2006 Lebanon War

Armed conflict primarily between Israel and Hezbollah other wars in Lebanon Lebanon War (disambiguation)Lebanon War yes December 2020 the Israeli–Lebanese conflict, Hezbollah–Israel conflict, the Iran–Israel proxy conflict and the war on terror 2006 Lebanon War 130px130px130px130px Clockwise from top left:Mushroom cloud from an IAF airstrike on Tyre IDF soldiers during the Battle of Maroun al-Ras. Smoke from a Hezbollah rocket strike near Bnai Zion Medical Center in Haifa. UNIFIL soldiers evacuating refugees from Tyre. 12 July – 14 August 2006Israeli blockade of Lebanon ended on 8 September 2006(07 12 2006 08 14 2006) Lebanon, northern Israel and the Golan HeightsUzi Rubin. The Rocket Campaign against Israel during the 2006 Lebanon War. p. 12. The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies Bar-Ilan University Inconclusive (see analysis) Israel occupies northern Ghajar until present Israel Israel Ehud OlmertIsrael Amir PeretzIsrael Dan HalutzIsrael Moshe KaplinskyIsrael Udi AdamIsrael Eliezer ShkediIsrael David Ben-Besht Up to 10,000 soldiers by 2 August;http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-08-01-mideast-fighting_x.htm Israel captures guerillas in Hezbollah hospital raid USA Today https://www.usatoday.com 2 August 2006 reprinted from the Associated Press 12 September 2015 Beirut 30,000 soldiers in the last few dayshttps://web.archive.org/web/20080215135534/http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060813/3/2of6v.html 15 February 2008 dead http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060813/3/2of6v.html Some 30,000 Israeli troops in Lebanon – army radio Yahoo! News Reuters 13 August 2006 Israel 121 Israel Defense Forces personnel killed 1,244 Israel Defense Forces personnel woundedhttp://ico.walla.co.il/w6/v/special/vinograd.pdf The Final Winograd Commission report, pp. 598–610 he 23 September 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130928014910/http://ico.walla.co.il/w6/v/special/vinograd.pdf 28 September 2013 dead 628 wounded according to Northern Command medical census of 9 November 2006 (The Final Winograd Commission Report, page 353) 20 tanks destroyedRolling Thunder: A Century of tank Warfare (Pen and Sword, 14 November 2013), by Philip Kaplan, page 172Cordesman Sullivan 2007 110 "Only 5–6 of all types represented a lasting vehicle kill" 1 helicopter shot down, 3 lost in accidentshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5201696.stm Hezbollah Defies Israeli Pressure BBC News 21 July 2006Egozi Arie https://web.archive.org/web/20081204094435/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2006/08/01/208214/israeli-air-power-falls-short-as-offensive-in-southern-lebanon-fails-to-halt-hezbollah-rocket.html 4 December 2008 dead http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2006/08/01/208214/israeli-air-power-falls-short-as-offensive-in-southern-lebanon-fails-to-halt-hezbollah-rocket.html Israeli Air Power Falls Short As Offensive in Southern Lebanon Fails To Halt Hezbollah Rocket Attacks Flight International 1 August 2006Hizbullah shoots down helicopter in southern Lebanon Hanan Greenberg Published: 08.12.06, 23:01, ynetnewsCrash grounds Israel helicopters Page last updated at 09:04 GMT, Thursday, 11 September 2008 1 corvette damagedExclusive: Photos of navy ship hit during war revealed. YnetNews. 10.11.07"Striking Deep Into Israel, Hamas Employs an Upgraded Arsenal" by Mark Mazzetti, The New York Times, 31 December 2008. 44 Israeli civilians killedhttp://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3443979,00.html State snubbed war victim, family says 13 July 2008 30 August 2007 ynetnews.com https://web.archive.org/web/20080602073716/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0%2C7340%2CL-3443979%2C00.html 2 June 2008 dead BBC News Online (8 March 2007). "PM 'says Israel pre-planned war'". Retrieved 9 March 2007. 1,384 Israeli civilians woundedhttp://ico.walla.co.il/w6/v/special/vinograd.pdf The Final Winograd Commission report, pp. 598–610 he 23 September 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130928014910/http://ico.walla.co.il/w6/v/special/vinograd.pdf 28 September 2013 dead 2 foreign civilians killedSee Casualties of the 2006 Lebanon War#Foreign civilian casualties in Israel and Casualties of the 2006 Lebanon War#Foreign civilian casualties in Lebanon for a complete and adequately sourced list HezbollahFlag of the Amal Movement.svg Amal MovementFlag of the Lebanese Communist Party.svg Lebanese Communist Partyhttp://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HH17Ak02.html https://web.archive.org/web/20060831215221/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HH17Ak02.html unfit 31 August 2006 Amid the bombs, unity is forged Herbert Docena Asia Times 17 August 2006 The LCP ... has itself been very close to Hezbollah and fought alongside it in the frontlines in the south. According to Hadadeh, at least 12 LCP members and supporters died in the fighting. 25 November 2011PFLP-GC Flag.svg Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Commandhttps://web.archive.org/web/20120203070450/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1154525814854&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull 3 February 2012 dead https://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1154525814854&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull PFLP claims losses in IDF strike on Lebanon base Associated Press The Jerusalem Post 6 August 2006Flag of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.svg Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon Hezbollah Hassan NasrallahHezbollah Imad MughniyehFlag of the Amal Movement.svg Nabih BerriFlag of the Lebanese Communist Party.svg Khaled HadadiPFLP-GC Flag.svg Ahmed JibrilFlag of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.svg Ali Qanso Up to 1,000(south of the Litani River)https://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0811/p01s01-wome.html Hizbullah's resilience built on years of homework The Christian Science Monitor Blanford Nicholas 11 August 2006 23 January 2012Harel and Issacharoff, p. 172 In Lebanon Lebanese citizens* and foreign citizensThe Lebanese government did not differentiate between civilians and combatants in death toll figures.For total casualty figures, see: Casualties of the 2006 Lebanon War Dead: 1,191 (per Amnesty InternationalLebanon – Amnesty International Report 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20150217122530/https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/lebanon/report-2007 17 February 2015 dead https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/lebanon/report-2007 Human Rights in Lebanese Republic Amnesty International and Lebanese governmentIsrael/Lebanon: Out of all proportion – civilians bear the brunt of the war, Amnesty International, November 2006.https://web.archive.org/web/20130617180405/http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/specialsession/A.HRC.3.2.pdf 17 June 2013 dead http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/specialsession/A.HRC.3.2.pdf Implementation of General Assembly Resolution 60/251 of March 2006 entitled "Human Rights Council" United Nations Human Rights Council 23 November 2006https://books.google.com/books?id=T5bicg3ETnsC&pg=PA241 The Canadian Yearbook of International Law 9780774859172 McRae D.M. De Mestral A.L.C. 2010 UBC Press SIPRI Yearbook 2007: Armaments, Disarmament, And International Security, Oxford University Press, page 69.https://books.google.com/books?id=4Dk_AQAAIAAJ Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law:Volume 9; Volume 2006 T.M.C Asser Press 978-90-6704-269-7 2006) 1,109 (per Human Rights WatchWhy They Died: Civilian Casualties in Lebanon during the 2006 War, Human Rights Watch, September 2007Gross Michael Gross Michael L. Moral Dilemmas of Modern War: Torture, Assassination, and Blackmail in an Age of Asymmetric Conflict https://books.google.com/books?id=BYVlQkSBxn8C&pg=PA171 2010 Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-86615-6 171) Wounded:4,409 Hezbollah fighters:250 killed (per Human Rights Watch and Hezbollah)600+ killed and 800 wounded (per Israel)Captured: 4 fighters Amal militia: 17 dead LCP militia: 12 dead PFLP-GC militia: 2 dead Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces: 43 dead Foreign civilians:51 dead25 wounded United Nations:5 dead12 woundedhttps://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/unifil/index.shtml United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) United Nations 6 August 2009 16 January 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20101210081548/http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/unifil/index.shtml 10 December 2010 live Lebanon tried to remain neutral but still suffered casualties from Israeli artillery and airstrikes during the conflict. The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day armed conflict in Lebanon, fought between Hezbollah and Israel. The war started on 12 July 2006 and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, though it formally ended on 8 September 2006 when Israel lifted its naval blockade of Lebanon. It marked the third Israeli invasion into Lebanon since 1978. After Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah aimed for the release of Lebanese citizens held in Israeli prisons.Wahab Hadi Hezbollah:A Regional Armed Non-State Actor Taylor & Francis 2022 69 On 12 July 2006, Hezbollah ambushed Israeli soldiers on the border, killing three and capturing two; a further five were killed during a failed Israeli rescue attempt.12 July 2006 Clashes spread to Lebanon as Hezbollah raids Israel http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/13/africa/web.0712mideast.php dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090129193940/http://iht.com/articles/2006/07/13/africa/web.0712mideast.php 29 January 2009 International Herald Tribune Hezbollah demanded an exchange of prisoners with Israel.https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/world/middleeast/13mideast.html The New York Times Greg Myre Steven Erlanger Israelis Enter Lebanon After Attacks 13 July 2006 Israel launched airstrikes and artillery fire on targets in Lebanon, attacking both Hezbollah military targets and Lebanese civilian infrastructure, including Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport.http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/13/mideast/index.html Israeli warplanes hit Beirut suburb CNN 14 July 2006 25 November 2011 Israel launched a ground invasion of Southern Lebanon and imposed an air-and-naval blockade on the country.https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/23/AR2006082301671.html Lebanese Premier Seeks U.S. Help in Lifting Blockade 24 August 2006 The Washington Post Edward Cody 25 November 2011 Hezbollah then launched more rockets into northern Israel and engaged the IDF in guerrilla warfare from hardened positions.https://www.theguardian.com/israel/Story/0,,1842276,00.html Computerised weaponry and high morale Conal Urquhart 11 August 2006 The Guardian London 8 October 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060830074758/http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0%2C%2C1842276%2C00.html 30 August 2006 live According to Israeli sources, Hezbollah fired close to 4,000 rockets and missiles at Israel from their arsenal of around 15,000 held before the war. Shaikh Shaan Williams Ian Missiles and Rockets of Hezbollah 26 June 2018 Missile Threat Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) https://missilethreat.csis.org/country/hezbollahs-rocket-arsenal/ 24 June 2025 On 11 August 2006, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 (UNSCR 1701) in an effort to end the hostilities, which called for disarmament of Hezbollah, Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, and for the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces and an enlarged United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the south. The Lebanese Army began deploying in Southern Lebanon on 17 August and the blockade was lifted on 8 September.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5330766.stm BBC News Ian Pannell 9 September 2006 Lebanon breathes after the blockade 13 July 2008 On 1 October, most Israeli troops withdrew from Lebanon, although the last of the troops continued to occupy the border-straddling village of Ghajar.http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/10/01/lebanon.withdrawal/index.html UN peacekeepers: Israeli troops still in Lebanon CNN 20 September 2014 Both Hezbollah and the Israeli government claimed victory, https://www.english.alahednews.com.lb/709/447 Sayyed Nasrallah Speech on the Divine Victory Rally in Beirut on 22-09-2006 al-Ahed magazine Hassan Nasrallah 22 September 2006 10 August 2020The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS). April 2025 while the Winograd Commission deemed the war a missed opportunity for Israel as it did not lead to disarmament of Hezbollah. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/world/middleeast/31winograd-web.html English Summary of the Winograd Commission Report The New York Times 30 January 2008 10 August 2020 The conflict is believed to have killed between 1,191 and 1,300 Lebanese people,https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/cloud-of-syrias-war-hangs-over-lebanese-clerics-death-7771366.html Cloud of Syria's war hangs over Lebanese cleric's death The Independent 20 September 2014 2 April 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190402112123/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/cloud-of-syrias-war-hangs-over-lebanese-clerics-death-7771366.html deadReuters, 12 September 2006; Al-Hayat (London), 13 September 2006"Country Report—Lebanon," The Economist Intelligence Unit, no. 4 (2006), pp. 3–6."Lebanon Death Toll Hits 1,300", by Robert Fisk, 17 August 2006, The Independent and 165 Israelis.Israel Vs. Iran: The Shadow War, by Yaakov Katz, (NY 2012), page 17 It severely damaged Lebanese civil infrastructure, and displaced approximately one million Lebanesehttps://web.archive.org/web/20071227165718/http://www.lebanonundersiege.gov.lb/english/F/Main/index.asp 27 December 2007 dead http://www.lebanonundersiege.gov.lb/english/F/Main/index.asp Lebanon Under Siege Lebanon Higher Relief Council 2007 and 300,000–500,000 Israelis.Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (12 July 2006). "Hizbullah attacks northern Israel and Israel's response"; retrieved 5 March 2007.