IDF est. )[11] Captured: 13[12] Amal militia: 17 dead LCP militia: 12 dead PFLP-GC militia: 2 dead Israel Defense Forces: 119 KIA[13] 400–450 WIA 2 Captured Lebanese citizens: 1,191[14] dead 4,409 injured[14] Israeli civilians: 44 dead[15][16] 1,489 wounded; 2,773 treated for shock and anxiety[17] for other casualties, see: Casualties of the 2006 Lebanon War

The 2006 Lebanon War, known in Lebanon as the July War^[18] (Arabic: حرب تموز Ḥarb Tammūz) and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War (Hebrew: מלחמת לבנון השנייה Milkhemet Levanon Ha-Shniya),^[19] was a 33-day military conflict in Lebanon and northern Israel. Killed in action ( KIA or K I A) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces by other WIA is a Three letter abbreviation standing for Wounded In Action. There have been many casualties in the 2006 Lebanon War, leading to condemnation of both sides however the exact distribution of casualties has been disputed Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The principal parties were Hezbollah paramilitary forces and the Israeli military. Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit The conflict started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect on 14 August 2006, though it formally ended on 8 September 2006 when Israel lifted its naval blockade of Lebanon. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security A ceasefire (or truce) is a temporary stoppage of a War or any Armed conflict, where each side of the conflict agrees Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. A blockade is any effort to prevent supplies Troops information or aid from reaching an opposing force

The conflict began when Hezbollah militants fired rockets at Israeli border towns as a diversion for an anti-tank missile attack on two armored Humvees patrolling the Israeli side of the border fence. Planning phase See also 2000-2006 Shebaa Farms conflict On November 21, 2005, Hezbollah guerrillas infiltrated northern Israel in what Israel A list of artillery catalogues types of Weapons found in batteries of national Armed forces ' Artillery Units. An anti-tank guided missile ( ATGM) or anti-tank guided weapon ( ATGW) is a guided Missile primarily designed to hit and destroy This article refers to the Military HMMWV not the civilian Hummer sold by General Motors The M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled ^[20] Of the seven Israeli soldiers in the two jeeps, two were wounded, three were killed, and two were captured and taken to Lebanon. ^[20] Five more were killed in a failed Israeli rescue attempt. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and artillery fire on targets in Lebanon, which damaged Lebanese civilian infrastructure, including Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport which Israel alleged that Hezbollah used to import weapons, an air and naval blockade,^[21] and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon. An airstrike is a Military strike by Air forces on either a suspected or a confirmed enemy ground position Artillery (from French artillerie) is a military Combat Arm which employs any apparātus machine A civilian under International humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her Country 's Armed forces. Infrastructure typically refers to the technical structures that support a society such as Roads Water supply, Wastewater, Power grids Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (formerly Beirut International Airport or Khaldé International Airport) ( مطار رفيق الحريري الدولي A blockade is any effort to prevent supplies Troops information or aid from reaching an opposing force South Lebanon redirects here For other uses see South Lebanon (disambiguation. Hezbollah then launched more rockets into northern Israel and engaged the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in guerrilla warfare from hardened positions. The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc ^[22]

The conflict killed over a thousand people, most of whom were Lebanese civilians, severely damaged Lebanese infrastructure; and displaced approximately one million Lebanese^[23] and 300,000–500,000 Israelis, although most, if not all, were able to return to their homes. ^[17][24][25] After the ceasefire, some parts of Southern Lebanon remained uninhabitable due to unexploded cluster bomblets. South Lebanon redirects here For other uses see South Lebanon (disambiguation. See also 2006 Lebanon War Artillery and Missiles fired into Civilian areas in Lebanon and Israel by both the Israel Defence

On 11 August 2006, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved UN Resolution 1701 in an effort to end the hostilities. Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 is a resolution intended to resolve the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. The resolution, which was approved by both Lebanese and Israeli governments the following days, called for disarmament of Hezbollah, for withdrawal of Israel from Lebanon, and for the deployment of Lebanese soldiers and an enlarged United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) force in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF' ( Arabic: القوات المسلحة اللبنانية al-Quwa'at al-Musalha al-Lubna'ani The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was created by the United Nations, with the adoption of Security Council Resolution The Lebanese army began deploying in southern Lebanon on 17 August 2006. Events 986 - A Byzantine army was destroyed in the pass of Trajan's Gate by the Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The blockade was lifted on 8 September 2006. Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[26] On 1 October 2006, most Israeli troops withdrew from Lebanon, though the last of the troops continued to occupy the border-straddling village of Ghajar. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. For the village in Azerbaijan see Qacar. Ghajar (or al-Ghajar is an Alawite village on the Hasbani River and on the border ^[27] In the time since the enactment of UNSCR 1701 both the Lebanese government and UNIFIL have stated that they will not disarm Hezbollah. ^[28][29][30]

Background

Main article: Israel-Lebanon conflict

Israeli soldiers coming back from the war.

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) had engaged in cross-border attacks from southern Lebanon into Israel as far back as 1968, and the area became a significant base following the arrival of the PLO leadership and its Fatah brigade after their 1971 expulsion from Jordan. The Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO) (منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية or Munazzamat al-Tahrir al-Filastiniyyah) is a political and paramilitary South Lebanon redirects here For other uses see South Lebanon (disambiguation. Fatah (فتح literally opening, is a reverse Acronym from the Arabic name Harakat al-Tahrir al-Watani al-Filastini (حركة التحرير September 1970 is known as the Black September ( in Arab history and sometimes is referred to as the "era of regrettable events Demographic tensions were running high over the Lebanese National Pact, which divided governmental powers among religious groups, leading in part to the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990). About 91% of the population of Lebanon is urban and comprises many different ethnic groups and religions including numerous Christian and Muslim sects The National Pact is an unwritten agreement that laid the foundation of Lebanon as a multi-confessional state and has shaped the country to this day The Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990 was a multifaceted Civil war whose antecedents can be traced back to the conflicts and political compromises reached after the end Concurrently, Syria began a 29 year military occupation. The Syrian occupation of Lebanon (sometimes called the Syrian military presence in Lebanon) is the period 1976-2005 when Syria had a military presence in and Israel's 1978 invasion of Lebanon failed to stem the Palestinian attacks, but Israel invaded Lebanon again in 1982 and forcibly expelled the PLO. Background See also Israel-Lebanon conflict Though it took the form of an Israeli military incursion into Southern Lebanon, Operation Litani was grounded The 1982 Lebanon War (מלחמת לבנון Milhemet Levanon) (الإجتياح Al-Ijtīāḥ, "the invasion" called by Israel the Operation Peace ^[31] Israel withdrew to a borderland buffer zone in southern Lebanon, held with the aid of proxy militants in the South Lebanon Army (SLA). The Israeli Security Zone in southern Lebanon was a strip of territory of varying width 5 to 25km from the Israeli border and the occupied Golan Heights The South Lebanon Army (SLA also "South Lebanese Army" (جيش لبنان الجنوبي transliterated: Jaysh Lubnān al-Janūbi ^[32] In 1985, a Lebanese Shi'a militia calling itself Hezbollah declared an armed struggle to end the Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory. Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation Summary Israel occupied a security zone of varying sizes in Southern Lebanon between 1982 and 2000 ^[33] 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 Israeli withdrawal in 2000 to their side of the UN designated border. The Blue Line is a border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel published by the United Nations on 7 June 2000 for the Citing Israeli control of the disputed Shebaa farms region and the incarceration of Lebanese prisoners in Israel, Hezbollah continued cross border attacks, and used the tactic of seizing soldiers from Israel as leverage for a prisoner exchange in 2004,^[34] though it also continues to call for Israel's destruction. Golan Heights The Shebaa Farms (مزارع شبعا; חוות שבעא Havot Sheba‘a or הר דוב Har Dov) is a small area of land with disputed Lebanese prisoners in Israel have been a source of contention between Lebanon and Israel and were an issue in the 2006 Lebanon War. Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation ^[35]

Beginning of conflict

Main article: Zar'it-Shtula incident

See also: Timeline of the 2006 Lebanon War

At around 8:07 AM local time (06:00 UTC) on 12 July 2006, Hezbollah launched diversionary rocket attacks toward Israeli military positions near the coast and near the border village of Zar'it^[36] as well as on the Israeli town of Shlomi and other villages. Planning phase See also 2000-2006 Shebaa Farms conflict On November 21, 2005, Hezbollah guerrillas infiltrated northern Israel in what Israel See also Military operations of the 2006 Lebanon War; Ceasefire attempts during the 2006 Lebanon War This is a timeline of Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Feint is a French term that entered English from the discipline of Fencing. Zar'it (זרעית is an Moshav in northern Israel. Located in the Upper Galilee near the Lebanese border, it falls under the jurisdiction Shlomi (שלומי is a town in the Northern District of Israel. ^[37] At the same time, a Hezbollah ground contingent 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 seizing two Israeli soldiers (master sergeant Ehud Goldwasser and first sergeant Eldad Regev). The Blue Line is a border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel published by the United Nations on 7 June 2000 for the This article refers to the Military HMMWV not the civilian Hummer sold by General Motors The M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled The Blue Line is a border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel published by the United Nations on 7 June 2000 for the Ehud (Udi Goldwasser ( Ehud Ben Malka Goldwasser) (אהוד גולדווסר 18 July 1975 - circa July 12 2006) was an Eldad Regev ( אלדד רגב, August 16, 1980 - circa July 12, 2006) was an Israeli soldier, born in ^[36][38] Five more Israeli soldiers were killed later and a tank was destroyed on the Lebanese side of the border during an unsuccessful attempt to rescue the two seized soldiers.

