1982 Lebanon War

1982 war between Israel and forces in Lebanon

The 1982 Lebanon war was part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and the Lebanese Civil War. It began on 6 June 1982. Israel called it Operation Peace for Galilee. It was later known as the Lebanon war or First Lebanon war. The war started when the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) attacked southern Lebanon. On 3 June 1982 the Abu Nadal Organization tried to assassinate Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov.[11] This may have been done to hurt the PLO's reputation.[11] At the time, however, Israel blamed the PLO for the attempt.[11] The shooting of the ambassador was the trigger that caused Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.[12][13]

1982 Lebanon War
Part of Israeli–Palestinian conflict and Lebanese Civil War


Top: Israeli troops invading Lebanon, 1982
Bottom: A map of the military situation in Lebanon in 1983
Map legend
  •   Controlled by the Lebanese Front and allied militias
      Controlled by the Syrian Army
      Controlled by the Israeli Defense Forces
      Administered by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFL)
Date6 June 1982 – 5 June 1985
(main phase June–September 1982)
Location
Result Inconclusive
Territorial
changes
Self-proclaimed Free Lebanon State slowly transforms into South Lebanon Security Zone
Belligerents
Commanders and leaders
Israel:

Phalange:
Al-Tanzim:
SLA:
PLO:

Syria:

LCP:
Al-Mourabitoun:
Amal:
ASALA:
Others:
Strength
  • Israel:
    • 78,000 troops
    • 800 tanks
    • 1,500 APCs
    • 634 aircraft
  • LF:
    • 30,000 troops
  • SLA:
    • 5,000 troops
    • 97 tanks
  • Syria:
    • 22,000 troops
    • 352 tanks
    • 300 APCs
    • 450 aircraft
    • 300 artillery pieces
    • 100 anti-aircraft guns
    • 125 SAM batteries
  • PLO:
    • 15,000 troops
    • 80 tanks
    • 150 APCs
    • 350+ artillery pieces
    • 250+ anti-aircraft guns
Casualties and losses
  • Israel:
    • 654 killed and 3,887 wounded (1982–85)[4][5]
    • 4 missing
    • 12 captured
    • 1 aircraft lost
    • 2 helicopters lost
  • PLO:
    Syria:
    • 1,200 killed
    • 296 captured
    • 300–350 tanks lost
    • 150 APCs lost
    • c. 100 artillery pieces lost
    • 82–86 aircraft lost
    • 12 helicopters lost
    • 29 SAM missile batteries lost[9]

Total Lebanese: 19,085 killed and 30,000 wounded.[10]
Civilians at Sabra-Shatila massacre: 800-3,500 killed.[10]

Also see Casualties below.

References

change
  1. "In the Spotlight: PKK (A.k.a KADEK) Kurdish Worker's Party". Cdi.org. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  2. "Abdullah Öcalan en de ontwikkeling van de PKK". Xs4all.nl. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  3. "a secret relationship". Niqash.org. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  4. Uri Ben-Eliezer, War over Peace: One Hundred Years of Israel's Militaristic Nationalism, University of California Press (2019)
  5. Gad Barzilai, Wars, Internal Conflicts, and Political Order: A Jewish Democracy in the Middle East, State University of New York Press (1996)
  6. Gabriel, Richard, A, Operation Peace for Galilee, The Israeli-PLO War in Lebanon, New York: Hill & Wang. 1984, p. 164, 165, ISBN 978-0-8090-7454-9
  7. "Lebanon Demands Payment". The Los Angeles Times. 16 November 1984.
  8. "Israeli General Says Mission Is to Smash P.L.O. in Beirut". The New York Times. 15 June 1982. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  9. Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948–1991
  10. 10.0 10.1 "The 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon: the casualties". Race & Class. 24 (4): 340–3. 1983. doi:10.1177/030639688302400404. S2CID 220910633.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Robin Wright (2 August 2014). "Another Siege: Israel's War on the P.L.O." The New Yorker. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  12. The Canadian Press (22 May 2015). "Today in History – June 3". Pacific Newspaper Group. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  13. Harvey W. Kushner, Encyclopedia of terrorism Sage Publications (2003), p.13