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5257128.stm Middle East crisis: Facts and Figures BBC News 31 August 2006 13 July 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080719103553/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5257128.stm 19 July 2008 livehttps://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-08-14-mideast_x.htm Israel says it will relinquish positions to Lebanese army USA Today 15 August 2006 25 November 2011 The remains of the two captured soldiers, whose fates were unknown, were returned to Israel on 16 July 2008 as part of a prisoner exchange. Other names The war is known in Lebanon as the July War (ar حرب تموز, Ḥarb Tammūz) and in Israel as the Second Lebanon WarAfter the 1982 Lebanon War regarded as the First Lebanon War and before the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon regarded as the Third Lebanon War by some Israeli sources.sales Ben 1 October 2024 Israel's Third Lebanon War is underway: What you need to know https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-third-lebanon-war-is-underway-what-you-need-to-know/ Times of Israel 6 October 202423 September 2024 Events in North amount to 'Third Lebanon War,' security official says https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-821325 Jerusalem Post 6 October 2024 6 October 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241006115626/https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-821325 live (he מלחמת לבנון השנייה, Milhemet Levanon HaShniya).See, e.g., Yaakov Katz, "Halutz officers discuss war strategy," The Jerusalem Post, 5 September 2006, p. 2 The war is also known as the Israel–Hezbollah War of 2006.Israel-Hezbollah War 2006 EBSCO Research Starters https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/military-history-and-science/israel-hezbollah-war-2006 2025-06-21 www.ebsco.com en Background Israeli–Lebanese conflict Cross-border attacks from southern Lebanon into Israel by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) dated as far back as 1968, following the 1967 Six-Day War; the area became a significant base for attacks following the arrival of the PLO leadership and its Fatah brigade following their 1971 expulsion from Jordan. Starting about this time, increasing demographic tensions related to the Lebanese National Pact, which had divided governmental powers among religious groups throughout the country 30 years previously, began running high and led in part to the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990). During the 1978 Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon, Israel failed to stem the Palestinian attacks. Israel invaded Lebanon again in 1982 and forcibly expelled the PLO.http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/type,CHRON,,LBN,469f38b21e,0.html Chronology for Druze in Lebanon UN High Commissioner for Refugees 20 September 2014 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20121018152915/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/type%2CCHRON%2C%2CLBN%2C469f38b21e%2C0.html 18 October 2012 Israel withdrew to a borderland buffer zone in southern Lebanon, held with the aid of proxy militants in the South Lebanon Army (SLA).http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761588322_2/Arab-Israeli_Conflict.html#s6 Arab–Israeli Conflict 13 July 2008 Encarta Encyclopedia https://web.archive.org/web/20091028083130/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761588322_2/Arab-Israeli_Conflict.html 28 October 2009 dead The invasion also led to the conception of a new Shi'a militant group, which in 1985, established itself politically under the name Hezbollah, and declared an armed struggle to end the Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4314423.stm Who are Hezbollah? BBC News 20 September 2014http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_701835564/Nasrallah_Hassan.html Hassan Nasrallah 19 March 2007 Encarta Encyclopedia https://web.archive.org/web/20091030105014/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_701835564/Hassan_Nasrallah.html 30 October 2009 dead When the Lebanese Civil War ended and other warring factions agreed to disarm, both Hezbollah and the SLA refused. Ten years later, Israel withdrew from South Lebanon to the UN-designated and internationally recognized Blue Line border in 2000.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dKkaAAAAIBAJ&pg=2779,7283268&dq=israel+lebanon&hl=en UN Chief Says Israel Is Completely Out of Lebanon 20 September 2014February 2022 InternetArchiveBot yes The withdrawal also led to the immediate collapse of the SLA, and Hezbollah quickly took control of the area. Later, citing allegations of Lebanese prisoners in Israel and continued Israeli control of the Shebaa farms region, occupied by Israel from Syria in 1967 but considered by Hezbollah to be part of Lebanon, Hezbollah intensified its cross-border attacks, and used the tactic of seizing soldiers from Israel as leverage for a prisoner exchange in 2004.https://web.archive.org/web/20071009123926/http://71.18.226.238/final/en/bn/viewbndetails.php?bnid=13 9 October 2007 dead http://71.18.226.238/final/en/bn/viewbndetails.php?bnid=13 What the Struggle Over a Cease-Fire Could Mean for US-Israeli Unilateralism 13 July 2008 Institute for Palestinian Studieshttp://archive.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/08/08/death_and_destruction_are_hezbollahs_goals/ Death and destruction are Hezbollah's goals 8 August 2006 13 July 2008 The Boston Globe https://web.archive.org/web/20100302050943/http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/08/08/death_and_destruction_are_hezbollahs_goals/ 2 March 2010 live Andrea Levin In 2005, Syrian forces withdrew from Lebanon.Meier Daniel Shaping Lebanon's borderlands: armed resistance and international intervention in South Lebanon 2016 I.B. Tauris 978-1-78453-253-6 Library of modern Middle East studies London 156 In August 2006, in an article in The New Yorker, Seymour Hersh claimed that the White House gave the green light for the Israeli government to execute an attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Supposedly, communication between the Israeli government and the US government about this came as early as two months in advance of the capture of two Israeli soldiers and the killing of eight others by Hezbollah prior to the conflict in July 2006.https://web.archive.org/web/20140718025823/http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/08/21/060821fa_fact 18 July 2014 dead https://newyorker.com/printables/fact/060821fa_fact Watching Lebanon Hersh Seymour 21 August 2006 The New Yorker According to Conal Urquhart in The Guardian, the Winograd Committee leaked a testimony from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert suggesting that Olmert "had been preparing for such a war at least four months before the official casus belli: the capture by Hezbollah of two Israeli soldiers from a border post on 12 July 2006."https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/mar/09/syria.israelandthepalestinians Israel planned for Lebanon war months in advance, PM says Conal Urquhart The Guardian 20 September 2014 Abduction efforts in the year prior to conflict In June 2005, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) paratroop unit operating near the Shebaa Farms engaged three Lebanese it identified as Hezbollah special force members, killing one. Videotapes recovered by the paratroopers contained footage of the three recording detailed accounts of the area.https://www.haaretz.com/chronicle-of-disaster-1.249950 https://web.archive.org/web/20151211092033/http://www.haaretz.com/chronicle-of-disaster-1.249950 dead 11 December 2015 Chronicle of Disaster Haaretz Amos Harel 18 July 2008 8 December 2015 Over the following 12 months, Hezbollah made three unsuccessful attempts to abduct Israeli soldiers. On 21 November 2005, a number of Hezbollah special forces attempted to attack an Israeli outpost in Ghajar, a village straddling the border between Lebanon and the Golan Heights. The outpost had been deserted following an intelligence warning, and three of the Hezbollah militants were killed when Israeli sniper David Markovich shot a rocket-propelled grenade they were carrying, causing it to explode. From his sniper position, Markovich shot and killed a fourth gunman shortly thereafter.Dudkevitch, "Paratrooper Sniper Becomes Hero", The Jerusalem Post Online Edition, 22 November 2005. Course of the war Timeline of the 2006 Lebanon War Military operations of the 2006 Lebanon War Hezbollah cross-border raid 2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid 350px|thumb|left|The cross-border raid map At around 9am local time on 12 July 2006, Hezbollah launched diversionary rocket attacks toward Israeli military positions near the coast and near the border village of Zar'itReport of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon for the period from 21 January 2006 to 18 July 2006 21 July 2006 United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon https://web.archive.org/web/20150107080734/http://domino.un.org/unispal.NSF/fd807e46661e3689852570d00069e918/87e2508779d8ec83852571b6004c761f 7 January 2015 dead http://domino.un.org/unispal.NSF/fd807e46661e3689852570d00069e918/87e2508779d8ec83852571b6004c761f as well as on the Israeli town of Shlomi and other villages.Day-by-day: Lebanon crisis — week one 19 July 2006 BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5179434.stm 25 November 2011 Five civilians were injured.Harel Amos https://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/hezbollah-kills-8-soldiers-kidnaps-two-in-offensive-on-northern-border-1.192965 Hezbollah kills 8 soldiers, kidnaps two in offensive on northern border Haaretz Israel 2 April 2008 17 May 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110513084315/http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/hezbollah-kills-8-soldiers-kidnaps-two-in-offensive-on-northern-border-1.192965 13 May 2011 dead Six Israeli military positions were fired on, and the surveillance cameras knocked out.https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/20/AR2006102001688.html The Washington Post Scott Wilson Israeli War Plan Had No Exit Strategy 21 October 2006 25 November 2011 At the same time, a Hezbollah ground contingent infiltrated the border into Israel through a "dead zone" in the border fence, hiding in an overgrown wadi. They attacked a patrol of two Israeli Humvees patrolling the border near Zar'it, using pre-positioned explosives and anti-tank missiles, killing three soldiers, injuring two, and capturing two soldiers (First Sergeant Ehud Goldwasser and Sergeant First Class Eldad Regev).Israel/Lebanon Under fire: Hizbullah's attacks on northern Israel 14 September 2006 27 September 2006 Amnesty International https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde02/025/2006/en/ In response to the Hezbollah feint attacks, the IDF conducted a routine check of its positions and patrols, and found that contact with two jeeps was lost. A rescue force was immediately dispatched to the area, and confirmed that two soldiers were missing after 20 minutes. A Merkava Mk III tank, an armored personnel carrier, and a helicopter were immediately dispatched into Lebanon. The tank hit a large land mine, killing its crew of four. Another soldier was killed and two lightly injured by mortar fire as they attempted to recover the bodies. 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 an attack in 1979, accused and later convicted by Israel of murdering civilians and a police officer; Kuntar denied the allegations as fabricated by Israel to malign himsamidoun 2015-12-20 Freed prisoner Samir Kuntar assassinated by Israeli airstrike in Syria https://samidoun.net/2015/12/freed-prisoner-samir-kuntar-assassinated-by-israeli-airstrike-in-syria/ 2024-10-09 Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network en-USSmith Craig S. July 15, 2008 For Lebanese, killer is a hero https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/world/africa/15iht-profile.4.14519524.html August 21, 2013 The New York Times); Nasim Nisr (an Israeli-Lebanese citizen whom Israel tried and convicted for spying); Yahya Skaf (a Lebanese citizen whom Hezbollah claims was arrested in Israel; Israel states that he was killed in action);http://www.upc.org.uk/hasann12jul06.html Press Conference with Hasan Nasrallah 13 July 2008 12 July 2006 Understanding the present crisis UPC https://web.archive.org/web/20061113080502/http://www.upc.org.uk/hasann12jul06.html 13 November 2006http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5211930.stm Who are the Mid-East prisoners? BBC News 26 July 2006 6 October 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060924182931/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5211930.stm 24 September 2006 live Ali Faratan (another Lebanese citizen whom Hezbollah claimed to be held in Israel, believed to have been shot at sea.).HRW 2007 37 Nasrallah claimed that Israel had broken a previous deal to release these prisoners, and since diplomacy had failed, violence was the only remaining option. Nasrallah declared that "no military operation will result in rescuing these prisoners... The only method, as I indicated, is that of indirect negotiations and a swap [of prisoners]". Israeli response Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described the seizure of the soldiers as an "act of war" by the sovereign state of Lebanon,Israelis invade Lebanon after soldiers are seized The Guardian London 12 July 2006 https://www.theguardian.com/israel/Story/0,,1818696,00.html 26 September 2006 Conal Urquhart https://web.archive.org/web/20060819033938/http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0%2C%2C1818696%2C00.html 19 August 2006 live Olmert: We were attacked by a sovereign country Yedioth Ahronoth 12 July 2006 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3274385,00.html 13 July 2008 Sofer Ronny stating that "Lebanon will bear the consequences of its actions"http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2006/PM+Olmert+-+Lebanon+is+responsible+and+will+bear+the+consequences+12-Jul-2006.htm PM Olmert: Lebanon is responsible and will bear the consequences 21 September 2010 12 July 2006 Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and promising a "very painful and far-reaching response."http://www.nbcnews.com/id/13827858 https://web.archive.org/web/20131104010343/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/13827858/ dead 4 November 2013 Regional tensions fuel Lebanon-Israel clashes 13 July 2008 Fletcher Martin Martin Fletcher 12 July 2006 NBC News Israel blamed the Lebanese government for the raid, as it was carried out from Lebanese territory.https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=737687&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0 https://web.archive.org/web/20060715095803/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=737687&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0 15 July 2006 Israel holds Lebanon government responsible for Hezbollah attack 13 August 2006 Alon Gideon Aluf Benn Amos Harel Yoav Stern 13 July 2006 Haaretz Hezbollah had two ministers serving in the Lebanese cabinet at that time. In response, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora denied any knowledge of the raid and stated that he did not condone it.http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/aug/02/yehey/opinion/20060802opi7.html Statement by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora 26 September 2006 17 July 2006 The Manila Times https://web.archive.org/web/20071015180358/http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/aug/02/yehey/opinion/20060802opi7.html 15 October 2007http://dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=74027 Statement by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora 13 July 2008 17 July 2006 Daily Star (Lebanon) (registration required) https://web.archive.org/web/20060811001008/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=74027 11 August 2006 dead An emergency meeting of the Lebanese government reaffirmed this position.http://dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=73930 Simiora's Cabinet makes clear it had nothing to do with 'what happened' Qawas Nafez Raed El Rafei 13 July 2008 13 July 2006 Daily Star (Lebanon) (registration required) https://web.archive.org/web/20060714183432/http://dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=73930 14 July 2006 The Israel Defense Forces attacked targets within Lebanon with artillery and airstrikes hours before the Israeli Cabinet met to discuss a response. The targets consisted of bridges and roads in Lebanon, which were hit to prevent Hezbollah from transporting the abductees. An Israeli airstrike also destroyed the runways of Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport.China Radio International Chronology – Events in Middle East http://english.cri.cn/3126/2006/08/08/266@124092.