Hezbollah named the attack "Operation Truthful Promise" after leader Hassan Nasrallah's public pledges over the prior year and a half to seize Israeli soldiers and swap them for four Lebanese held by Israel:

• Samir Kuntar (a Lebanese citizen captured during a terrorist attack, convicted of murdering civilians and police officer);
• Nasim Nisr (an Israeli/Lebanese citizen tried and convicted for spying by Israel);
• Yahya Skaf (a Lebanese citizen whom Hezbollah claims was arrested in Israel -- Israel denies);^[39][40]
• Ali Farran. Planning phase See also 2000-2006 Shebaa Farms conflict On November 21, 2005, Hezbollah guerrillas infiltrated northern Israel in what Israel Hassan Nasrallah ( حسن نصرالله) (b August 31 1960, Bourj Hammoud, Beirut, Lebanon) is the current Secretary Samir Kuntar (سمير القنطار also transcribed Sameer, Kantar, Quntar, Qantar) (born July 20, 1962 in Abey Nasim Nisr (also spelled Nissim Nasser; نسيم نصر נסים נסר born 1968) is a Lebanese citizen who was convicted of spying for Hezbollah. Yahya Skaf, also spelled Yehia Skaff, from the Akkar district of Lebanon, is a person claimed to have been arrested by Israel on 11 March

Nasrallah claimed that Israel had broken a previous deal to release these prisoners, and since diplomacy had failed, violence was the only remaining option. ^[39] 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. "^[41]

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described the seizure of the soldiers as an "act of war" by the sovereign country of Lebanon,^[42][43] stating that "Lebanon will bear the consequences of its actions"^[44] and promising a "very painful and far-reaching response. The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and is the most powerful political officer in Israel (the President of Israel being a titular figurehead Ehud Olmert (אהוד אולמרט ɛˈhud ˈolmeʁt born September 30, 1945) is the 12th and current Prime Minister of Israel and the former leader "^[45] Israel 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. ^[46] In response, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora denied any knowledge of the raid and stated that he did not condone it. This page lists Prime ministers of Lebanon. By an unwritten agreement following independence the holder of this post must be a Sunni Muslim. Fouad Siniora (alternative spellings Fouad Sanyoura Fuad Siniora Fouad Saniora Fouad Seniora ( فؤاد السنيورة, Fu'ād As-Sanyūrah is the Prime ^[47][48] An emergency meeting of the Lebanese government reaffirmed this position. ^[49]

The Israel Defense Forces attacked targets within Lebanon with artillery and airstrikes hours before the Israeli Cabinet met to discuss a response. The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit The Cabinet of Israel is a formal body composed of government officials chosen and led by a Prime Minister. The Israeli aviation bombed several areas in Lebanon (bridges and roads, the Beyruth airport),^[50] resulting in 44 civilian deaths. ^[51]

Later that same day (12 July 2006), the Cabinet decided to authorize the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister and their deputies to pursue the plan which they had proposed for action within Lebanon. The decision also emphasized Prime Minister Olmert's demand that the Israeli Defense Force avoid civilian casualties whenever possible. ^[52] Israel's chief of staff Dan Halutz said, "if the soldiers are not returned, we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years"^[53] while the head of Israel's Northern Command Udi Adam said, "this affair is between Israel and the state of Lebanon. ( דן חלוץ) (born August 7[[ 948]] in Tel Aviv, Israel) is an Israeli Air Force Lt Aluf Ehud "Udi" Adam (אהוד "אודי" אדם (born 1959 is a General in the Israel Defense Forces and the former head of the Where to attack? Once it is inside Lebanon, everything is legitimate -- not just southern Lebanon, not just the line of Hezbollah posts. Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation "^[53] On July 12, 2006, the Israeli Cabinet promised that Israel would "respond aggressively and harshly to those who carried out, and are responsible for, today's action". Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[54] The Cabinet's communiqué stated, in part, that the "Lebanese Government [was] responsible for the action that originated on its soil. "^[54]

On July 16, the Israeli Cabinet released a communiqué explaining that, although Israel had engaged in military operations within Lebanon, its war was not against the Lebanese government. Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and The Cabinet of Israel is a formal body composed of government officials chosen and led by a Prime Minister. The communiqué stated: "Israel is not fighting Lebanon but the terrorist element there, led by Nasrallah and his cohorts, who have made Lebanon a hostage and created Syrian- and Iranian-sponsored terrorist enclaves of murder. "^[55]

At approximatly the same time around mid-July 2006, the Somalian Islamist Movement, The ICU allegedly sent about 720 men to Lebanon to fight alongside Hezbollah against the Israeli military. The Somali force was personally selected by ICU's Hizbul Shabaab (youth movement) leader Aden Hashi Farah "Eyrow. Al-Shabaab (Arabic "The Youth") also known as As-Shabaab, Hizbul Shabaab (Arabic "The Party of Youth") and Aden Hashi Farah "Eyrow" ( Aaden Xaashi Faarax Ceyroow - 1 May, 2008) was a leader of the Hizbul Shabaab, the armed wing of the Somali " One of the selection criteria was an individual's combat experience, which might include experience in Afghanistan. In exchange for the contribution of the Somali military force, Hezbollah arranged for additional support to be given to ICU by the governments of Iran and Syria. . ^[56] However, doubts on the accuracy of this UN report have been raised by both the NYTimes, The Jamestown Foundation and initial Israeli reaction. Hezbollah's effectiveness due to its security and intelligence network and personal knowledge of its members - even Israeli has found it impossible to infiltrate Hezbollah. This suggests that Hezbollah would not attempt to integrate 700 unknown Somalis during military operations against Israel. Further doubts about the report were raised by the claim that part of the deal was a supply of Uranium from Somalia to Iran - there are no operating Uranium mines in Somalia yet 10 mines are currently operating in Iran, which has ample supplies of the ore for its nuclear program. No explanation was given as to how weapons, materials and personnel were transported between the two countries during a tight a blockage by Israeli and US forces. ^[57][58]

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. "^[59]

Hezbollah action

Main article: Military operations of the 2006 Lebanon War

See also: Timeline of Military Operations in the 2006 Lebanon War

Map showing some of the Israeli localities attacked by rockets fired from Lebanese soil as of Monday 7 August. See also Timeline of the 2006 Lebanon War See also Timeline of Military Operations in the 2006 Lebanon War Lebanon Lebanon's population This is a timeline of Military operations of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great.

During the campaign Hezbollah fired between 3,970 and 4,228 rockets. About 95% of these were 122 mm (4. 8 in) Katyusha artillery rockets, which carried warheads up to 30 kg (66 lb) and had a range of up to 30 km (19 mi). Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. Katyusha multiple rocket launchers (Катюша are a type of Rocket artillery originally built and fielded by the Soviet Union in the Second World War Rocket artillery is a type of Artillery equipped with rocket launchers instead of conventional guns or mortars. The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States ^[60][61] An estimated 23% of these rockets hit built-up areas, primarily civilian in nature. ^[62][60][63] Cities hit included Haifa, Hadera, Nazareth, Tiberias, Nahariya, Safed, Shaghur, 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. Haifa (חֵיפָה; حَيْفَا) is the largest City in Northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country with Hadera (חֲדֵרָה Ḥadera الخضيرة Al-Ḫuḍayraḧ El-Khdera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately half-way between Nazareth (ˈnæzərəθ (נָצְרַת Hebrew Natz'rat or Natzeret, الناصرة an-Nāṣira or an-Naseriyye) is the capital and largest Tiberias ( British English: /taɪˈbɪəriæs -əs/ American English: /taɪˈbɪriəs/ טְבֶרְיָה Tverya; طبرية Ṭabariyyah Nahariya (נַהֲרִיָּה is a City with an estimated population of 50000 located in Northern Israel, on the Mediterranean sea, just south Safed (צְפַת pronounced Tsfat; صفد pronounced Safad) is a city in the Northern District of Israel. ash-Shaghur is also a town in the Balqa governorate of Jordan. Afula (עֲפוּלָה العفولة al-ʻAfūlaḧ is a city in the North District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley" referring Kiryat Shmona (קִרְיַת שְׁמוֹנָה lit City of the Eight is a City located in the North District of Israel on the western slopes (בֵּית שְׁאָן بيسان Bayt Šān or بيسان, Beisan or Bisan) is a city in the North District of Israel Karmiel (כַּרְמִיאֵל (lit Vineyard of God) is a city in northern Israel. Ma'alot-Tarshiha (מַעֲלוֹת-תַּרְשִׁיחָא معالوت ترشيحا is a mixed city in the North District in Israel, some 20 km east A kibbutz ( Hebrew: קיבוץ קִבּוּץ lit "gathering clustering" plural kibbutzim) is a collective community in Moshav ( is a type of Cooperative Agricultural Community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second Arab citizens of Israel refers to Arabs or Arabic -speaking people who are Citizens of Israel who are not Jewish. Arab citizens of Israel refers to Arabs or Arabic -speaking people who are Citizens of Israel who are not Jewish. The West Bank (الضفة الغربية, הגדה המערבית Hagadah Hamaaravit) also referred to in Israel as " Judea and Samaria ^[64][65][66] Hezbollah also engaged in guerrilla warfare with the IDF, attacking from well-fortified positions. Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc These attacks by small, well-armed units caused serious problems for the IDF, especially through the use of sophisticated Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). An anti-tank guided missile ( ATGM) or anti-tank guided weapon ( ATGW) is a guided Missile primarily designed to hit and destroy According to Merkava tank program administration, 52 Merkava main battle tanks were damaged (the vast majority by different kinds of ATGM), missiles penetrated 22 tanks, but only 5 tanks were destroyed. The Merkava ( Hebrew:, Chariot) is the Main battle tank of the Israel Defense Forces. Tank classification is a Taxonomy of identifying either the intended role or weight class of Tanks The classification by role was used primarily during Hezbollah caused additional casualties using ATGMs to collapse buildings onto Israeli troops sheltering inside. ^[63]