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20090908120837/http://english.cri.cn/3126/2006/08/08/266@124092.htm dead 8 September 2009 8 August 2006 5 May 2008 Forty-four civilians were killed. The Israeli Air Force also targeted Hezbollah's long-range rocket-and-missile stockpiles, destroying many of them on the ground in the first days of the war.Amos Harel and Avi Issascharoff, Korey Akavish, Sipura shel Mmilchemet Levanon (Tel Aviv: Yediot Aharonot, 2008), pp. 179–81Benn Aluf https://www.haaretz.com/news/report-iaf-wiped-out-59-iranian-missile-launchers-in-34-minutes-1.203252 https://web.archive.org/web/20110513084355/http://www.haaretz.com/news/report-iaf-wiped-out-59-iranian-missile-launchers-in-34-minutes-1.203252 dead 13 May 2011 Report: IAF wiped out 59 Iranian missile launchers in 34 minutes Haaretz 2 April 2008 16 January 2011 Many of Hezbollah's longer-range rocket launchers were destroyed within the first hours of the Israeli attack. 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. Prime Minister Olmert officially demanded that the Israel Defense Forces avoid civilian casualties whenever possible.http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMO/Government/Decisions/2006/07/des258.htm Operation "Just Reward"--the Response of the IDF to Hezbollah Aggression from Lebanese Territory 12 July 2006 19 March 2007 Israeli Prime Minister's Office https://web.archive.org/web/20130526034517/http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMO/Government/Decisions/2006/07/des258.htm 26 May 2013 dead Israel's chief of staff Dan Halutz said, "if the soldiers are not returned, we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years"Associated Press Israel authorizes 'severe' response to abductions http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/12/mideast/index.html CNN 12 July 2006 23 September 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070305101409/http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/12/mideast/index.html 5 March 2007 while the head of Israel's Northern Command Udi Adam said, "this affair is between Israel and the state of Lebanon. Where to attack? Once it is inside Lebanon, everything is legitimate—not just southern Lebanon, not just the line of Hezbollah posts." On 12 July 2006, the Israeli Cabinet promised that Israel would "respond aggressively and harshly to those who carried out, and are responsible for, today's action".Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (12 July 2006). "Special Cabinet Communiqué – Hizbullah attack". Retrieved 8 April 2007. The Cabinet's communiqué stated, in part, that the "Lebanese Government [was] responsible for the action that originated on its soil." A retired Israeli Army Colonel explained that the rationale behind the attack was to create a rift between the Lebanese population and Hezbollah supporters by exacting a heavy price from the elite in Beirut.https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/18/AR2006071801436_pf.html Bush Supports Israel's Move Against Hezbollah 13 July 2008 Wright Robin Thomas E. Ricks 19 July 2006 The Washington Post On 16 July, 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. 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."http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2006/Cabinet+Communique+16-Jul-2006.htm Cabinet Communiqué 3 March 2007 16 July 2006 Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs https://web.archive.org/web/20070314191451/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2006/Cabinet%2BCommunique%2B16-Jul-2006.htm 14 March 2007 live 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."http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-2296832,00.html https://web.archive.org/web/20081013193109/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-2296832,00.html dead 13 October 2008 The Times interview with Ehud Olmert: full transcript 13 August 2006 Farrel Stephen 2 August 2006 The Times UK Israeli air and artillery attacks Dahiya doctrine thumb|Satellite photographs of the Haret Hreik, a Hezbollah-dominated neighborhood Dahieh district of southern Beirut, Lebanon, before and after 22 July 2006. The neighborhood is home to Hezbollah's headquarters. See also high-resolution photographs before and http://www.digitalglobe.com/images/qb/beirut_harat_july22_2006_dgwm.jpg after https://web.archive.org/web/20070821013412/http://www.digitalglobe.com/images/qb/beirut_harat_july22_2006_dgwm.jpg 21 August 2007 thumb|A building in Ghazieh, near Sidon, bombed by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) During the first day of the war the Israeli Air Force, artillery and navy conducted more than 100 attacks mainly against Hezbollah bases in south Lebanon, among them the regional headquarters in Yatar. Five bridges across the Litani and Zahrani rivers were also destroyed, reportedly to prevent Hezbollah from transferring the abducted soldiers to the north.http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Terrorism/Hizbullah/Pages/Hizbullah%20attack%20on%20northern%20border%20and%20IDF%20response%2012-Jul-2006.aspx IDF Spokesman: Hizbullah attack on northern border and IDF response Ministry of Foreign Affairs 12 July 2006 3 July 2013 Attacks from land, sea and air continued in the following days. Among the targets hit were the Hezbollah headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut as well as the offices and homes of the leadership, the compounds of al-Manar TV station and al-Nour radio station, and the runways and fuel depots of the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut. Also targeted were Hezbollah bases, weapons depots and outposts as well as bridges, roads and petrol stations in south Lebanon.http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terrorism+from+Lebanon-+Hizbullah/IDF%20operations%20against%20Hizbullah%20in%20Lebanon%2013-Jul-2006 Summary of IDF operations against Hizbullah in Lebanon Ministry of Foreign Affairs 13 July 2006 3 July 2013http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terrorism+from+Lebanon-+Hizbullah/IDF%20operations%20against%20Hizbullah%20in%20Lebanon%2014-Jul-2006 Summary of IDF operations against Hizbullah in Lebanon Ministry of Foreign Affairs 14 July 2006 3 July 2013 Forty-four civilians were killed throughout the day. It was later reported that the Israel Air Force after midnight, 13 July, attacked and destroyed 59 stationary medium-range Fajr rocket launchers positioned throughout southern Lebanon. Operation Density allegedly only took 34 minutes to carry out but was the result of six years of intelligence gathering and planning. Between half and two-thirds of Hezbollah medium-range rocket capability was estimated by the IDF to have been wiped out. According to Israeli journalists Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff the operation was "Israel's most impressive military action" and a "devastating blow for Hezbollah". In the coming days IAF allegedly also attacked and destroyed a large proportion of Hezbollah's long range Zelzal-2 missiles.Harel and Issacharof, p. 91–92 "All the long-range rockets have been destroyed," chief of staff Halutz allegedly told the Israeli government, "We've won the war."https://web.archive.org/web/20070304030521/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article620874.ece 4 March 2007 dead http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article620874.ece Humbling of the supertroops shatters Israeli army morale The Sunday Times Uzi Mahnaimi 27 August 2006. Backup copy. American officials claimed that the Israelis overstated the effectiveness of the air war against Hezbollah and cited the failure to hit any of the Hezbollah leaders in spite of dropping twenty-three tons of high explosives in a single raid on the Beirut Southern suburbs of Dahiya.Hirst, David (2010) Beware of Small States. Lebanon, battleground of the Middle East. Faber and Faber. 978-0-571-23741-8 pp.336–337 The Israeli assessments are "too large," said one US official.http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/jul/21/20060721-102631-9200r/?page=all U.S. doubts Israeli figures about damage of air war The Washington Times 21 July 2006 3 July 2013 Al-Manar TV station only went dark for two minutes after the strike before it was back into the air. The TV station was bombed 15 times during the war but never faltered after the first hiccup.Cambanis (2007), p. 69–70 According to military analyst William Arkin there is "little evidence" that the Israeli Air Force even attempted, much less succeeded in, wiping out the medium- and long-range-rocket capability in the first days of the war. He dismissed the whole claim as an "absurdity" and a "tale".Arkin p.128–129 Benjamin Lambeth, however, insisted that it was far-fetched to suggest that the "authoritative Israeli leadership pronouncements" were not based on facts. He admitted however that there was "persistent uncertainty" surrounding the "few known facts and figures" concerning the alleged attacks.https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG835.html Air operations in Israel's war against Hezbollah: learning from Lebanon and getting it right in Gaza RAND Corporation Lambeth, Benjamin S. 2011 20 November 2012 Anthony Cordesman believed that IAF probably destroyed most medium- and long-range missiles in the first two days of the war but acknowledged that these claims "have never been validated or described in detail."Cordesman, 2007, p. 10 and 30 Hezbollah long remained silent on the question of its rockets, but on the sixth anniversary of the war, chairman Hassan Nasrallah asserted that Israel had missed them, claiming that Hezbollah had known about Israeli intelligence gathering and had managed to secretly move its platforms and launchers in advance.http://english.alahednews.com.lb/essaydetails.php?eid=20509&cid=444&st=Sayyed%20Nasrallah%20Speech%20on%206th%20Anniversary%20of%20Divine%20Victory#.UmqS4xBQhSI Sayyed Nasrallah Speech on 6th Anniversary of Divine Victory: "Israel's" Operation Was Qualitative Illusion Moqawama Nour Rida 18 July 2012 20 November 2012 thumb|Areas in Lebanon targeted by Israeli bombing, 12 July to 13 August 2006 During the war the Israeli Air Force flew 11,897 combat missions, which was more than the number of sorties during the 1973 October War (11,223) and almost double the number during the 1982 Lebanon War (6,052).Kober (2008), p. 23 The Israeli artillery fired 170,000 shells, more than twice the number fired in the 1973 October War.Kober (2008), p. 24 A senior officer in the IDF Armored Corps told Haaretz that he would be surprised if it turned out that even five Hezbollah fighters had been killed by the 170,000 shells fired.The Northern Command Ran Out of Targets Haaretz Amos Harel Avi Issacharoff 2 April 2007 cited in Human Rights Watch https://www.hrw.org/en/node/10734/section/11 VII. Israeli Conduct During the War Civilian Deaths Why They Died: Civilian Casualties in Lebanon During the 2006 War 6 September 2007 The Israeli Navy fired 2,500 shells.The war in numbers Jane's Defence Weekly 23 August 2006 The combined effect of the massive air and artillery bombardment on Hezbollah capacity to fire short-range Katyusha rockets on northern Israel was very meager. According to the findings of the post-war military investigations the IDF shelling succeeded only in destroying about 100 out of 12,000 Katyusha launchers. The massive fire led to a severe shortage of ammunition towards the end of the war.Rapaport (2010), p.19 Northern command had prepared a list before the war on potential Hezbollah targets, identified by the Israeli intelligence, to be struck in case of renewed hostilities. By the fourth day of the war the IDF ran out of targets, as all the 83 targets on the list had already been hit.https://www.haaretz.com/2012-10-13/ty-article/.premium/idf-preparing-for-next-lebanon-war/0000017f-e149-d804-ad7f-f1fb4dc40000 IDF preparing for next Lebanon war based on 'bank' of possible targets Haaretz Amos Harel 13 October 2012 8 November 2012 A high-ranking IDF officer told reporters off the record that the Israeli chief of staff Dan Halutz had ordered the air force to destroy ten 12-story buildings in the Southern suburbs of Beirut for every rocket that fell on Haifa. The statement was denied by the IDF spokesperson.https://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=29291 High-ranking officer: Halutz ordered retaliation policy The Jerusalem Post Katz Yaakov 24 July 2006 3 July 2013 Large parts of the Lebanese civilian infrastructure, however, were destroyed, including 640 km off 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. Some 130,000 more homes were damaged.https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/17/AR2006081700909_pf.html Mideast War, by the numbers Associated Press 18 August 2006 11 May 2011 The Washington Posthttp://www.eastvalleytribune.com/nation_world/article_48713234-0eb4-5085-830d-3a0dce115826.html Lebanon Refuses Contact With Israel Associated Press 30 August 2006 8 December 2015https://www.theguardian.com/israel/Story/0,,1856587,00.html Amnesty report accuses Israel of war crimes The Guardian London 23 August 2006 3 September 2006 David Fickling https://web.archive.org/web/20060824051357/http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0%2C%2C1856587%2C00.html 24 August 2006 live http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L24160480.htm Crayons, glass, litter floor of Lebanese school Reuters AlertNet 30 August 2006 3 September 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20061025033044/http://mobile.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L24160480.htm 25 October 2006 Hezbollah rocket attacks thumb|Map showing some of the localities in Israel and the Golan Heights hit by rockets fired from Lebanese soil as of Monday 7 August thumb|upright|Structural damage of a residential building in Kiryat Shmona after being hit by a rocket On 16 July, eight employees of the Israel Railways were killed by direct rocket hits on the Haifa train depot. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah defended the attacks, saying that Hezbollah initially had aimed its rockets on "military sites only". But since Israel, he said, had systematically bombed civilian targets he felt that Hezbollah had no choice but to answer in kind and target Israeli cities.HRW (August 2007), pp. 99–100 The attack on the Haifa depot was not the first civilian target to be hit by Hezbollah. Civilians in the border communities were hurt in the initial cover fire on IDF positions for the cross-border raid. Two Israeli civilians were killed in an attack near the air force base at Mount Meron on 14 July. Since Hezbollah rockets were not very accurate it is unclear whether civilians were intentionally targeted in these attacks. After the attack on Haifa, however, Hezbollah made no attempt to cover this fact. According to a Human Rights Watch study civilian Israeli targets were mentioned four times as often in official Hezbollah war time communiques as was military targets.HRW (August 2007), p. 11 Hezbollah TV station al-Manar warned both in Arabic and Hebrew specific Israeli communities for future rocket attacks.Ehrlich, p. 238 Similarly Hezbollah sent text messages to warn Israeli residents to evacuate their homes to avoid being targeted by rocket attacks.Cordesman (2007), p. 143 Israel published an alleged range card for upgraded Grad rocket launcher placed outside the village of Shihin in the Western sector of South Lebanon, issued by the Artillery Department of the elite Nasr Unit of Hezbollah. This list included 91 targets, 56 of whom were civilian and 27 were IDF posts or bases. The military targets had three-digit reference numbers while civilian targets had double-digit numbers.Ehrlich p. 166 During the war, the Hezbollah rocket force fired between 3,970 and 4,228 rockets at a rate of more than 100 per day, unprecedented since the Iran–Iraq War. About 95% of these were 122 mm Katyusha artillery rockets, which carried warheads up to 30 kg and had a range of up to 30 km.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5187974.stm Hezbollah's rocket force BBC News 18 July 2006 13 July 2008 An estimated 23% of these rockets hit cities and built-up areas across northern Israel, while the remainder hit open areas.https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/17/AR2006081700909_pf.html Mideast War, by the numbers The Washington Post Associated Press 18 August 2006 21 September 2010 Cities hit were Haifa, Hadera, Nazareth, Tiberias, Nahariya, Safed, Shaghur, Afula, Kiryat Shmona, Beit She'an, Karmiel, Acre, and Ma'alot-Tarshiha, as well as dozens of towns, kibbutzim, moshavim, and Druze and Israeli-Arab villages. The northern West Bank was also hit.https://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2006/07/19/world/middleeast/20060719_MIDEAST_GRAPHIC.html Major Attacks in Lebanon, Israel and the Gaza Strip 13 July 2008 14 August 2006 The New York Timeshttp://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3275609,00.html Woman, grandson killed in Meron rocket attack 13 July 2008 Greenberg Hannan Neta Sela Aviram Zino Ahiya Raved 14 July 2006 Yedioth Ahronoth https://web.archive.org/web/20080725161517/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0%2C7340%2CL-3275609%2C00.html 25 July 2008 deadLong-range rocket lands near Jenin 2 August 2006 Yedioth Ahronoth http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3285259,00.html 25 November 2011Glossary of Key Terms/Events in Israel's History 2009 Anti-Defamation League http://www.adl.org/Israel/advocacy/glossary/Lebanon_War_2006.asp https://web.archive.org/web/20090217225144/http://adl.org/israel/advocacy/glossary/Lebanon_War_2006.asp 17 February 2009 dead 7 May 2009 Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz ordered commanders to prepare civil defense plans. One million Israelis had to stay near or in bomb shelters or security rooms, with some 250,000 civilians evacuating the north and relocating to other areas of the country.http://www.jcpa.org/brief/brief006-10.htm Hizballah's Rocket Campaign Against Northern Israel: A Preliminary Report Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs 31 August 2006 13 July 2008 28 September 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180928175819/http://www.jcpa.org/brief/brief006-10.htm dead After the high number of Lebanese civilian casualties in the Qana airstrike, Israel announced a unilateral freeze in its air attacks on Lebanon. Hezbollah then halted its own rocket attacks on Israel. When Israel resumed its air attacks on Lebanon, Hezbollah followed suit and recommenced rocket attacks on Israeli targets.Harel and Issacharoff, p. 170 Hezbollah rocket attacks also targeted and succeeded in hitting military targets in Israel. The Israeli military censorship was, however, very strict and explicitly forbade Israel-based media from reporting such incidents. The wartime instruction to media stated that "The Military Censor will not approve reports on missile hits at IDF bases and/or strategic facilities."http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=30102 Censorship Policy Regarding Fighting in the North Independent Media Review Analysis Sima Vaknin-Gil 16 July 2006 23 September 2013 A notable exception was the rocket attack 6 August, on a company of IDF reservists assembling in the border community of Kfar Giladi, which killed twelve soldiers and wounded several others. Initially Israel did not confirm that the victims were military but eventually relented. On 6 August, two elderly Arab women in Haifa were killed, and an Arab man was mortally wounded, by Hezbollah rocket fire. The day after Hezbollah leader Nasrallah appealed to Haifa's Arab community to leave the city so as not be hurt.http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-08-09-mideast-nasrallah_x.htm Nasrallah urges Arabs to leave Haifa USA Today 9 August 2006 13 July 2008 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.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5242566.stm Hezbollah missile threat assessed Frank Gardner BBC News 3 August 2006 13 July 2008 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.https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/743763.html Justified, essential and timely Avraham Tal 14 August 2006 Haaretz 31 July 2006 https://archive.today/20060810092727/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/743763.html 10 August 2006 dead 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.Sam F. Ghattas Israel Batters Lebanese Seaports, Roads; Hezbollah Rockets Kill 8 in Haifa 16 July 2006 https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/16/AR2006071600067.htmlHizbullah: One of the rockets is a Ra'ad 1 16 July 2006 Yedioth Ahronoth http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3276411,00.html 25 November 2011 Ground war thumb|An Israeli soldier tosses a grenade into a Hezbollah bunker. thumb|IDF Caterpillar D9N armored bulldozers destroy a Hezbollah bunker. thumb|War map, "Hezbollah Defensive System in Southern Lebanon", 2006 Hezbollah engaged in guerrilla warfare with IDF ground forces, fighting from well-fortified positions, often in urban areas, and attacking with small, well-armed units. Hezbollah fighters were highly trained, and were equipped with flak jackets, night-vision goggles, communications equipment, and sometimes with Israeli uniforms and equipment. An Israeli soldier who participated in the war said that Hezbollah fighters were "nothing like Hamas or the Palestinians. They are trained and highly qualified. All of us were kind of surprised." During engagements with the IDF, Hezbollah concentrated on inflicting losses on the IDF, believing an unwillingness to absorb steady losses to be Israel's strategic weakness.http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%DD=860 The Jamestown Foundation: single Jamestown.org 29 May 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110418050331/http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1 18 April 2011 dead Hezbollah countered IDF armor through the use of sophisticated Iranian-made anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). According to Merkava tank program administration, 52 Merkava main battle tanks were damaged (45 of them by different kinds of ATGM), missiles penetrated 22 tanks, but only 5 tanks were destroyed, one of them by an improvised explosive device (IED). The Merkava tanks that were penetrated were predominantly Mark II and Mark III models, but five Mark IVs were also penetrated. All but two of these tanks were rebuilt and returned to service. The IDF declared itself satisfied with the Merkava Mark IV's performance during the war. Hezbollah caused additional casualties using ATGMs to collapse buildings onto Israeli troops sheltering inside. As a result, IDF units did not linger in any one area for an extended period of time. Hezbollah fighters often used tunnels to emerge quickly, fire an anti-tank missile, and then disappear again.https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/07/world/middleeast/07hezbollah.html The New York Times Steven Erlanger Richard A. Jr. Oppel A Disciplined Hezbollah Surprises Israel With Its Training, Tactics and Weapons 7 August 2006 25 November 2011 On 19 July a force from the Maglan special forces unit seized a fortified Hezbollah dugout adjacent to the Shaked post; two IDF soldiers and five Hezbollah operatives were killed in the battle.Gal Perl Finkel, The IDF vs subterranean warfare, The Jerusalem Post, 16 August 2016. Position of Lebanon Position of Lebanon in the 2006 Lebanon War Siniora Plan Foreign relations of Lebanon thumb|upright|Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora While the Israeli government initially held the Lebanese government responsible for the Hezbollah attacks due to Lebanon's failure to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 and disarm Hezbollah, Lebanon disavowed the raids, stating that the government of Lebanon did not condone them, and pointing out that Israel had a long history of disregarding UN resolutions. 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.Lebanese president gives full backing to Hezbollah https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/lebanese-president-gives-full-backing-to-hezbollah-1.618101 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 31 July 2006 13 July 2008Australian Broadcasting Corporation 11 August 2006 UN diplomacy may not end conflict: Lebanese President Brown Matt http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2006/s1712385.htm 25 November 2011 On 12 July 2006, PBS interviewed the Lebanese ambassador Farid Abboud to the United States and his Israeli counterpart. The interview discussed Hezbollah's connection to the Lebanese government.https://web.archive.org/web/20140115164420/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec06/israel_07-12.html 15 January 2014 dead https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec06/israel_07-12.html Ambassador Farid Abboud Interview PBS NewsHour Israel never declared war on Lebanon,http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About%20the%20Ministry/Behind%20the%20Headlines/Behind%20the%20Headlines-%20UN%20Security%20Council%20Resolution%201701%2012-Aug-2006.htm Behind the Headlines: UN Security Council Resolution 1701 Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs 12 August 2006 13 July 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080704211422/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About%2Bthe%2BMinistry/Behind%2Bthe%2BHeadlines/Behind%2Bthe%2BHeadlines-%2BUN%2BSecurity%2BCouncil%2BResolution%2B1701%2B12-Aug-2006.htm 4 July 2008 live http://abc.net.au/tv/btn/qanda/ https://web.archive.org/web/20070122041725/http://abc.net.au/tv/btn/qanda/ 22 January 2007 More About the History The Australian Broadcasting Corporation 22 August 2006 13 July 2008 and said it only attacked Lebanese governmental institutions which it suspected of being used by Hezbollah.http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/Behind+the+Headlines/Israels+counter+terrorist+campaign+-+FAQ+18-Jul-2006.htm#bombcivilians Behind the Headlines: Israel's counter terrorist campaign 15 August 2006 13 July 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080720173222/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About%2Bthe%2BMinistry/Behind%2Bthe%2BHeadlines/Israels%2Bcounter%2Bterrorist%2Bcampaign%2B-%2BFAQ%2B18-Jul-2006.htm 20 July 2008 live The Lebanese government played a role in shaping the conflict. On 14 July 2006, the office of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora issued a statement that called on US President George W. Bush to exert all his efforts on Israel to stop its attacks in Lebanon and reach a comprehensive ceasefire.Baker Peter Colum Lynch Bush Declines to Call for Israeli Cease-fire https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/14/AR2006071401785.html The Washington Post A16 15 July 2006 13 July 2008 In a televised speech the next day, Siniora called for "an immediate ceasefire backed by the United Nations." November 2014 A US–French 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 by the US and Israel. Many Lebanese accused the US government of stalling the ceasefire resolution and of support of Israel's attacks. In a poll conducted two weeks into the conflict, only 8% of the respondents felt that the US would support Lebanon, while 87% supported Hezbollah's fight against Israel.https://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0728/p06s01-wome.html Israeli strikes may boost Hezbollah base The Christian Science Monitor 28 July 2006 16 January 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110125215635/http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0728/p06s01-wome.html 25 January 2011 live After the attack on Qana, Siniora snubbed US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice by cancelling a meeting with her and thanked Hezbollah for its "sacrifices for the independence and sovereignty of Lebanon."https://web.archive.org/web/20090108012242/http://www.globalinsight.com/SDA/SDADetail6485.htm 8 January 2009 dead http://www.globalinsight.com/SDA/SDADetail6485.htm Civilian Deaths in Lebanon Provoke International Outcry, Israel Suspends Aerial Bombardment Globalinsight.com During the war, the Lebanese Armed Forces did not engage in direct hostilities, but threatened retaliation if IDF troops pushed too far northward into Lebanon. In several instances, Lebanese troops fired anti-aircraft weapons at Israeli aircraft and attempted to disrupt landing operations.Bengali, Shashank (9 August 2006), "Lebanese army saddled with several handicaps", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette During the first days of the war, Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr said that "the Lebanese army will resist and defend the country. If there is an invasion of Lebanon, we are waiting for them." However, the Lebanese Army mostly stayed out of the fighting. According to a Time editorial, "to have stood up to the advancing Israeli armored columns would have been suicidal."http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1223159,00,html Lebanese Army mostly stays out of fighting 25 November 2011July 2021 medicmedic On 7 August 2006, the seven-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.Kifner, John; Moumad, Jad (14 August 2006) "In a Political Move, Lebanon Offers an Army That All of Its Sects Can Accept: Its Own", The New York Times Psychological warfare Psychological warfare Information warfare Disinformation During the war, Hezbollah broadcaseted warnings in Hebrew and Arabic to specific Israeli