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. ^[67] Israeli newspaper Haaretz described Hezbollah as a trained, skilled, well-organized, and highly motivated infantry that was equipped with the cream of modern weaponry from the arsenals of Syria, Iran, Russia, and China. (הארץ "The land" referring to the Land of Israel) founded in 1918 is Israel 's oldest Daily newspaper. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National ^[68] Hezbollah's 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. Al-Manar (المنار The Beacon) is the satellite Television station of Hezbollah, broadcasting from Beirut, The Fajr-3 Artillery Rocket is an Iranian Multiple-launch artillery rocket, a third-generation Katyusha rocket The RAAD رعد ("thunder" family of missiles is manufactured in Iran and based on the Soviet 9K11 Malyutka Anti-tank guided missile ^[69][70][71]

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 combatants had destroyed military bases, while the Israelis killed civilians and targeted Lebanon's infrastructure. "^[72] Hezbollah apologized for shedding Muslim blood, and called on the Arabs of the Israeli city of Haifa to flee. Haifa (חֵיפָה; حَيْفَا) is the largest City in Northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country with ^[73] Hezbollah continued to use unguided rockets to shell northern Israel. ^[74]

Haifa apartment building following rocket attack 17 July 2006

Timeline

• On 12 July 2006 Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on Zar'it, Shlomi, and other areas. Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Hezbollah troops entered Israel and attacked two military vehicles. Three Israeli solders were killed in the ground attack, two were wounded, seized, and taken to Lebanon.
• On 13 July 2006 Hezbollah launched rockets at Haifa for the first time, hitting a cable car station along with a few other buildings. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
• On 14 July 2006 Hezbollah attacked the INS Hanit, an Israeli Sa'ar 5-class corvette enforcing the naval blockade, with a what was believed to be a radar guided C-802 anti-ship missile. Events 1223 - Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father Philip II of France. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Attack on July 14 2006 During the 2006 Lebanon War, the vessel was patrolling in Lebanese waters ten Nautical miles off the coast of Beirut Combat history See also INS Hanit On July 14, 2006, while enforcing a blockade off Beirut, the INS ''Hanit'' The Yingji-82 or YJ-82 (鹰击-82 literally "Eagle Strike" NATO reporting name: CSS-N-8 Saccade) is a Chinese Anti-ship missiles are a Missile designed for use against Ships Most anti-ship missiles are of the Sea-skimming type and use a combination of 4 sailors were killed and the warship was severely damaged.
• On 17 July 2006 Hezbollah hit a railroad repair depot, killing eight workers. Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 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. ^[75][76]
• On 18 July 2006 Hezbollah hit a hospital in Safed in northern Galilee, wounding eight. Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Safed (צְפַת pronounced Tsfat; صفد pronounced Safad) is a city in the Northern District of Israel. "Galil" redirects here For the weapon see IMI Galil. Galilee (הגליל ha-Galil, lit the province, ^[77]
• On 27 July 2006 Hezbollah ambushed the Israeli forces in Bint Jbeil and killed eight soldiers. Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Bint Jbeil (بنت جبيل is the second largest town in the Nabatiye Governorate in Southern Lebanon. Israel said it also inflicted heavy losses on Hezbollah. ^[78]
• On 3 August 2006 Nasrallah warned Israel against hitting Beirut and promised retaliation against Tel Aviv in this case. Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[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 targeted the southern outskirts of Beirut, and later in the day, Hezbollah launched rockets at the Hadera region. Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Hadera (חֲדֵרָה Ḥadera الخضيرة Al-Ḫuḍayraḧ El-Khdera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately half-way between ^[81]
• On 6 August 2006 12 army reservists resting near the Lebanon border were killed in the deadliest barrage of Hezbollah rocket attacks so far. Events 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 3 Israeli civilians were also killed in a dusk attack in the port of Haifa. ^[82]
• On 9 August 2006 9 Israeli soldiers were killed when the building they were taking cover in was struck by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile and collapsed. Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
• On 12 August 2006 24 Israeli soldiers were killed; the worst Israeli loss in a single day. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Out of those 24, five soldiers were killed when Hezbollah shot down an Israeli helicopter, a first for the militia. ^[83] Hezbollah claimed the helicopter had been attacked with a Wa'ad missile. A Waad is the reported name of a Missile used by Hezbollah during the 2006 Lebanon War. ^[84]

Israeli action

Main article: Military operations of the 2006 Lebanon War

See also: Timeline of Military Operations in the 2006 Lebanon War and Attacks on United Nations personnel during the 2006 Lebanon War

During the campaign Israel's Air Force flew more than 12,000 combat missions, its Navy fired 2,500 shells, and its Army fired over 100,000 shells. See also Timeline of the 2006 Lebanon War See also Timeline of Military Operations in the 2006 Lebanon War Lebanon Lebanon's population This is a timeline of Military operations of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, United Nations personnel in Lebanon have come under a number of attacks The Israeli Air Force ( IAF; Hebrew: זרוע האויר והחלל Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, "Air and Space Arm" commonly known as חיל The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit ^[63] Large parts of the Lebanese civilian infrastructure were destroyed, including 400 miles (640 km) of roads, 73 bridges, and 31 other targets such as Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport, ports, water and sewage treatment plants, electrical facilities, 25 fuel stations, 900 commercial structures, up to 350 schools and two hospitals, and 15,000 homes. Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (formerly Beirut International Airport or Khaldé International Airport) ( مطار رفيق الحريري الدولي Some 130,000 more homes were damaged. ^{[85][86][87][88]}

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz ordered commanders to prepare civil defense plans. The Defense Minister of Israel (שר הביטחון Sar HaBitahon lit Amir Peretz (עמיר פרץ عمير بيريتز born 9 March, 1952) is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset. 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. ^[60]

Areas in Lebanon targeted by Israeli bombing, 12 July to 13 August 2006. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Timeline

• Early on 13 July 2006 Israel began attacks on civilian infrastructure that was used for arms replenishment by bombing the Rafic Hariri International Airport, forcing its closure and diversion of incoming flights to Cyprus. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (formerly Beirut International Airport or Khaldé International Airport) ( مطار رفيق الحريري الدولي Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía ^[89] Israel subsequently imposed an air and sea blockade on Lebanon, and bombed the main Beirut–Damascus highway. A blockade is any effort to prevent supplies Troops information or aid from reaching an opposing force Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria. ^[89]
• On 14 July 2006 the IDF bombed Nasrallah's offices in Beirut. Events 1223 - Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father Philip II of France. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[90] Nasrallah addressed Israel, saying “You wanted an open war, and we are heading for an open war. We are ready for it. ”^[91]

• 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. Events 1632 - Three hundred colonists bound for New France depart from Dieppe France. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Maroun al-Ras (in Arabic: مارون الراس) is a Lebanese village nestled in Jabal Amel (Mount Amel in the district of Bint Jbeil ^[92]
• On 25 July 2006 IDF engaged Hezbollah forces in the Battle of Bint Jbeil. Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Battle of Bint Jbeil was one of the main battles of the Litani offensive in the 2006 Lebanon War.
• On 26 July 2006 Israeli forces attacked and destroyed an UN observer post. Events 657 - Battle of Siffin. 811 - Battle of Pliska; Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[93] Described as a nondeliberate attack by Israel, the post was shelled for hours before being bombed. UN forces made repeated calls^[94] 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 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 extremely close to the post. For the Virginia politician see Lewis McKenzie. Major-General Lewis Wharton MacKenzie, C

Satellite photographs of the Haret Hreik a Hezbollah dominated neighborhood [Dahieh district] of southern Beirut, Lebanon, before and after 22 July 2006. Haret Hreik (حارة حريك or Harat Hurayk, is a mixed Shi'ite and Maronite Christian town part of the Dahieh suburbs Dahieh ( Arabic: الضاحية الجنوبية al-Dahiya al-Janubiya, meaning "the southern suburb" is a mainly Shi'ite Muslim district of southern Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 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 but failed to capture the city. Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Bint Jbeil (بنت جبيل is the second largest town in the Nabatiye Governorate in Southern Lebanon. Israel said it also inflicted heavy losses on Hezbollah. ^[78]
• On 28 July 2006 Israeli paratroopers killed 26 of Hezbollah's commando elite in Bint Jbeil. Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Paratroopers Brigade (חטיבת הצנחנים Hativat HaTzanhanim) also known as the 35th Brigade, is a unit of Paratroopers within the In Military science, the term commando can refer to an individual a Military unit, or a raiding style of military operation. Bint Jbeil (بنت جبيل is the second largest town in the Nabatiye Governorate in Southern Lebanon. In total, the IDF claimed that 80 fighters were killed in the battles at Bint Jbeil but also failed in capturing the city. ^[95]
• On 30 July 2006 Israeli airstrikes hit an apartment building in Qana, killing 28 civilians, more than half of them children. Events 1419 - First Defenestration of Prague. 1502 - Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The 2006 Qana airstrike was an attack by the Israel Air Force (IAF on a three-story building in the small community of al-Khuraybah near the South Lebanese village ^[96] The airstrike was widely condemned. International reactions to the 2006 Qana airstrike, which saw the greatest loss of civilian life in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, twenty
• On 31 July 2006 Israeli military forces engaged Hezbollah in the Battle of Ayta ash-Shab. Events 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian 's forces but most of his army subsequently Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Battle of Ayta ash-Shab started on July 31, 2006, during the 2006 Lebanon War.
• On 1 August 2006 Israeli commandos launched Operation Sharp and Smooth and landed in Baalbek and abducted five civilians including one bearing the same name as Hezbollah's leader, "Hassan Nasrallah". Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. During the 2006 Lebanon War, Operation Sharp and Smooth ( Hebrew: מבצע חד וחלק also known as the Baalbek operation, was an Israel Baalbek (بعلبك is a town in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, altitude 1170 m (3850 ft situated east of the Litani River. All of the civilians were released after the ceasefire. ^[97] 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. Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The 2006 Qaa airstrike was an attack by the Israel Air Force (IAF on a building in the area of al-Qaa around 10 kilometers (six miles from Hermel in the Qaa ( Arabic: القاع also transliterated as Qaa er Rîm or Kaa-el-Rim) is a town in Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. Hermel (الهرمل is a Shia Muslim town in Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. Beqaa ( Arabic: البقاع "valley" also transliterated as Bekaa, Biqâ‘ or Becaa) is a fertile Valley in Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية Thirty-three farm workers, mostly Syrian and Lebanese Kurds, were killed during the airstrike. Syrians today are an overall indigenous Levantine people closely related to their immediate neighbours like the Lebanese and (to a lesser extent Jordanians Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية
• On 5 August 2006 Israeli commandos carried out a nighttime raid in Tyre. Events 642 - Battle of Maserfield - Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Bernicia. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Tyre raid was a night mission by the Israeli Defense Forces frogmen, Shayetet 13 in Tyre, South Lebanon, on August 5
• 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. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Chyah Airstrike or the Chyah massacre was an attack by the Israel Air Force (IAF on the Shiyyah suburb in the Lebanese capital of Beirut Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية Beirut (بيروت Bayrūt) is the Capital and Largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2
• 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. Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The 2006 Marjayoun convoy was a convoy of approximately 759 vehicles containing Lebanese police army civilians and one Associated Press journalist which was attacked by the The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio
• On 12 August 2006 the IDF launches the 2006 Litani offensive in South Lebanon. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Operation Changing Direction 11 was the final push by the Israeli Defense Forces during the 2006 Lebanon War that began on August 11, 2006 Over the weekend Israeli forces in southern Lebanon nearly tripled in size. ^[98][99]
• 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. Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[100] 80 minutes before the cessation of hostilities, the IDF targeted a Palestinian faction in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Sidon, killing a UNRWA staff member. Ain al-Hilweh (variously Ayn al-Hilweh Ein al-Hilweh etc the literal meaning is "sweet spring " (عين الحلوة is the largest Palestinian United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East ( UNRWA) is a relief and human development agency providing education health care social services Two refugees had been killed in an attack on this camp six days before the incident. ^[101]

Position of Lebanon

Main article: Position of Lebanon in the 2006 Lebanon War

See also: Siniora Plan and 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 UN resolutions. Lebanon's position in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict has from the start been to disavow the Hezbollah shelling and raid on 12 July, while calling for The Siniora Plan was the unofficial name of the 7-point truce plan for the 2006 Lebanon War (the July War that was presented by Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora The foreign policy of Lebanon reflects its geographic location the composition of its population and its reliance on commerce and trade United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 was a resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council on September 2, 2004. ^[48]

In interviews, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud criticized Israel's attacks and was supportive of Hezbollah, noting Hezbollah's role in ending Israel's previous occupation of southern Lebanon. ^[102][103] On July 12, 2006 PBS interviewed the Israeli ambassador and Lebanese ambassador, Farid Abboud to the United States. Farid Abboud (فريد عبود born 1951 is the Lebanese Ambassador to Tunisia since July 2007 The disputed interview discussed Hezbollah's connection to the Lebanese government. ^[104]

Although Israel never declared war on Lebanon,^[105][106] and only attacked Lebanese governmental institutions which it suspected of being used by Hezbollah,^[107] the Lebanese government played a crucial role in shaping the conflict. On July 14, 2006, the Prime Minister's office issued a statement that called on U. Events 1223 - Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father Philip II of France. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. S. President George W. Bush to exert all his efforts on Israel to stop its attacks in Lebanon and reach a comprehensive ceasefire. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. ^[108] In a televised speech the next day, Siniora called for "an immediate ceasefire backed by the United Nations". ^[109] A U. S. -France draft resolution that was influenced by the Lebanese Siniora Plan and which contained provisions for Israeli withdrawal, military actions, and mutual prisoner release was rejected as inadequate. The Siniora Plan was the unofficial name of the 7-point truce plan for the 2006 Lebanon War (the July War that was presented by Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora Many Lebanese accused the U. S. 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 U. S. would support Lebanon, while 87% supported Hezbollah's fight against Israel. ^[110] After the attack on Qana, Siniora snubbed U. The 2006 Qana airstrike was an attack by the Israel Air Force (IAF on a three-story building in the small community of al-Khuraybah near the South Lebanese village S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice by cancelling a meeting with her and thanked Hezbollah for its "sacrifices for the independence and sovereignty of Lebanon. Secretary of State is a commonly used title for a Government Official. Condoleezza Rice (born November 14 1954 is the 66th United States "^[111] 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. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

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. The Tyre raid was a night mission by the Israeli Defense Forces frogmen, Shayetet 13 in Tyre, South Lebanon, on August 5 A surface to air missile ( SAM) or ground-to-air missile ( GTAM) is a Missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy Aircraft ^[112]

Allegations of war crimes

Main article: Allegations of war crimes in the 2006 Lebanon War

See also: Targeting of civilian areas in the 2006 Lebanon War

See also: Attacks on United Nations personnel during the 2006 Lebanon War

Under international humanitarian law, warring parties are obliged to distinguish between combatants and civilians, ensure that attacks on legitimate military targets are proportional, and guarantee that the military advantage of such attacks outweigh the possible harm done to civilians. Various groups and individuals including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and United Nations officials have accused Israel Hezbollah or both of violations See also 2006 Lebanon War Artillery and Missiles fired into Civilian areas in Lebanon and Israel by both the Israel Defence During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, United Nations personnel in Lebanon have come under a number of attacks International humanitarian law ( IHL) often referred to as the Laws of war, the laws and customs of war or the law of armed conflict Distinction is a principle under International humanitarian law governing the legal use of force in an armed conflict Proportionality is a principle in law which although related covers two distinct concepts Military necessity, along with distinction, and proportionality, are three important principles of International humanitarian law ^[113] Violations of these laws are considered war crimes. War crimes are "violations of the laws or customs of war" including but not limited to "murder the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied

Various groups and individuals accused both Israel and Hezbollah of violations of these laws during the conflict, and warned of possible war crimes. ^[114] These allegations included intentional attacks on civilian populations or infrastructure, disproportionate or indiscriminate attacks, the use of human shields, and the use of prohibited weapons. A civilian under International humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her Country 's Armed forces. Infrastructure typically refers to the technical structures that support a society such as Roads Water supply, Wastewater, Power grids Proportionality is a principle in law which although related covers two distinct concepts Human shield is a military and political term describing the presence of civilians in or around combat targets to deter an enemy from attacking those targets No formal charges have been filed against either group. ^[115]

Amnesty International called on both Hezbollah and Israel to end attacks on civilians during the conflict,^[116] and criticized attacks against civilian villages and infrastructure by Israel. See also 2006 Lebanon War Artillery and Missiles fired into Civilian areas in Lebanon and Israel by both the Israel Defence ^[117] They also identified IDF use of white phosphorus shells in Lebanon. This article is about the military applications of white phosphorus. ^[118][119] Human Rights Watch accused both parties of failing to distinguish between civilians and combatants, violating the principle of distinction, and committing war crimes. Distinction is a principle under International humanitarian law governing the legal use of force in an armed conflict ^{[120][121][113]} Peter Bouckaert, a senior emergencies researcher for Human Rights Watch, stated that Hezbollah was "directly targeting civilians. Human Rights Watch is a United States -based international Non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on Human rights. . . their aim is to kill Israeli civilians" and that Israel had not taken "the necessary precautions to distinguish between civilian and military targets. "^[122][123] They criticized Hezbollah's use of unguided Katyusha rockets, and Israel's use of unreliable cluster bombs – both too close to civilians areas – suggesting that they may have deliberately targeted civilians. Katyusha multiple rocket launchers (Катюша are a type of Rocket artillery originally built and fielded by the Soviet Union in the Second World War Cluster munitions or cluster bombs are air-dropped or ground-launched munitions that eject a number of smaller submunitions a cluster of bomblets ^[124][113] UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland said Israel's response violated international humanitarian law, and criticized Hezbollah for "cowardly blending. . . among women and children. "^[125]