communities regarding upcoming rocket attacks, and also sent text messages to warn Israeli residents to evacuate their homes to avoid being hit by rockets. Similarly, the Israeli Air Force dropped 17,000 leaflets over Lebanon in 47 missions, and sent more than 700,000 computerized voice messages. Many of them contained caricatures of Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah leading Lebanon to ruin and making civilians suffer, showing them as puppets of Iran and Syria, and calling on civilians to help remove Hezbollah. Another leaflet addressing Hezbollah fighters told them that they were lied to by their leaders, that they were "sent like sheep to be butchered, lacking military training and without proper combat gear", that they could not hope to face "highly trained soldiers that fight to protect their homeland, their people, and their home", referring to them as "mercenaries" without the support of the Lebanese public, and urging them to run and save their lives. On 26 July, Israel dropped leaflets containing illustrations of nine tombstones with the name of a dead Hezbollah fighter on each one, in response to Nasrallah "deceiving" people on the number of Hezbollah casualties. Another leaflet urged Hezbollah fighters to stop bleeding and fighting for Nasrallah, who sat safe in a bunker, to stop fighting against Lebanese national interests, and to return to their homes and families. On 11 August, Israel dropped leaflets accusing Hezbollah of hiding its "great losses", and containing the names of 90 to 100 Hezbollah fighters killed. Israeli technicians also hacked into Al-Manar and broadcast clips, criticizing Nasrallah, showing the bodies of Hezbollah fighters, footage from Israeli raids and airstrikes, and captured Hezbollah equipment.http://www.psywar.org/israellebanon.php Psychological Operations during the Israel–Lebanon War 2006 Psywar.org 16 January 2011 7 January 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110107123720/http://www.psywar.org/israellebanon.php dead Ceasefire Ceasefire attempts during the 2006 Lebanon War thumb|Israeli soldiers of the Nahal Brigade leaving Lebanon Terms for a ceasefire had been drawn and revised several times over the course of the conflict, yet successful agreement between the two sides took several weeks. Hezbollah maintained the desire for an unconditional ceasefire,Hezbollah wants an unconditional ceasefire 17 July 2006 CTV.ca https://web.archive.org/web/20110604123339/http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CTVNewsAt11/20060716/mideast_template_060717/ 4 June 2011 dead http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CTVNewsAt11/20060716/mideast_template_060717/ while Israel insisted upon a conditional ceasefire, including the return of the two seized soldiers.Israel sends instructions to Lebanon through Italy 16 July 2006 The Jerusalem Post https://www.jpost.com/International/Israel-sends-instructions-to-Lebanon-through-Italy 25 November 2011 Associated Press Lebanon frequently pleaded 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. Outsider efforts to interfere with a ceasefire only ended when it became apparent Hezbollah would not be easily defeated.Bolton admits Lebanon truce block 22 March 2007 BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6479377.stm 25 November 2011 On 11 August 2006 the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved UN Security Council Resolution 1701, in an effort to end the hostilities. It was accepted by the Lebanese government and Hezbollah on 12 August, and by the Israeli government on 13 August. The ceasefire took effect at 8:00 am (5:00 am GMT) on 14 August.Lebanon truce holds despite clashes 14 August 2006 CNN http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/14/mideast.main/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080613073546/http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/14/mideast.main/index.html 13 June 2008 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,http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/12/mideast.main/index.html UN: Cease-fire begins Monday 13 August 2006 12 August 2006 CNN https://web.archive.org/web/20060819041624/http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/12/mideast.main/index.html 19 August 2006 while a top Hezbollah official similarly denied any intention of disarming in the south. Israel said it would stop withdrawing from Southern Lebanon if Lebanese troops were not deployed there within a matter of days.https://web.archive.org/web/20151208023054/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/israel-to-halt-pullout-unless-lebanon-army-deploys.aspx?pageID=438&n=israel-to-halt-pullout-unless-lebanon-army-deploys-2006-08-17 8 December 2015 live http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/israel-to-halt-pullout-unless-lebanon-army-deploys.aspx?pageID=438&n=israel-to-halt-pullout-unless-lebanon-army-deploys-2006-08-17 Israel to halt pullout unless Lebanon army deploys Hurriyet Daily News Reuters 17 August 2006 7 December 2015 War crimes War crimes in the 2006 Lebanon War International incidents 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 proportionate, and guarantee that the military advantage of such attacks outweigh the possible harm done to civilians.Human Rights Watch (19 October 2006). "Lebanon/Israel: Hezbollah Hit Israel with Cluster Munitions During Conflict". Retrieved 11 March 2007. Violations of these laws are considered war crimes. Various groups and individuals accused both Israel and Hezbollah of violations of these laws during the conflict, and warned of possible war crimes.UN warning on Mid-East war crimes http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5197544.stm BBC News 20 July 2006 25 November 2011 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. No formal charges have been filed against either group.https://web.archive.org/web/20110429195149/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1164881823793 29 April 2011 dead https://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1164881823793 Study could acquit Israel of war crimes Associated Press The Jerusalem Post 5 December 2006 Amnesty International called on both Hezbollah and Israel to end attacks on civilian areas during the conflict,https://web.archive.org/web/20071114034757/http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGMDE150642006 14 November 2007 dead http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGMDE150642006 Israel / Lebanon: End immediately attacks against civilians Amnesty International 13 July 2006 and criticized attacks against civilian villages and infrastructure by Israel.https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde02/018/2006/en/ Israel–Lebanon Evidence indicates deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure 23 August 2006 Amnesty International They also highlighted IDF use of white phosphorus shells in Lebanon.https://web.archive.org/web/20071127013250/http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGIOR410122006 27 November 2007 dead http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGIOR410122006 UN: Security Council must adopt urgent measures to protect civilians in Israel–Lebanon conflict Amnesty Internationalhttps://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/070/2006/en/ Obligations under international humanitarian law of the parties to the conflict in Israel and Lebanon 26 July 2006 Amnesty International Human Rights Watch accused both parties of failing to distinguish between civilians and combatants, violating the principle of distinction, and committing war crimes.Human Rights Watch (August 2006). "Fatal Strikes: Israel's Indiscriminate Attacks Against Civilians in Lebanon". Retrieved 5 April 2007.Ynet News (3 August 2006). "Human rights group accuses Israel of war crimes". Retrieved 7 April 2007. Peter Bouckaert, a senior emergencies researcher for Human Rights Watch, stated that Hezbollah was "directly targeting civilians ... their aim is to kill Israeli civilians" and that Israel had not taken "the necessary precautions to distinguish between civilian and military targets."http://www.cfr.org/publication/11252/ Bouckaert: Both Israel and Hezbollah Committing 'War Crimes' Bernard Gwertzman Council on Foreign Relations 7 August 2006 25 November 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20081117033119/http://www.cfr.org/publication/11252/ 17 November 2008 deadhttp://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/07/18/lebano13760.htm Lebanon: Hezbollah Rocket Attacks on Haifa Designed to Kill Civilians 13 July 2008 18 July 2006 Human Rights Watch https://web.archive.org/web/20080711023201/http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/07/18/lebano13760.htm 11 July 2008 dead 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.https://web.archive.org/web/20081006043917/http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/08/30/global14155.htm 6 October 2008 dead http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/08/30/global14155.htm Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW): First Look at Israel's Use of Cluster Munitions in Lebanon in July–August 2006 Human Rights Watch 30 August 2006 UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland said Israel's response violated international humanitarian law, and criticized Hezbollah for "cowardly blending... among women and children."https://web.archive.org/web/20111204152425/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C205352%2C00.html 4 December 2011 dead http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205352,00.html UN Chief Accuses Hezbollah of 'Cowardly Blending' Among Refugees FOXNews Associated Press 24 July 2006 He also called Israel's use of over 100,000 cluster bombs "immoral". According to Egeland, 90% of such bombs were launched by Israel in the last 3 days of combat, when it was known that a UN resolution was on its way.https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=19670&Cr=Leban&Cr1 Israel's 'immoral' use of cluster bombs in Lebanon poses major threat – UN aid chief UN News Centre 30 August 2006 30 January 2012 thumb|IAF targeting a Katyusha rocket launcher Israel said that it tried to avoid civilians, and had distributed leaflets calling on civilian residents to evacuate,http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/13/mideast/index.html Israeli warplanes hit Beirut suburb Barbara Starr John Vause Anthony Mills CNN 14 July 2006 30 April 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070429061457/http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/13/mideast/index.html 29 April 2007 live but that Hezbollah stored weapons in and fired from civilian areas, making those areas legitimate targets,https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/05/world/middleeast/05mideast.html Greg Myre Offering Video, Israel Answers Critics on War The New York Times 5 December 2006 25 November 2011 and used civilians as human shields.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-2295625,00.html 2 June 2006 The Times UK Might in the air will not defeat guerillas in this bitter conflict Charles Heyman 29 March 2010September 2024 medicmedichttps://web.archive.org/web/20150319085947/http://www2.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=ae679beb-d2be-40a4-8e74-8e581c1bf1ca&k=16670 19 March 2015 http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=ae679beb-d2be-40a4-8e74-8e581c1bf1ca&k=16670 Hezbollah's deadly hold on heartland: Loved by many, accused by others of sacrificing civilians Verma Sonia 5 August 2006 CanWest Interactivehttp://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/116953 Declassified IDF Photos and Footage Expose Hizbullah Tactics Ezra HaLevi Arutz Sheva 6 December 2006 13 July 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080622170722/http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/116953 22 June 2008 livehttp://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3278026,00.html IDF: Hizbullah preventing civilians from leaving villages in southern Lebanon Yedioth Ahronoth 18 July 2006 25 November 2011 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.https://web.archive.org/web/20071113225600/http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGMDE020352006 13 November 2007 dead http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGMDE020352006 Israel/Lebanon: Further evidence of grave violations in Israel–Hizbullah conflict underlines urgent need for UN inquiry Amnesty International 21 November 2006http://hrw.org/reports/2006/lebanon0806/2.htm Fatal Strikes: Israel's Indiscriminate Attacks Against Civilians in Lebanon August 2006 Human Rights Watch 25 November 2011 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."https://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2007/09/06/isrlpa16781.htm Israel/Lebanon: Israeli Indiscriminate Attacks Killed Most Civilians 5 September 2007 Human Rights Watch 20 September 2014http://www.arabmediasociety.org/?article=20 Illegal attack or legitimate target? Israel attacks Al Manar February 2007 Arab Media & Society 25 November 2011 Although Israel maintained that the civilian infrastructure was "hijacked" by Hezbollah and used for military purposes,The Boston Globe (24 August 2006). "Amnesty International says Israel committed war crimes". Retrieved 7 September 2007. 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, and questioned whether the "military advantage anticipated from destroying" civilian infrastructure had been "measured against the likely effect on civilians."https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde18/007/2006/en/ Deliberate destruction or "collateral damage"? Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure 23 August 2006 Amnesty International They also stated that the Israeli actions suggested a "policy of punishing both the Lebanese government and the civilian population." 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. 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." Images obtained by the Sunday Herald Sun show that "Hezbollah is waging war amid suburbia. 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."https://web.archive.org/web/20090705202759/http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0%2C%2C19955774-5007220%2C00.html 5 July 2009 dead http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,19955774-5007220,00.html Photos that damn Hezbollah Chris Link 30 July 2006 Sunday Herald Sun Amnesty International stated, however, that the volume of civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure suggested that Israel was not just trying to target Hezbollah fighters. An AI spokesperson, Kate Gilmore, said that "[t]he pattern, scope and scale of the attacks makes Israel's claim that this was 'collateral damage', simply not credible".http://english.aljazeera.net/English/archive/archive?ArchiveId=35357 AI: Israel committed war crimes 27 August 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20070816190956/http://english.aljazeera.net/English/archive/archive?ArchiveId=35357 16 August 2007 "The evidence strongly suggests that the extensive destruction of power and water plants, as well as the transport infrastructure vital for food and other humanitarian relief, was deliberate and an integral part of a military strategy," Gilmore said. 