Israel defended itself by stating that it tried to avoid civilians, and had distributed leaflets calling on civilian residents to evacuate,^[126] but that Hezbollah stored weapons in and fired from civilian areas, making those areas legitimate targets,^[127] and used civilians as human shields. ^{[128][129][130][131]} Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch found cases where Hezbollah did fire rockets from, and store weapons in, populated areas and deploy its forces among the civilian population; however, both say that is not conclusive evidence of the intent to use civilians as human shields. ^{[127][132][133]} HRW stated that "the IDF struck a large number of private homes of civilian Hezbollah members during the war, as well as various civilian Hezbollah-run institutions such as schools, welfare agencies, banks, shops and political offices. "^[134][135] However, Israel maintained that the civilian infrastructure was "hijacked" by Hezbollah and used for military purposes,^[136] but Amnesty International identified the destruction of entire civilian neighbourhoods and villages by Israeli forces, attacks on bridges with no apparent strategic value, and attacks on infrastructure indispensable to the survival of the civilian population,^[117] and questioned whether the "military advantage anticipated from destroying" civilian infrastructure had been "measured against the likely effect on civilians. "^[137] They also stated that the Israeli actions suggested a "policy of punishing both the Lebanese government and the civilian population. "^[137]

Al-Jazeera reported at the time: "Foreign journalists based in Lebanon also reported that the Shia militia chose to fight from civilian areas and had on occasion prevented Lebanese civilians from fleeing conflict-hit areas of south Lebanon. For the English-language channel see Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera (الجزيرة al-jazīrah,, meaning "The Island" Al-Manar, Hezbollah's satellite channel, also showed footage of Hezbollah firing rockets from civilian areas and produced animated graphics showing how Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli cities from inside villages in southern Lebanon. Al-Manar (المنار The Beacon) is the satellite Television station of Hezbollah, broadcasting from Beirut, "^[138]

Images obtained by the Sunday Herald Sun show that "Hezbollah is waging war amid suburbia. The Herald Sun is a morning Tabloid Newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia The images. . . show Hezbollah using high-density residential areas as launch pads for rockets and heavy-calibre weapons. Dressed in civilian clothing so they can quickly disappear, the militants carrying automatic assault rifles and ride in on trucks mounted with cannon. "^[139]

On 24 July 2007, Haaretz reported that the official Israeli inquiry into the war "is to include the examination of claims that the IDF committed war crimes during last summer's fighting. Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. (הארץ "The land" referring to the Land of Israel) founded in 1918 is Israel 's oldest Daily newspaper. "^[140]

A September 6, 2007 Human Rights Watch report found that most of the civilian deaths in Lebanon resulted from "indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes," and found that Israeli aircraft targeted vehicles carrying fleeing civilians. Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[141] In a statement issued before the report's release, the human rights organization said there was no basis to the Israeli government's claim that civilian casualties resulted from Hezbollah guerrillas using civilians as shields. Kenneth Roth, Human Rights Watch executive director, said there were only "rare" cases of Hezbollah operating in civilian villages. "To the contrary, once the war started, most Hizbollah military officials and even many political officials left the villages," he said. "Most Hizbollah military activity was conducted from prepared positions outside Lebanese villages in the hills and valleys around. " Roth also noted that "Hezbollah fighters often didn’t carry their weapons in the open or regularly wear military uniforms, which made them a hard target to identify. But this doesn’t justify the IDF’s failure to distinguish between civilians and combatants, and if in doubt to treat a person as a civilian, as the laws of war require. "^[142]

On January 30, 2008 the Winograd Commission found that, 'Israel must consider whether it wants to consider using cluster bombs in the future, because its current manner of employing them does not conform to international law. For other Winograd Commissions see Eliyahu Winograd. The Winograd Commission (ועדת וינוגרד the commission's official name is הוועדה '^[143]

Casualties

Main article: Casualties of the 2006 Lebanon War

Hezbollah

Hezbollah casualty figures are difficult to ascertain, with claims and estimates by different groups and individuals ranging from 250 to 1,000. There have been many casualties in the 2006 Lebanon War, leading to condemnation of both sides however the exact distribution of casualties has been disputed Hezbollah's leadership claims that 250 of their fighters were killed in the conflict,^[8] while Israel estimated that its forces had killed 600 Hezbollah fighters. ^[8][11] In addition, Israel claimed to have the names of 532 dead Hezbollah fighters. ^[144] A UN official estimated that 500 Hezbollah fighters had been killed,^[10] and Lebanese government officials estimated that up to 500 had been killed. ^[9] A Stratfor report cited "sources in Lebanon" as estimating the Hezbollah death toll at "more than 700. Strategic Forecasting Inc, more commonly known as Stratfor, is a Private intelligence agency founded in 1996 in Austin Texas . . with many more to go",^[145] while British military historian John Keegan estimated the figure could be 'perhaps as many as 1,000' (although this figure isn't based on any solid evidence). Sir John Desmond Patrick Keegan OBE (born 15 May, 1934) is a British Military historian, lecturer and journalist ^[146]

Lebanese civilians

Mass graves for civilians following Israeli airstrikes in Tyre, Lebanon, 21 July 2006. Tyre ( Arabic صور Ṣūr, Phoenician Phoenician wawsvg|12px|ו]] Ṣur, Hebrew Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The half-length coffins are for children. Lebanese sources said one third of the Lebanese civilian casualties of the war were children under 13 years of age.

The Lebanese civilian death toll is difficult to pinpoint as most published figures do not distinguish between civilians and Hezbollah combatants, including those released by the Lebanese government. ^[11] In addition, Hezbollah fighters can be difficult to identify as many do not wear military uniforms. ^[11] However, it has been widely reported that the majority of the Lebanese killed were civilians, and UNICEF estimated that 30% of those killed were children under the age of 13. The United Nations Children's Fund (or UNICEF) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946 ^[147]

The Lebanese top police office and the Lebanon Ministry of Health, citing hospitals, death certificates, local authorities, and eye witnesses, put the death toll at 1,123 — 37 soldiers and police officers, 894 identified victims, and 192 unidentified ones. ^[11] The Lebanon Higher Relief Council (HRC) put the Lebanese death toll at 1,191,^[23] citing the health ministry and police, as well as other state agencies. ^[11] The Associated Press estimated the figure at 1,035. The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio ^[11] In February 2007, the Los Angeles Times reported that at least 800 Lebanese had died during fighting,^[148] and other articles have estimated the figure to be at least 850. The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily Newspaper published in Los Angeles California and distributed ^[149][150] Encarta states that "estimates. Encarta is a Digital Multimedia Encyclopedia published by Microsoft Corporation. . . varied from about 850 to 1,200" in its entry on Israel,^[151] while giving a figure of "more than 1,200" in its entry on Lebanon. ^[152] The Lebanon Higher Relief Council estimated the number of Lebanese injured to be 4,409,^[23] 15% of whom were permanently disabled. ^[153]

The death toll estimates do not include Lebanese killed since the end of fighting by land mines or unexploded Israeli cluster bombs. ^[11] So far, these have killed 29 people and wounded 215 — 90 of them children. ^[154]

Israel Defense Forces

Figures for the Israel Defense Forces troops killed range from 116^[16] to 120. The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit ^[11] The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives two different figures – 117^[17] and 119^[13] – the latter of which contains two IDF fatalities that occurred after the ceasefire went into effect. An estimated 450 Israeli soldiers were wounded in Lebanon. ^[155]

Israeli civilians

Most Israeli civilians fled the region or took refuge in bomb shelters as Hezbollah fired rockets. ^[127] Hezbollah rockets killed 43 Israeli civilians during the conflict,^[16] including four who died of heart attacks from rocket attacks. ^[13] In addition, 4,262 civilians were injured – 33 seriously wounded, 68 moderately, 1,388 lightly, and 2,773 were treated for shock and anxiety. Post traumatic stress disorder It is a severe and ongoing emotional reaction to Anxiety is a physiological and psychological state characterized by Cognitive, Somatic, Emotional and Behavioral components ^[17] According to Human Rights Watch, "These bombs may have killed 'only' 43 civilians, but that says more about the availability of warning systems and bomb shelters throughout most of Northern Israel and the evacuation of more than 350,000 people than it does about Hezbollah's intentions. Human Rights Watch is a United States -based international Non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on Human rights. "^[156]

Environmental damage

See also: Jiyeh power station oil spill

Image from space showing Jiyyeh oil slick in darkest blue, picture centered on Beirut. The Jiyeh Power Station oil spill is an ongoing environmental disaster caused by the release of heavy fuel oil into the eastern Mediterranean after storage tanks The largest oil spill in the history of the Mediterranean, it was caused by an Israeli air strike on Jiyeh power station. For the fictional character see Oil Slick (Transformers. An oil spill is the release of a Liquid Petroleum Hydrocarbon into The Israeli Air Force ( IAF; Hebrew: זרוע האויר והחלל Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, "Air and Space Arm" commonly known as חיל ^[157] August 10, 2006

On 13 July 2006, and again on 15 July 2006, the Israeli Air Force bombed the Jiyeh power station, 30 km (19 mi) south of Beirut, resulting in the largest ever oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Jiyeh Power Station oil spill is an ongoing environmental disaster caused by the release of heavy fuel oil into the eastern Mediterranean after storage tanks ^[157] The plant's damaged storage tanks leaked an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 tonnes (more than 4 million gallons) of oil into the eastern Mediterranean. ^[157][158] A 10 km (6 mi) wide oil slick covered 170 km (105 statute miles) of coastline,^[159][160] and threatened Turkey and Cyprus. The slick killed fish including the northern bluefin tuna, a species already nearing extinction in the Mediterranean, and threatened the habitat of the endangered green sea turtle. northern bluefin tuna ( Thunnus thynnus) or giant bluefin tuna, is a species of Tuna native to both the western and eastern Atlantic ^[161] It also potentially increased the risk of cancer in humans. Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled An additional 25,000 tons of oil burned at the power station, creating a "toxic cloud" that rained oil downwind. ^[157] 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 $64 million. ^[24]

A forest fire in Israel caused by Hezbollah rockets in mid-July. ^[162]

Hezbollah rocket attacks caused numerous forest fires inside northern Israel, particularly on the Naftali mountain range near Kiryat Shmona. Kiryat Shmona (קִרְיַת שְׁמוֹנָה lit City of the Eight is a City located in the North District of Israel on the western slopes . ^[162] As many as 16,500 acres (67 km²) of land, including forests and grazing fields, were destroyed by Hezbollah rockets. ^[163] The Jewish National Fund estimated that it would take 50 to 60 years to rehabilitate the forests. The Jewish National Fund ( Hebrew: קרן קימת לישראל Keren Kayemet LeYisrael) (abbreviated as JNF, and sometimes KKL) was founded ^[164]

Archaeological damage

Israeli bombing also caused significant damage to the world heritage sites of Tyre and Byblos. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex In Tyre, for example, a Roman tomb was damaged and a fresco near the centre of the site collapsed. In Byblos, a medieval tower was damaged and Venetian period remains near the harbour were dramatically stained by the oil slick (see above) and would be difficult to clean. Byblos ( Βύβλος) is the Greek name of the Phoenician city Gebal (earlier Gubla) Damage was also caused to remains at Bint Jbeil and Chamaa, and to the Temple of Bacchus in Baalbek. Bint Jbeil (بنت جبيل is the second largest town in the Nabatiye Governorate in Southern Lebanon. The Temple of Bacchus was one of the three main Temples at a large Temple complex in Classical Antiquity, at Baalbek in Lebanon Baalbek (بعلبك is a town in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, altitude 1170 m (3850 ft situated east of the Litani River. ^{[165][166][167][168]}

International action and reaction

A Lebanese protest in Sydney

Main article: International reactions to the 2006 Lebanon War

See also: Military and economic aid in the 2006 Lebanon War

See also: International reactions to the 2006 Lebanon War by evacuations and aid

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. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 See also 2006 Lebanon War International reactions to the 2006 Qana airstrikeInternational reactions to the 2006 Lebanon War by evacuations and aidMilitary and economic aid in the See also 2006 Lebanon War The supply of Military aid to combatants during the course of the 2006 Lebanon War has been an important aspect of both the hostilities See also International reactions to the 2006 Lebanon War Evacuation of foreign nationals See also ^[169] Governments of the United States,^[170] United Kingdom, Germany,^[171] Australia, and Canada, asserted Israel's right to self-defense. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Self-defense (or self-defence &mdash see spelling differences) is the act of defending oneself one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm 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. ^[172] United States President George W. Bush declared the conflict to be a part of the War on Terrorism. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. The War on Terrorism (also known as the War on Terror) is the common term for the military political and legal, and ideological conflict and specifically for U ^[173][174] On July 20, 2006, the United States Congress voted overwhelmingly to support Israel's right to defend itself. Events 1304 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle - King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses ^[175]

Among neighboring Middle Eastern nations, Iran, Syria, and Yemen voiced strong support for Hezbollah, while the Arab League, Egypt, and Jordan issued statements criticizing Hezbollah's actions^[176] and declaring support for Lebanon. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya The Arab League ( الجامعة العربية) officially called the League of Arab States ( جامعة الدول العربية This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern ^[177] Saudi Arabia found Hezbollah entirely responsible. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi ^[178] Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, the Palestinian Authority, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed with the Saudi stance that Hezbollah's actions were "unexpected, inappropriate and irresponsible acts. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The Kingdom of Bahrain (in مملكة البحرين,, literally Kingdom of the Two Seas) is an Island country in the Persian Gulf "^[177]

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. See also 2006 Lebanon War International reactions to the 2006 Qana airstrikeInternational reactions to the 2006 Lebanon War by evacuations and aidMilitary and economic aid in the Other demonstrations were held exclusively in favor of Lebanon or Israel. Numerous newspaper advertising campaigns, SMS and email appeals, and online petitions also occurred. Short Message Service ( SMS) is a Communications protocol allowing the interchange of short text messages between mobile telephone devices. ^[179][180]

Various foreign governments assisted the evacuation of their citizens from Lebanon. ^[181]

Ceasefire

See also: Ceasefire attempts during the 2006 Lebanon War

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. The ceasefire attempts during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict started immediately with Lebanon calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire Hezbollah maintained the desire for an unconditional ceasefire,^[182] while Israel insisted upon a conditional ceasefire, including the return of the two seized soldiers. ^[183] Lebanon frequently pled for the United Nations Security Council to call for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. John Bolton confirmed that the US and UK, with support from several Arab leaders, delayed the ceasefire process. John Bolton may refer to John R Bolton, former United States government official and a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Sir Outsider efforts to interfere with a ceasefire only ended when it became apparent Hezbollah would not be easily defeated. ^[184]

On 11 August 2006 the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved UN Security Council Resolution 1701, in an effort to end the hostilities. Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 is a resolution intended to resolve the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. It was accepted by the Lebanese government and Hezbollah on 12 August 2006, and by the Israeli government on 13 August 2006. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The ceasefire took effect at 8:00 AM (5:00 AM GMT) on 14 August 2006. Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[185]

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,^[186] while a top Hezbollah official similarly denied any intention of disarming in the south. The Litani River (نهر الليطاني transliterated: Nahr al-Līţānī classical name Leontes is an important waterway in southern Lebanon Israel said it would stop withdrawing from Southern Lebanon if Lebanese troops were not deployed there within a matter of days. South Lebanon redirects here For other uses see South Lebanon (disambiguation. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF' ( Arabic: القوات المسلحة اللبنانية al-Quwa'at al-Musalha al-Lubna'ani ^[187]

Reviews of the conflict

Following the UN-brokered ceasefire, there were mixed responses on who had gained or lost the most in the war. Iran and Syria proclaimed a victory for Hezbollah^[188] while the Israeli and United States administrations declared that Hezbollah lost the conflict.

Reactions in Lebanon

A sign erected after the 2006 Israeli-Lebanon war in South Lebanon which displays rockets and Hezbollah Chief Nasrallah

On 27 August, Hassan Nasrallah apologised to the Lebanese people for the incident that sparked the war, saying "Had we known that the capture of the soldiers would have led to this, we would definitely not have done it. South Lebanon redirects here For other uses see South Lebanon (disambiguation. Events 479 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Persian forces led by Mardonius are routed by Pausanias, the Spartan " This was the day before UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's visit to Lebanon. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. Kofi Atta Annan, GCMG (born 8 April 1938 is a Ghanaian Diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations ^[189] On 22 September, some eight hundred thousand Hezbollah supporters gathered in Beirut for a "victory rally". ^{[190][191][192]} Nasrallah then said that Hezbollah should celebrate the "divine and strategic victory". ^[190]

Lebanese desire to emigrate has increased since the war. Over a fifth of Shias, a quarter of Sunnis, and nearly half of Maronites have expressed the desire to leave Lebanon. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic Maronites ( الموارنة,, Syriac: ܡܪܘܢܝܐ, Latin: Ecclesia Maronitarum) are members of one of the Syriac Nearly a third of such Maronites have already submitted visa applications to foreign embassies, and another 60,000 Christians have already fled, as of April 2007. Lebanese Christians are concerned that their influence is waning, fear the apparent rise of radical Islam, and worry of potential Sunni-Shia rivalry. Islamism ( Islam + ism; Arabic: al-'islāmiyya) a set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only ^[193]

Reactions in Israel

Initially, in a poll by an Israeli radio station, Israelis were split on the outcome with the majority believing that no one won. ^[194] By 25 August, 63% of Israelis polled wanted Olmert to resign due to his handling of the war. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the ^[195]

Israeli Prime Minister Olmert admitted to the Knesset that there were mistakes in the war in Lebanon,^[196] though he framed UN Security Council resolution 1701 as an accomplishment for Israel that would bring home the seized soldiers, and said that the operations had altered the regional strategic balance vis-à-vis Hezbollah. For Beit Knesset a Jewish Place of worship, see Synagogue. The Knesset (כנסת lit ^[197] Israeli chief of staff Dan Halutz admitted to failings in the conflict. ^[198] 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. Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed ( דן חלוץ) (born August 7[[ 948]] in Tel Aviv, Israel) is an Israeli Air Force Lt ^[199] Halutz subsequently resigned 17 January 2007 due to criticism of his conduct during the war. Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

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 state commission of inquiry. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Main article 2006 Lebanon War The 2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest was a protest movement which called for the resignation of the A public inquiry is an official Review of events or actions ordered by a country's state's or province's government They set up a protest tent opposite the Knesset and grew to over 2,000 supporters by 25 August,^[200] including the influential Movement for Quality Government. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the The Movement for Quality Government in Israel (התנועה למען איכות השלטון בישראל HaTenoa'a Lema'an Eykhut HaShiliton BeYisrael) is an Israeli ^[201][200] On 28 August, Olmert announced that there would be no independent state or governmental commission of inquiry, but two internal inspection probes, 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. Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Main article 2006 Lebanon War The 2006 Israeli reserve soldiers' protest was a protest movement which called for the resignation of the These would have a more limited mandate and less authority than a single inquiry commission headed by a retired judge. ^[202] 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. The Mossad ( HaMossad leModi'in v'leTafkidim Meyuhadim) (המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים - Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations Nahum Admoni (born 1929 was the Director of the Mossad from 1982 to 1989 Amnon Lipkin-Shahak (אמנון ליפקין-שחק born 18 March 1944 is a former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Member of the Knesset and 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. Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, or calsomine is a very low cost type of Paint made from Slaked lime (calcium hydroxide and ^[203]

Due to these pressures, on 11 October, Admoni was replaced by retired justice Eliyahu Winograd as chair of the political probe, and the probe itself was elevated to the status of governmental commission with near-state commission mandate: the Winograd Commission. Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed Eliyahu Winograd (אליהו וינוגרד (b December 1926 is a former Israeli Acting Supreme Court Judge and former president of the For other Winograd Commissions see Eliyahu Winograd. The Winograd Commission (ועדת וינוגרד the commission's official name is הוועדה On 12 September, former defense minister Moshe Arens spoke of "the defeat of Israel" in calling for a state committee of inquiry. Events 1213 - Albigensian Crusade: Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester, defeats Peter II of Aragon at the Professor Moshe Arens (משה ארנס born 27 December 1925 in Kaunas, Lithuania) is an Israeli politician 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. llan Harari is a retired Brigadier general Israel Defense Forces. ^[204] IDF Major General Yiftah Ron Tal, on 4 October 2006 became the second and highest ranking serving officer to express his opinion that the IDF failed "to win the day in the battle against Hezbollah," as well as calling for Lt. Yiftah Ron-Tal (יפתח רון-טל a registered Lawyer, served as a Major General in the Israeli Defense Forces. Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Gen. Dan Halutz' resignation. ^[205] Ron-Tal was subsequently fired for making those and other critical comments. ^[206] Hezbollah was quick to use the findings of the report to bolster its claims of victory over the vastly superior Israeli military and to criticize the Lebanese government's handling of the conflict. ^[207]

In March 2007, the Israeli Ministerial Committee for Symbols and Ceremonies decided that the conflict would be defined as a war, following pressure from bereaved families. ^[208] Two days later, the Committee decided to name the war "The Second Lebanon War", a decision that was subsequently approved by the Israeli cabinet. The Cabinet of Israel is a formal body composed of government officials chosen and led by a Prime Minister. ^[209]

Winograd Commission Report

According to the Winograd Commission Report, the Second Lebanon War was regarded as a "missed opportunity" and that "Israel initiated a long war, which ended without a defined military victory". For other Winograd Commissions see Eliyahu Winograd. The Winograd Commission (ועדת וינוגרד the commission's official name is הוועדה Background See also Israel-Lebanon conflict The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO had engaged in cross-border attacks from Southern Lebanon The report continued to state that "a semi-military organization of a few thousand men resisted, for a few weeks, the strongest army in the Middle East, which enjoyed full air superiority and size and technology advantages". Furthermore, Hezbollah's rocket attacks continued throughout the war and the IDF did not provide an effective response to it. Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation Following a long period of using standoff fire power and limited ground activities, the IDF launched a large scale ground offensive close to the UN Security Council's resolution which imposed a cease-fire. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security "This offensive did not result in military gains and was not completed".

Later in the Report, the Commission stated that "[a] decision [was] made in the night of July 12th to react (to the kidnapping) with immediate and substantive military action and to set. . . ambitious goals. " This decision had immediate repercussions in that subsequent decisions were limited mainly to a choice between a) "a short, painful and unexpected blow on Hezbollah" and b) "to bring about a significant change of the reality in the South of Lebanon with a large ground operation,[occupying]. Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية . . the South of Lebanon and 'cleaning' it of Hezbollah". Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation "The fact Israel went to war before it decided which option to select and without an exit strategy, all these constituted serious failures of the decision making process. "

As for achievements, the Commission reported that "SC resolution 1701, and the fact that it was adopted unanimously, were an achievement for Israel. "^[210]

Reactions in the rest of the world

George W. Bush declared that Hezbollah lost the war and that "There's going to be a new power in the south of Lebanon"^[211] His administration later described the Summer War as a “strategic defeat” that failed to meet military goals, heaped widespread condemnation upon it, and punctured the “myth of the invincibility of the Israeli army. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. ” ^[212]

The Economist concluded that by surviving this asymmetrical military conflict with Israel, Hezbollah effectively emerged with a military and political victory from this conflict. ^[213] 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 seized soldiers and destroy the military capability of Hezbollah - neither goal was accomplished. ^[212] Hezbollah is leading the rebuilding effort in south Beirut and Lebanon using "unlimited" support from Iran, which may give Hezbollah further political clout.

In Syria, the war was met with intensified chest-thumping toward Israel. In a speech given on August 15, 2006, President Bashar al-Assad claimed that the Arab resistance against Israel will continue to grow stronger, saying, "Your weapons, warplanes, rockets and even your atomic bomb will not protect you in the future. "^[214]

U.S. 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. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. "^[215]

In April 2007, the Financial Times reported that US officials trying to limit the Turkish response to Kurdish attacks had privately described the Israeli experience as a “strategic defeat” that failed to meet military goals, heaped widespread condemnation upon it, and punctured the “myth of the invincibility of the Israeli army. The Financial Times ( FT) is a British international business Newspaper. ”^[216]

British military historian John Keegan concluded that the outcome of the war was "misreported as an Israeli defeat" due to anti-Israel bias in the international media. Sir John Desmond Patrick Keegan OBE (born 15 May, 1934) is a British Military historian, lecturer and journalist ^[217]

UNIFIL has been given an expanded mandate, including the ability to use force to ensure that their area of operations is not used for hostile activities, and to resist attempts by force to prevent them from discharging their duties. ^[218]

Financial repercussions

The fighting resulted in a huge financial setback for Lebanon, with an official estimate of a fall in growth from +6% to -5% and US$5 Billion (22% of GDP)^[219] in direct and indirect costs, while the cost for Israel was estimated at US$3. 5 billion. ^[220] Indirect costs to Israel include a cut in growth by 0. 9%. ^[221] and the cost to tourism was estimated at 0. 4%of Israel's GDP in the following year. ^[222] This has prompted a commentator in the Saudi pan-Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat to question the claims of victory by Hezbollah. Asharq Al-Awsat (الشرق الاوسط The Middle East) is a major Pan-Arabic Daily Newspaper, with a circulation of ^[223] According to one analyst in the Associated Press, the main casualty was the fragile unity between Lebanon's sectarian and political groups,^[224] though an Asia Times piece points to Free Patriotic Movement head Michel Aoun's support for Hezbollah and provision of housing for displaced Shi'a as evidence for strengthened relations. The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio Asia Times Online (abbr "ATol" is an Internet -only news and commentary publication that reports and examines geopolitical, political The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM ( Arabic: التيار الوطني الحر Al-Tayyar Al-Watani Al-Hur) also known as the "Aounist Current" (Arabic Michel Naim Aoun ( Arabic: ميشال عون (born 19 february 1935 in Haret Hreik, Lebanon) is a former Lebanese

Media controversy

Main article: 2006 Lebanon War photographs controversies

See also: Adnan Hajj photographs controversy

Several media commentators and journalists have alleged an intentionally 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. The 2006 Lebanon War photographs controversies refers to instances of Photojournalism from the 2006 Lebanon War that misrepresented or allegedly misrepresented scenes The Adnan Hajj photographs controversy (also called Reutersgate) involves digitally manipulated photographs taken by Adnan Hajj a Lebanese freelance Photographer Photo manipulation is the application of Image editing techniques to Photographs in order to create an Illusion or Deception (in contrast to mere ^[225]

On 18 July 2006 Hezbollah Press Officer Hussein Nabulsi took CNN's Nic Robertson on an exclusive tour of southern Beirut. Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Nic Robertson (born Dominic Robertson on 8 June 1962) is a Senior International Correspondent at CNN. 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. ^[226]

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. Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner Events 1632 - Three hundred colonists bound for New France depart from Dieppe France. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[227]

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. Events 1632 - Three hundred colonists bound for New France depart from Dieppe France. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. John D Roberts (born November 15, 1956 in Toronto Ontario) is a television journalist for CNN, where he is a co-anchor of CNN ^[226]

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. This article is primarily about Reuters prior to its 2008 merger with Thomson The Adnan Hajj photographs controversy (also called Reutersgate) involves digitally manipulated photographs taken by Adnan Hajj a Lebanese freelance Photographer ^[228]

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. The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio ^[229] While it is "common practice to send more than one photographer to an incident",^[230] questions remained as to whether the images were wrongly captioned or deliberately staged.

Post-ceasefire events

Main article: Timeline of Military Operations in the 2006 Lebanon War#Post-ceasefire events

In the days following the 14 August 2006 ceasefire, Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets and mortars inside southern Lebanon, which Israel did not respond to, though there were several instances where Israeli troops killed armed Hezbollah members approaching their positions. This is a timeline of Military operations of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^{[231][232][233]} Israeli warplanes continued conducting numerous flyovers and maneuvers above southern Lebanon, which Israel said did not violate the ceasefire. ^[234][235] On 19 August 2006, Israel launched a raid in Lebanon's eastern Beqaa Valley it says was aimed at disrupting Hezbollah's weapons supply from Syria and Iran. Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. During the 2006 Lebanon War, Operation Sharp and Smooth ( Hebrew: מבצע חד וחלק also known as the Baalbek operation, was an Israel Beqaa ( Arabic: البقاع "valley" also transliterated as Bekaa, Biqâ‘ or Becaa) is a fertile Valley in ^[236] Lebanese officials "said the Israelis were apparently seeking a guerrilla target in a school. "^{[237][238][239][240][241]} Israel's aerial and commando operations were criticised by Kofi Annan as violations of the ceasefire, which he said they had conducted the majority of, and he also protested the continued embargo. France, then leading UNIFIL, also issued criticism of the flyovers, which it interpreted as aggressive. ^[242] Israel argued that “[t]he cease-fire is based on (U.N. resolution) 1701 which calls for an international arms embargo against Hezbollah,” and said the embargo could be lifted after full implementation of the cease-fire^[236] but Annan said that UNIFIL would only interdict arms at Lebanon's request. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 is a resolution intended to resolve the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. ^[243][244] On 7 September 2006 and 8 September 2006 respectively, aviation and naval blockades were lifted. Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[245] In the second half of September Hezbollah claimed victory and asserted an improvement in their position, and they redeployed to some positions on the border^[246][247] as Israel completed its withdrawal from Lebanon save border-straddling Ghajar. The Blue Line is a border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel published by the United Nations on 7 June 2000 for the For the village in Azerbaijan see Qacar. Ghajar (or al-Ghajar is an Alawite village on the Hasbani River and on the border ^{[248][249][250][251][252][253]}

On 3rd of October, an Israeli fighter penetrated the 2-nautical-mile (4 km) defence perimeter of the French frigate Courbet without answer radio calls, triggering a diplomatic incident^[254]

On 24 October, six Israeli F-16's flew over a German Navy vessel patrolling off Israel's coast just south of the Lebanese border. See also French ship ''Courbet'' for eponymous ships Photographs Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat The Israeli Air Force ( IAF; Hebrew: זרוע האויר והחלל Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, "Air and Space Arm" commonly known as חיל The German Navy ( Deutsche Marine ( is the Navy of Germany and part of the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces The German Defence Ministry said that the planes had given off infrared decoys and one of the aircraft had fired two shots into the air, which had not been specifically aimed. The Israeli military said that a German helicopter took off from the vessel without having coordinated this with Israel, and denied vehemently having fired any shots at the vessel and said "as of now" it also had no knowledge of the jets launching flares over it. Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz telephoned his German counterpart Franz Josef Jung to clarify that 'Israel has no intention to carry out any aggressive actions' against the German peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, who are there as part of UNIFIL to enforce an arms embargo against Hezbollah. Amir Peretz (עמיר פרץ عمير بيريتز born 9 March, 1952) is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset. Franz Josef Jung (born 5 March 1949) is a German Politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was created by the United Nations, with the adoption of Security Council Resolution Germany confirmed the consultations, and that both sides were interested in maintaining good cooperation. ^{[255][256][257]}

On 1 December 2006, U. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan submitted a report to the Security Council president maintaining "there were no serious incidents or confrontations" since the cease-fire in August 2006. He did, however, note that peacekeepers reported air violations by Israel "almost on a daily basis," which Israel maintained were a security measure related to continuing Syrian and Iranian arms shipments to Hezbollah, and evidence of the presence of unauthorized armed personnel, assets, and weapons in Lebanon. In one case, a UNIFIL demining team was challenged by two Hezbollah members in combat uniforms armed with AK-47 rifles. The AK-47 (contraction of Russian Автомат Калашникова образца 1947 года; Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1947 goda; "Kalashnikov's UNIFIL notified the Lebanese army, who arrested three suspects the next day. There were also "13 instances where UNIFIL came across unauthorized arms or related material in its area of operation", including the discovery of 17 katyusha rockets and several improvised explosive devices in Rachaiya El-Foukhar, and the discovery of a weapons cache containing seven missiles, three rocket launchers, and a substantial amount of ammunition in the area of Bourhoz. ^[258][259] Annan also reported that as of 20 November 2006, 822 Israeli cluster bomb strike sites had been recorded,^[259] with 60,000 cluster bomblets having been cleared by the UN Mine Action Coordination Center. Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. A Mine Action Coordination Centre is an agency established in a region under the auspices of the United Nations to coordinate the clearing of the Explosive remnants of war ^[260]

The months after the hostilities saw major upheaval in the Israeli military and political echelon, with the spate of high-ranking resignations including Chief of General Staff Dan Halutz,^[261] and calls for resignations of many cabinet-members including Prime-Minister Ehud Olmert following publication of the Winograd Commission's findings. ( דן חלוץ) (born August 7[[ 948]] in Tel Aviv, Israel) is an Israeli Air Force Lt For other Winograd Commissions see Eliyahu Winograd. The Winograd Commission (ועדת וינוגרד the commission's official name is הוועדה ^[262] The Winograd report severely criticized Olmert, accusing him of a "severe failure in exercising judgment, responsibility and caution. " Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora criticized the Winograd report for failing to report on the full destruction dealt to Lebanon by the brief July War of 2006. ^[263]

On June 30, 2007, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's fourth report on the implementation of SC Resolution 1701 fingered Israel, Lebanon and Hezbollah for violating the ceasefire, but called the firing of rockets into Israel by unknown elements "the most serious breach of the cessation of hostilities since the end of the war. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944 Korean: 반기문 Hanja: 潘基文 is the current Secretary-General of the United Nations. " The report commended Israel on its restraint following this attack, and commended Lebanon for its continued efforts to disarm armed groups. It further stated that in spite of "flexibility by Israel beyond the framework of UNSC-Resolution 1701, implementation of the resolution's humanitarian aspects has not yet been possible. "^[264]

See also

• History of Lebanon
• History of the State of Israel
• History of the Middle East
• History of the Arab-Israeli conflict
• Views of the Arab-Israeli conflict
• International law and the Arab-Israeli conflict
• Arab-Israeli conflict facts, figures, and statistics
• Israel-United States relations
• May 17 Agreement 1980s prospective peace agreement
• United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559
• United Nations Security Council Resolution 1697
• Canadians of convenience
• The Hawk of Lebanon
• Yalla Ya Nasrallah
• 2006 Israel-Gaza conflict
• Special Force 2: Tale of the Truthful Pledge
• List of wars 2003–current

References

External links

• United Nations Interim Forces In Lebanon, including deployment maps
• US Humanitarian Assistance to Lebanon
• Terror from Lebanon Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Made by USA, Israel & Co.
• Lebanon under Siege Lebanese government
• U.S. Foreign Aid to Lebanon: Issues for Congress Congressional Research Service
• United Nations Environment Program Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment

Media

• Middle East (Israel and Lebanon) crisis: Facts and figures
• The Summer War in the Lebanon, BBC Radio 4, 3 and 10 April 2007
• ABC News - The Middle East Conflict
• New York Times - Interactive map
• Lebanon Live News
• Second Lebanon War Ynetnews
• Second Lebanon War Haaretz

Further reading and analysis

• Lessons and Implications of the Israel-Hizballah War Washington Institute for Near East Policy
• Engaging the Enemy: Lessons Learned from the Israel-Hezbollah War Brookings Institution
• Assessing the Aftermath: The Middle East After the Israel-Hezbollah War Brookings Institution
• The Aftereffects of the Israeli-Hizbollah War Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Lebanon and Israel: The Aftermath United States Institute of Peace
• www.lebanon-israel.info An ongoing discussion on the Lebanon-Israel conflict
• Hezbollah at War - An assessment of the military struggle during the 33 day war