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."Azoulay Yuval Panel to probe alleged IDF war crimes in Lebanon Haaretz 24 July 2007 https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/885676.html https://archive.today/20071001110707/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/885676.html 1 October 2007 13 July 2008 A 6 September 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.https://web.archive.org/web/20070927212049/http://www.wset.com/news/stories/0907/453157.html 27 September 2007 dead http://www.wset.com/news/stories/0907/453157.html Israel Blamed for Lebanese Civilian Deaths WSET (ABC News) Associated Press 6 September 2007 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(sic) military officials and even many political officials left the villages," he said. "Most Hizbollah(sic) 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."https://web.archive.org/web/20080112050528/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2938967.ece 12 January 2008 dead http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2938967.ece Hizbollah 'did not use civilians as cover' The Independent Mark Lavie 7 September 2007 On its final report, issued on 30 January 2008, the Israeli government's Winograd Commission concluded that the Israel Defense Forces did not commit violations or war crimes, as alleged by the Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and other NGOs. The Commission claimed that the evidence shows that the Israel Defense Forces did not target civilians, in contrast to Hezbollah and to denunciations by NGOs, and explained that terms like "war crimes" are without basis.NGO Monitor (31 January 2008), "Winograd Report: NGOs Use Human Rights in Propaganda War". Retrieved 7 May 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20080821132344/http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article/winograd_report_ngos_use_human_rights_in_propaganda_war 21 August 2008 16 May 2009. This report also acknowledged that Israel used cluster bombs illegally, stating that "Israel must consider whether it wants to continue using cluster bombs in the future, because its current manner of employing them does not conform to international law."Haaretz (31 January 2008), "Winograd: Current use of cluster bombs not in line with int'l law" Cluster and phosphorus munitions Convention on Cluster Munitions Both sides used cluster bombs during the conflict. Israel fired 4.6 million submunitions into dozens of towns and villages in southern Lebanon in 962 separate strikes, around 90% within the final 72 hours of the war, when the conflict already had been largely resolved by UN Security Council Resolution 1701.Human Rights Watch, February 2008 Flooding South Lebanon − Israel's Use of Cluster Munitions in Lebanon in July and August 2006, Volume 20, No. 2(E). On https://web.archive.org/web/20161116225812/https://www.hrw.org/reports/2008/lebanon0208/index.htm 16 November 2016. Summary Entire towns were covered in cluster bombs. The unguided rockets were fired from mobile rocket launching platforms. To compensate for the inaccuracy of the rockets, the areas were flooded with munitions.Meron Rappaport, "IDF commander: We fired more than a million cluster bombs in Lebanon". Haaretz, 12 September 2006 Israel claimed to have warned civilians prior to a strike, and that firing was limited to open areas or military targets inside urban areas.https://www.hrw.org/en/node/62428/section/10 Flooding South Lebanon Human Rights Watch 16 February 2008 16 January 2011 Israel used advanced cluster munitions produced by Israel Military Industries, and large numbers of older cluster bombs, some produced in the 1970s, purchased from aging American stockpiles. These were fired by multiple rocket launchers, 155 mm artillery guns, and dropped by aircraft. As many as 1 million submunitions failed to explode on impact, lingering as land mines that killed or maimed almost 200 people since the war ended.https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/02/17/israel-s-use-cluster-bombs-shows-need-global-ban Israel's Use of Cluster Bombs Shows Need for Global Ban Human Rights Watch 17 February 2008 16 January 2011 2011, munitions were still causing casualties and being cleared by volunteers.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/12/lebanon-women-clear-cluster-bombs London The Guardian Rachel Stevenson 'I feel like I've saved a life': the women clearing Lebanon of cluster bombs 12 August 2011 25 November 2011 Hezbollah fired 4,407 submunitions into civilian-populated areas of northern Israel in 113 separate strikes, using Chinese made Type-81 122 mm rockets, and Type-90 submunitions. These attacks killed one civilian and wounded twelve.https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2006/10/18/lebanonisrael-hezbollah-hit-israel-cluster-munitions-during-conflict Lebanon/Israel: Hezbollah Hit Israel with Cluster Munitions During Conflict Human Rights Watch 18 October 2006 16 January 2011 Human Rights Watch "found that the IDF's use of cluster munitions was both indiscriminate and disproportionate, in violation of international humanitarian law, and in some locations possibly a war crime" because "the vast majority [were dropped] over the final three days when Israel knew a settlement was imminent." After the ceasefire, parts of southern Lebanon remained uninhabitable due to Israeli unexploded cluster bomblets.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5382192.stm 'Million bomblets' in S Lebanon BBC News 26 September 2006 13 July 2008 Also phosphorus shells were used by the IDF to attack civilian areas in Lebanon.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5213026.stm bbc.co.uk: Israel urged to shun cluster bomb BBC News 20 September 2014 The shells were originally designed to generate a smoke screen in a battlefield situation, but white phosphorus is also especially harmful to humans because its burning will continue inside the flesh. The shelling was investigated as a violation of international law.https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde02/033/2006/en/ amnesty.org: Israel/Lebanon: Out of all proportion – civilians bear the brunt of the war 21 November 2006 Amnesty International Casualties and damage Casualties of the 2006 Lebanon War Total Lebanese casualties thumb|Lebanese IDPs in south Lebanon, 2006 The Lebanese civilian death toll is difficult to pinpoint as most published figures, including those released by the Lebanese government, do not distinguish between civilians and Hezbollah combatants. https://apnews.com/article/82ccc1313d4332f45e2dc09f6bd44989 Lebanon Sees More Than 1,000 War Deaths Associated Press Ghattas Sam F. 28 December 2006 20 December 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20220328125249/https://apnews.com/article/82ccc1313d4332f45e2dc09f6bd44989 March 28, 2022 In addition, Hezbollah fighters can be difficult to identify as many do not wear military uniforms. However, it has been widely reported that the majority of the Lebanese killed were civilians, and UNICEF estimated that 30% of Lebanese killed were children under the age of 13.UNICEF (9 August 2006). "The humanitarian challenge in Lebanon" https://web.archive.org/web/20070314062340/http://www.unicef.org/emerg/index_35274.html 14 March 2007 . Retrieved 10 March 2007. The Lebanese top police office and the Lebanon Ministry of Health, citing hospitals, death certificates, local authorities, and eyewitnesses, put the death toll at 1,123—37 soldiers and police officers, 894 identified victims, and 192 unidentified ones. The Lebanon Higher Relief Council (HRC) put the Lebanese death toll at 1,191, citing the health ministry and police, as well as other state agencies. The Associated Press estimated the figure at 1,035. In February 2007, the Los Angeles Times reported that at least 800 Lebanese had died during fighting,https://archive.today/20240819064942/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-feb-02-fg-probe2-story.html 19 August 2024 dead https://latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-probe2feb02,1,1213332.story?coll=la-headlines-world Israeli premier testifies on Hezbollah war Los Angeles Times Ken Ellingwood 2 February 2007 At least 800 Lebanese and more than 150 Israelis were killed. and other articles have estimated the figure to be at least 850.https://web.archive.org/web/20090323082422/http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/29/news/israel.php 23 March 2009 dead http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/29/news/israel.php Israel may have misused cluster bombs in Lebanon, U.S. says ((Reuters, Associated Press)) International Herald Tribune 29 January 2007https://web.archive.org/web/20101021105014/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/world/africa/01iht-troops.2989784.html 21 October 2010 dead http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/10/01/news/troops.php Israel completes pullout of troops from Lebanon Associated Press International Herald Tribune 1 October 2006 Encarta states that "estimates ... varied from about 850 to 1,200" in its entry on Israel,https://web.archive.org/web/20091028121116/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761575008_12/Israel.html 28 October 2009 dead http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761575008_12/Israel.html Israel (country) Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2007 while giving a figure of "more than 1,200" in its entry on Lebanon.https://web.archive.org/web/20091029080209/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761564963_10/Lebanon_%28country%29.html 29 October 2009 dead http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761564963_10/Lebanon_(country).html Lebanon (country) Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2007 The Lebanon Higher Relief Council estimated the number of Lebanese injured to be 4,409, 15% of whom were permanently disabled.Lebanon Higher Relief Council (21 November 2006). Rebuilding Lebanon Together... 100 days after https://web.archive.org/web/20070616025628/http://www.rebuildlebanon.gov.lb/images_Gallery/Rebuilding%20Lebanon%20Together-4.pdf 16 June 2007 . Retrieved 31 March 2007. The death toll estimates do not include Lebanese killed since the end of fighting by land mines or unexploded Israeli cluster bombs. Between the end of the war and November 2008, approximately 40 people were killed and over 270 injured by cluster bombs.Lyon Alistair https://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4AQ4CC20081127 Israel's Lebanon war showcased cluster bomb horrors Reuters 27 November 2008 16 January 2011 Hezbollah and other militias During the war Hezbollah kept a firm lid on its casualties. Although it did sometimes announce casualty numbers in specific clashes, the party did not publish a comprehensive estimate for the duration of the war. A tally made by Associated Press counted to 70 dead Hezbollah fighters officially acknowledged by the party during the war. Intelligence analysts Alastair Crooke and Mark Perry reported a few months after the war a total of 184 "Shiite martyr funerals" having been held in Lebanon since the war. They considered this number an indication of Hezbollah fatalities but warned that it could be revised upward in the future.Crooke and Perry (2006), Part 2 Four months after the end of the war the deputy chairman of the Hezbollah Political Council Mahmoud Qomati for the first time presented Hezbollah's official estimate of its losses. He claimed that 250 fighters had been killed in the war.https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Hizbullah-250-guerrillas-killed-in-war Hizbullah: 250 guerrillas killed in war The Jerusalem Post AP 15 December 2006 25 September 2013 The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) specifically studied 94 IDF air, artillery, and ground attacks during the war that claimed the lives of 561 persons. Only 51 of these victims were Hezbollah combatants and about half of them were women or children.HRW (September 2007), p. 5-6 HRW said it documented the identities of another 548 fatalities, bringing the total of identified Lebanese deaths in the war to 1109. It argued (as an extrapolation from those 94 attacks) that an estimated 250 of these were Hezbollah combatants and the remaining 860 were civilians.HRW (September 2007), p. 79 Lebanese officials cited in The Daily Telegraph estimated Hezbollah's losses at 500 killed. A UN official also estimated Hezbollah's losses at 500, though with not all of them being front-line fighters.The Telegraph (August 4, 2006). Teheran fund pays war compensation to Hizbollah familiesPeacekeeping force won't disarm Hizbollah, The Telegraph The Israeli Military Intelligence (AMAN) in November 2006 estimated that some 650 Hezbollah operatives were killed, while over 800 were wounded.Ehrlich (2006), p.56 Three years after the outbreak of war the Israel Foreign Affairs Ministry published a summary of the war which concluded that "over 600" Hezbollah fighters were killed in the war.http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Issues/Pages/The-Second-Lebanon-War-Three-years-later-12-Jul-2009.aspx Behind the Headlines: The Second Lebanon War-Three years later Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs 12 July 2009 16 October 2013 IDF Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror claimed that IDF had identified the names and addresses of 440 members of Hezbollah who were killed in the war. Based on this number he estimated that the total amounted killed in the war to between 500 and 700.https://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=48315 Lebanon II – the fallout The Jerusalem Post Yaakov Amidror 12 August 2013 25 September 2013 Yaakov Amidror According to the Yedioth Ahronoth Encyclopedia of the Second Lebanon War, the main reason for the discrepancy between Lebanese and Israeli estimates of the number of Hezbollah fatalities during the war (300 versus 700, respectively) was that the former included only Hezbollah military while the latter also included civilian members of Hezbollah.http://www.ynet.co.il/yaan/0,7340,L-799018-Nzk5MDE4XzE3NTE2NzU0Nl8xNDg2ODcyMDAeq-FreeYaan,00.html מלחמת לבנון השנייה (The second Lebanon war) Yedioth Ahronoth 11 January 2022 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20141218184133/https://www.ynet.co.il/yaan/0,7340,L-799018-Nzk5MDE4XzE3NTE2NzU0Nl8xNDg2ODM2MDAeq-FreeYaan,00.html 18 December 2014 Quote: במלחמה נהרגו על פי הערכות שונות בין 300 ל-700 לוחמי חיזבאללה ונפצעו כ-1,000 ההבדל בין מקורות ישראלים ללבנוניים ביחס למספר הנפגעים נובע בעיקר מן ההבחנה הלבנונית בין פעילי חיזבאללה "אזרחיים" לבין פעילים "צבאיים"; כאשר רק האחרונים נכללים במניין ההרוגים מקרב הלוחמים. (According to different estimates, between 300 and 700 Hezbollah fighters were killed and about 1,000 wounded. The difference between Israeli and Lebanese sources concerning the number of casualties is mainly due to the Lebanese distinction between "civilian" Hezbollah operatives and "military" operatives, with only the latter being included in the death toll of the fighters.) The Amal movement, a Shiite militia that fought alongside Hezbollah, suffered 17 dead. Armed elements of the Lebanese Communist Party suffered twelve dead. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command, a Palestinian militia, lost two fighters in an Israeli air raid.Timeline of the July War 2006 http://www.dailystar.com.lb/July_War06.asp https://web.archive.org/web/20060928081123/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/July_War06.asp 28 September 2006 The Daily Star 28 September 2006 AFP Hezbollah commanders Cordesman (2007) wrote that some IDF officers claimed that "significant parts of the key [Hezbollah] leaders and cadres were killed or captured but Israel has given no details of such successes since the war".Cordesman (2007), p.16 On 19 July, a suspected bunker in southern Beirut was attacked with 23 tons of bombs. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/20/world/africa/20iht-web.0720mideastfront.2247686.html Death toll rises in Mideast fight; bunker bombed Jad Mouawad and Steven Erlanger The New York Times 20 July 2006 20 December 2021 Israeli intelligence leaked that 12 senior Hezbollah members had attended a meeting in the bunker and that among those killed was military chief Imad Mughniya. http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=30354 ISRAEL SUGGESTS HIZBULLAH INTEL CHIEF KILLED Middle East Newsline 28 July 2006 20 December 2021 Chairman Hassan Nasrallah himself was said to have been wounded in the attack. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3276362,00.html Nasrallah wounded in IAF attack? Ynetnews.com Roee Nahmias 17 July 2006 20 December 2021 The IDF also claimed to have killed Abu Jaafar, the regional commander of central sector, in a clash in or air strike on Maroun ar-Ras. http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/25/mideast/index.html Hezbollah, Israel exchange missiles, rockets CNN Sanjay Gupta John Vause Karl Penhaul John King Nic Robertson Christiane Amanpour John Roberts Fionnuala Sweeney Anthony Mills Schams Elwazer Paul Courson Dana Bash 26 July 2006 20 December 2021 https://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1153291993055 Army seals off Hizbullah stronghold of Bint Jbail jpost.com YAAKOV KATZ 25 July 2006 25 May 2021 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060908005221/http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1153291993055 8 September 2006 https://www.jpost.com/israel/at-least-28-wounded-in-bint-jbail At least 28 wounded in Bint Jbail jpost.com YAAKOV KATZ 26 July 2006 20 December 2021 Sheikh Nabil Qaouk, commander in South Lebanon was reportedly killed in a missile strike on a building in Tyre, where 13 civilians were wounded. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-07-25-lebanon-fighting_x.htm MIDEAST FIGHTING CASUALTIES USATODAY AP 27 July 2006 20 December 2021 All of these supposedly dead Hezbollah leaders later appeared in public seemingly unscathed.On commander Abu Jaafar, see Crooke and Perry, Part 2 By the end of July, IDF claimed that about 40, mostly anonymous, "top-level commanders and officials" had been killed. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3283102,00.html IDF leaves Bin Jbeil area ynetnews.com Greenberg Hanan 29 July 2006 25 May 2021 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071024093758/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3283102,00.html 24 October 2007 IDF also named a few Hezbollah commanders who could not identified after the war, such as Jihad Attiya, said to be a logistical coordinator and Nour Shalhoub, a supposed arms transporter. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3284343,00.html IDF: Over 200 Hizbullah casualties ynetnews.com Greenberg Hanan 31 July 2006 20 December 2021 In the beginning of August IDF reported that several "senior Hezbollah operatives" were killed in a commando raid on a building in Tyre. https://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/commando-raid-in-tyre-kills-senior-hezbollah-operatives-1.194492 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924220356/http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/commando-raid-in-tyre-kills-senior-hezbollah-operatives-1.194492 dead 24 September 2015 Commando raid in Tyre kills senior Hezbollah operatives Haaretz Amos Harel 6 August 2006 23 January 2012 Four years later IDF admitted that the senior Hezbollah figure, who was the target of the raid, was not killed but had escaped. https://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/elite-shayetet-unit-often-carries-army-s-heaviest-most-secretive-burdens-1.293406 https://web.archive.org/web/20100602222247/http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/elite-shayetet-unit-often-carries-army-s-heaviest-most-secretive-burdens-1.293406 dead 2 June 2010 Elite Shayetet unit often carries army's heaviest, most secretive burdens Amos Harel 1 June 2010 23 January 2012 During the war, Hezbollah never commented on these issues or simply offered flat denials. But shortly after the war (27 August), Hezbollah General-Secretary Hassan Nasrallah gave an interview to New TV, In this interview he conceded that between ten and twelve Hezbollah commanders had been killed in the war. None of the first or second levels of the leadership were harmed. But three commanders of the third level were killed; an operations officer in the Bint Jbeil axis, a logistics officer and a third commander involved in the military side of the party. In addition three or four town commanders and four or five village commanders were killed in the war.Noe, Nicholas, Voice of Hezbollah, the statements of Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, Verso, London and New York, 2007, p. 398–99 Nasrallah did not mention any names but the killed commanders were later identified by Hezbollah newspaper Al-Intiqad (and later republished by Hezbollah magazine al-Ahed). The three slain mid-level leaders were dubbed the "Three Knights" of the Islamic Resistance: Khalid Bazzi ("al-Hajj Qasim") from Bint Jbeil was chief of operations in the Bint Jbeil area, including Maroun al-Ras, Aynata, Aytaroun and Bint Jbeil. He led the operation where two Israeli soldiers were captured. He was killed 29 July 2006 in an air strike on a house in the old city of Bint Jbeil, together with two other Hezbollah members. https://archive.alahednews.com.lb/details.php?id=320270 عروج الفرسان الثلاثة : الشهيد القائد خالد بزي "قاسم" (The Ascendance of the Three Knights: Martyr Commander Khalid Bazzi "Qasim") al-Intiqad 17 August 2007 10 August 2020 Bazzi's death or significant role was never commented on by Israel. Muhammad Qanso ("Sajid ad-Duwayr") from the village of ad-Duwayr was a commander in the Hezbollah Special Force, who replaced Bazzi as commander of Bint Jbeil sector. He was killed 11 August in an air raid outside the village of Beit Yahoun, about five kilometres to the north of Bint Jbeil. https://archive.alahednews.com.lb/details.php?id=320269 عروج الفرسان الثلاثة : القائد الشهيد الحاج محمد قانصوه "ساجد الدوير" (The Ascendance of the Three Knights: Martyr Commander Al-Hajj Muhammad Qanso "Sajid ad-Duwayr" al-Intiqad 17 August 2007 17 August 2020 Muhammad Sorour ("Jihad al-'Amili") from Ayta ash-Sha'b was a logistics officer. He was killed in an air raid on the village of Barish on 25 July. https://archive.alahednews.com.lb/details.php?id=320268 عروج الفرسان الثلاثة :الشهيد القائد محمد وهبي سرور "جهاد العاملي" : صهوة الفرس عروج (The Ascendance of the Three Knights: Martyr Commander Muhammad Wahbi Surour "Jihad al-'Amili") al-Intiqad 17 August 2007 17 August 2020 Sorour's death was never commented on by Israel. "Sajid ad-Duwayr" was the only dead Hezbullah commander correctly identified by IDF during the war. However, IDF did not learn his true identity (Muhammad Qanso) and got both the time and the place of his death wrong. He has not killed in the morning of 14 August and was not killed in either Bint Jbeil or Beirut's southern suburbs. And he was "a" commander, not "the" commander of Hezbollah Special Force.http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3291852,00.html IDF: Senior Hizbullah man killed before truce ynet 16 August 2006 Greenberg Hanan https://www.haaretz.com/news/idf-troops-killed-top-hezbollah-man-minutes-before-cease-fire-1.195238 https://web.archive.org/web/20110522043002/http://www.haaretz.com/news/idf-troops-killed-top-hezbollah-man-minutes-before-cease-fire-1.195238 dead 22 May 2011 IDF: Troops killed top Hezbollah man minutes before cease-fire Haaretz The Associated Press and Gideon Alon 16 August 2006 3 January 2012 Muhammad Abu Ta'am was commander of Hezbollah forces in the town Bint Jbeil. He was killed in the same air strike as sector commander Khalid Bazzi.http://www.bintjbeil.org/index.php?show=news&action=article&id=3063 خالد بزي (قاسم) يكتب ملحمة بنت جبيل (Khalid Bazzi (Qasim) writes the Bint Jbeil epic) al-Akhbar Kamil Jabir 29 July 2007 3 January 2012 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110216104912/http://www.bintjbeil.org/index.php?show=news&action=article&id=3063 16 February 2011 Two Hezbollah commanders were killed in battles around Wadi Hujeir/Wadi Sulouqi. Rani Adnan Bazzi died in hand-to-hand combat, together with seven of his men, in the town of al-Ghandouriya, controlling the strategic wadi crossing. A further three fighters were wounded in the battle and one of them were taken prisoner by the IDF.http://www.assafir.com/MulhakArticle.aspx?EditionId=732&MulhakArticleId=9201&MulhakId=367 (Resistance martyrs in al-Ghandouriya) شهداء المقاومة في الغندورية as-Safir 5 September 2007 26 October 2012June 2016 Commander Ali Mahmoud Salih ("Bilal") fought singlehandedly further up the wadi, firing ATGM rockets at the advancing Israeli tanks. In the end he was severely wounded by a drone strike and died some time later from his wounds.Ali Saleh: Destroying the Merkava Myth Mohamed Nazzal 12 July 2012 Al Akhbar http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/ali-saleh-destroying-merkava-myth 11 October 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131012030319/http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/ali-saleh-destroying-merkava-myth 12 October 2013 dead Hezbollah prisoners On 21 July, Israel Chief-of-Staff Dan Halutz presented one of the objective of the war as the "taking terrorists alive."Harel and Issacharoff p127 He repeatedly ordered Israeli troops during the war to capture Hezbollah bodies "to show to the media".Harel and Issacharoff, p.270 On 24 July the IDF announced that it had captured two Hezbollah fighters in Battle of Maroun al-Ras, the first it had captured in the war. According to Brig.Gen. Alon Friedman the prisoners were held in Israel. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/24/AR2006072400597_pf.html Israeli Forces Push Deeper Into Lebanon The Washington Post Gannon Kathy July 24, 2006 August 13, 2013 http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/24/mideast/index.html Israel takes aim at Hezbollah stronghold CNN July 26, 2006 August 13, 2013 During a raid on Baakbek on 1 August, the IDF captured five Lebanese citizens, described by the IDF as "known Hezbollah gunmen".https://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=30380 Raid 'sends message' to Hizbullah The Jerusalem Post 2 August 2006 All five were later identified as civilians and released three weeks later.The Israeli Secret Services and the Struggle Against Terrorism 2009 Columbia University Press 978-0231140423 132 https://books.google.com/books?id=jhKCiqvUDkEC&pg=PA132 Israel claimed to have captured five Hezbollah fighters August 3, during a clash in Rajamin in which three Israeli soldiers were killed. Thursday's victims laid to rest The Jerusalem Post Katz Yaakov 2 August 2006 On 8 August, Israel announced that it had also captured five Hezbollah "terrorists" in the Bint Jbeil area. The fighters were caught while sleeping and were carrying heavy weapons. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/109500#.UD_ERXJ62So Heavy Fighting in Southern Lebanon; Sleeping Terror Cell Caught Israel National News Hillel Fendel 8 August 2006 August 13, 2013 A few days after the ceasefire IDF launched a second, seemingly unsuccessful, raid on Baalbek that led to the death of Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Moreno. According to The Jerusalem Post, two Hezbollah fighters were reportedly taken prisoner in the raid. https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=32411 Our World: Emanuel Moreno's legacy CAROLINE GLICK August 22, 2006 August 13, 2013 Most of the alleged Hezbollah fighters apprehended by IDF during the war, later turned out to be ordinary Lebanese civilians. At the end of the war, Israel held only four Hezbollah fighters as prisoners (plus a civilian Hezbollah member and former fighter). None of them were commanders or Iranians. They were released in a prisoner swap with Israel in 2008. Israel had also seized the bodies of twelve dead Hezbollah fighters and brought them to Israel. They were returned to Lebanon in the prisoner exchange.https://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-to-hezbollah-forget-palestinian-prisoners-in-swap-for-idf-soldiers-1.246116 https://web.archive.org/web/20101203061806/http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-to-hezbollah-forget-palestinian-prisoners-in-swap-for-idf-soldiers-1.246116 dead 3 December 2010 Israel to Hezbollah: Forget Palestinian prisoners in swap for IDF soldiers Yossi Melman 19 May 2008 20 October 2011https://www.haaretz.com/news/israel-frees-one-of-5-hezbollah-guerillas-two-bodies-of-militants-1.231075 https://web.archive.org/web/20100714155022/http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel-frees-one-of-5-hezbollah-guerillas-two-bodies-of-militants-1.231075 dead 14 July 2010 Israel frees one of 5 Hezbollah guerillas, two bodies of militants 15 October 2007 Haaretz 20 July 2011 Lebanese Armed Forces Though rarely engaged in combat, 43 Lebanese soldiers and policemen were killed. Israeli civilians Hezbollah rockets and mortars killed 44 Israeli civilians during the conflict, including a severely wounded Haifa resident who died from his wounds more than a year after the war. In addition four elderly died of heart attacks during rocket attacks. At least 19 of the 46 Israeli civilians killed by Hezbollah rockets and mortars were Israeli Arabs (mainly Sunni Muslims).https://web.archive.org/web/20070219113958/http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/IsraelUnderAttack/Lebanon%2BNorth/attacklebanonnorth.htm 19 February 2007 dead http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/IsraelUnderAttack/Lebanon+North/attacklebanonnorth.htm Listing of all Israeli casualties in 2006 Lebanon war with photos Israel, Prime Minister's Office http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3288289,00.html Listing of all Israeli casualties in 2006 Lebanon war with links to corresponding reports ynet.co.il 14 August 2006 25 November 2011 The last civilian victim was an Israeli-Arab man who died on 30 August 2007, from injuries sustained in a rocket attack on Haifa.http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3443649,00.html Man wounded in Second Lebanon War dies Yedioth Ahronoth 6 August 2006 23 February 2012 Raved Ahiya In addition, 4,262 civilians were injured—33 seriously wounded, 68 moderately, 1,388 lightly, and 2,773 suffered from shock and anxiety. 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."Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director "Hezbollah's Rockets and Civilian Casualties." CounterPunch via Human Rights Watch website 22 September 2006 + Israeli Military and Civilian casualties in the 2006 Lebanese warhttp://ico.walla.co.il/w6/v/special/vinograd.pdf The final Winograd Commission report, pp. 597–610 (Hebrew) 3 September 2013 3 October 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20181003191815/http://ico.walla.co.il/w6/v/special/vinograd.pdf dead Date Soldiers Civilians Rockets fired on IsraelKilledWoundedCapturedKilledWounded12 July84222213 July226712514 July4221910315 July41610016 July178774717 July289218 July112113619 July21521811620 July58163421 July13529722 July73512923 July2459424 July4271711125 July1026010126 July83113216927 July63810928 July101911129 July7108630 July88115631 July122561 August31242 August1411882303 August4228762134 August3253971945 August2704591706 August123541501897 August335121858 August674101369 August151863616610 August212322115511 August1762612312 August24131246413 August9203110521714 August37215 August2Total119124424313843990 Israeli civilians killed by Hezbollah rocket attacks, 12 July – 13 August 2006 (black) vs. the ethnic composition at the North of Israel (pink): Israel Defense Forces A total of 121 IDF soldiers were killed in the war, including the two soldiers who were seized in the cross-border raid that started the war. Their fates were not confirmed until their bodies were exchanged for Lebanese prisoners in 2008.Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Israel–Hizbullah conflict: Victims of rocket attacks and IDF casualties" https://web.archive.org/web/20090624211414/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-%20Obstacle%20to%20Peace/Terrorism%20from%20Lebanon-%20Hizbullah/Israel-Hizbullah%20conflict-%20Victims%20of%20rocket%20attacks%20and%20IDF%20casualties%20July-Aug%202006.htm 24 June 2009 . Retrieved 9 March 2007. Of the IDF fatalities, 68 were privates or Non-Commission Officers, 27 Warrant Officers and 26 Officers (9 Lieutenants, 8 Captains, 8 Majors and one Colonel). Matériel losses in the Israeli Defense Forces accounted for fewer than 20Lessons of the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah War – A. Cordesman & William D. Sulivan. 157p, "Israeli main battle tanks destroyed: 20 (6 to mines, 14 to anti tanks guided missiles-- all Merkava 2,3, or 4)"; retrieved 20 July 2015. tanks, depending in the source. Five tanks were damaged beyond repair ('lasting vehicle kills'), 22 tanks received armor penetrations, and 52 tanks suffered some form of damage.Cordesman Sullivan 2007 110 "Only 5–6 of all types represented a lasting vehicle kill"https://web.archive.org/web/20140819221052/http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-1000127813 19 August 2014 dead http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-1000127813 Defense establishment favors Rafael tank protection system Globes Barzilai Amnon 30 August 2006 The Merkava tank program administration said five of the damaged tanks cannot be returned to service, including two Merkava Mark II and one Mark III 6 December 2015 Other sources claim 20 main battle tanks were destroyed (6 to mines, 14 to anti-tank guided missiles—all Merkava II, III or IV). Three helicopters were lost to accidents and one to Hezbollah missile fire. One fixed-wing F-16 was lost during take-off.Lessons of the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah War – A. Cordesman & William D. Sulivan. 122p, "However, the IAF lost only one aircraft in combat and four in accidents. Three AH-64 Apaches were lost. One, a AH-64 Longbow that was lost as a result of a technical problem, and two AH-64 were lost in a midair collision caused by pilot error. An F-16 crashed during takeoff after a tire failure. The only combat loss was a CH-53 transport helicopter that have just unloaded troops and was struck during take off by a Chinese QW-1 light SAM "; retrieved 20 July 2015. Three Hermes 450 drones were lost during the war, two by technical difficulties and one by an operator error.https://www.flightglobal.com/israel-praises-uav-abilities-during-operation-change-of-direction-anti-hezbollah-lebanon-campaign/69279.article Israel praises UAV abilities during Operation Change of Direction anti-Hezbollah Lebanon campaign Flight Global Arie Egozi 29 August 2006 On 14 July, a Hezbollah operated a Chinese C-802 anti-ship missile, that struck the Israeli Navy's flagship INS Hanit killing 4 sailors and damaging the warshiphttps://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3458845,00.html Exclusive: Photos of navy ship hit during war revealed Hanan Greenberg Yedioth Ahronoth 11 October 2007 ynetnews.comCordesman (2007), p.131 on the waterline, under the aft superstructure.Hezbollah missile hits Navy ship off Beirut coast 14 July 2006 Haaretz https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/738695.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060718032259/http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/738695.html 18 July 2006 Missile, Not Drone, Hit Israeli Warship 15 July 2006 The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/worldlatest/story/0,,-5952824,00.html London dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060716154601/http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0%2C%2C-5952824%2C00.html 16 July 2006 https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/world/middleeast/01rockets.html Striking Deep into Israel, Hamas Employs an Upgraded Arsenal Mark Mazzetti The New York Times 31 December 2008 17 July 2015 The attack set the flight deck on fire and crippled the propulsion systems inside the hull.INS Hanit Suffers Iranian Missile Attack 17 July 2006 Defense Update http://www.defense-update.com/2006/07/ins-hanit-suffers-iranian-missile.html 17 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150722010225/http://www.defense-update.com/2006/07/ins-hanit-suffers-iranian-missile.html 22 July 2015 dead However, INS Hanit stayed afloat, withdrew and made the rest of the journey back to Ashdod port for repairs under its own power.Strike on Israeli Navy Ship 19 July 2006 NAVSEA http://www.dcfp.navy.mil/mc/articles/other/INSHanit.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20070211102659/http://www.dcfp.navy.mil/mc/articles/other/INSHanit.htm 11 February 2007 The four crew members killed during the attack were: Staff Sergeant Tal Amgar, Corporal Shai Atas, Sergeant Yaniv Hershkovitz, and First Sergeant Dov Steinshuss.Middle East Crisis: Hezbollah-Israel conflict wrap 15 July 2006 Spero News http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=4398 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071004212418/http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=4398 4 October 2007 UN personnel International incidents during the 2006 Lebanon War Four United Nations Military Observers were killed and several more wounded. Environmental and archeological damage Jiyeh power station oil spill thumb|upright|Image from space showing Jiyyeh oil slick in darkest blue, picture centered on Beirut. The largest oil spill in the history of the Mediterranean, it was caused by an Israeli air strike on Jiyeh power station on 10 August 2006. thumb|right|A burnt forest in northern Israel caused by Hezbollah rockets On 13 July 2006, and again on 15 July, the Israeli Air Force bombed the Jiyeh power station, 30 km south of Beirut, resulting in the largest-ever oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea.http://www.seattlepi.com/opinion/284404_focussecond10.html After the bombs, environmental calamity Steiner Richard Seattle Post-Intelligencer 10 September 2006May 2016 medicmedic 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.https://web.archive.org/web/20060823180619/http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/09CB9736-6131-403E-A4CA-1033CD1107D5.htm 23 August 2006 dead http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/09CB9736-6131-403E-A4CA-1033CD1107D5.htm UN sounds Lebanon oil spill alarm Al Jazeera 8 August 2006 A 10 km mi -wide mid oil slick covered 170 km (105 statute miles) of coastline,Crisis talks on Lebanon oil spill 16 August 2006 BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4798965.stm 25 November 2011 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5255966.stm 'Damage is done' to Lebanon coast 8 August 2006 BBC News Mark Kinver 25 November 2011 and threatened Turkey and Cyprus. The slick killed fish including the Atlantic bluefin tuna, a species already nearing extinction in the Mediterranean, and threatened the habitat of the endangered green sea turtle.National Geographic (31 July 2006). "Lebanon Oil Spill Makes Animals Casualties of War". Retrieved 8 December 2006. It also potentially increased the risk of cancer in humans. An additional 25,000 tons of oil burned at the power station, creating a "toxic cloud" that rained oil downwind. The Lebanese government estimated it would take 10 years to recover from the damage of the strike. The UN estimated the cost for the initial clean-up at $64 million. Hezbollah rocket attacks caused numerous forest fires inside northern Israel, particularly on the Naftali mountain range near Kiryat Shmona."Rocket Attacks in Kiryat Shmona, Israel; Israel Cabinet Decides Against Expanding Offensive; Ominous New Message From Ayman al- Zawahiri." CNN American Morning. 27 July 2006.CNN.com As many as 16500 acre km2 of land, including forests and grazing fields, were destroyed by Hezbollah rockets.https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14153579 Nature falls victim to Hezbollah rocket attacks 13 July 2008 Associated Press 2 August 2006 The Jewish National Fund estimated that it would take 50 to 60 years to rehabilitate the forests.More Press for JNF's Work in the North Jewish National Fund 9 August 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20081120221045/http://www.jnf.net/blogs/securityblanket/2006/08/more_press_for_jnfs_work_in_th/ 20 November 2008 dead http://www.jnf.net/blogs/securityblanket/2006/08/more_press_for_jnfs_work_in_th/ Israeli bombing also caused significant damage to the World Heritage Sites of Tyre and Byblos. In Tyre 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 and were considered to be difficult to clean. Damage was also caused to remains at Bint Jbeil and Chamaa, and to the Temple of Bacchus in Baalbek.http://biblicalarchaeology.org/bswbOOnews_warupdate.html Biblical Archaeology society https://web.archive.org/web/20070602142346/http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/bswbOOnews_warupdate.html 2 June 2007Roy Sharp Bombs shatter Lebanon's Roman legacy https://web.archive.org/web/20080821193220/http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0%2C%2C1874509%2C00.html 21 August 2008 live https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/sep/17/syria.artsnews The Observer London 17 September 2006 UNESCO Mission reports on war damage to cultural heritage in Lebanon http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=34765&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html UNESCO 18 September 2006 24 January 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080220015755/http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID%3D34765%26URL_DO%3DDO_TOPIC%26URL_SECTION%3D201.html 20 February 2008 live Mike Di Paola Israel–Hezbollah War Endangers Archaeological Sites, Ecosystems https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aZ.RdJiT_3GY&refer=home Bloomberg 15 August 2006 24 January 2008 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080413162716/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088 13 April 2008 Industrial damage Damage to various industries occurred during the war. This includes Lebanon's largest dairy farm Liban Lait in the Bekka area, the Maliban Glassworks in Tannayel, Dalal Industries (a factory which produces prefabricated homes),http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=74508 Israeli strikes deal major blow to Bekaa's working class 5 August 2006 6 August 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060813132725/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=74508 13 August 2006 live a dealership for Procter & Gamble,http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=74508 Israeli strikes deal major blow to Bekaa's working class The Daily Star 5 August 2006 5 August 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060813132725/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=74508 13 August 2006 live two electricity transformers in south Lebanon cutting off power to the city of Tyrehttp://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3289889,00.html Israeli warplanes plunge Tyre into darkness 11 August 2006 12 August 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060812221235/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0%2C7340%2CL-3289889%2C00.html 12 August 2006 live and fuel tanks of an oil-fired power station in Jiyeh.http://archive.wn.com/2006/08/21/1400/israelpower/ Israel Power 5 September 2006 A report from the Lebanese Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) said that the IDF bombing campaign had destroyed more than 900 small and medium enterprises with damage to Lebanon's civilian infrastructure estimated close to US$2.5 billion. The material damage to the private sector was estimated at $200 million with an anticipated increase in that figure due to cancelled contracts.http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=74614 Material damage to private sector put at $200 million 10 August 2006 12 August 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060811221459/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=74614 11 August 2006 live Other repair and rebuilding costs resulting from the bombing include power supplies ($208m), telecoms ($99m), water ($74m) and military installations ($16m). The Lebanese national airline, MEA, had also been grounded for the duration of the conflict. Agricultural activity, particularly in south Lebanon, was abandoned due to the fighting and bombing of the irrigation system.Reconstruction alone estimated at $7bn in Lebanon 16 August 2006 The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/international/story/0,,1851049,00.html London Brian Whitaker 25 April 2010 Tourism, which accounts for 15% of Lebanon's GDP, has been severely disrupted by the conflict. Damage to communal and business infrastructure, the Israeli-imposed sea-and-air blockade and continued instability is preventing and deterring tourists. Foreign visitors had been expected to bring in $2.5 to $3 billion US during 2006. IDF bombing has damaged irrigation canals, open water channels, and underground water diversion pipes which run Litani River water to more than 10000 acre km2 of farmland, villages in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. These attacks have been criticised as an attempt to "lay claim to Lebanon's prime watersheds". Attacks on the Litani Dam were also criticised. Israeli officials explained the damage to the water infrastructures was unintentional and collateral to attacks on roads and bridges used by Hezbollah.https://latimes.com/news/printedition/la-fg-litani10aug10,1,917757.story?ctrack=1&cset=true Old Feud Over Lebanese River Takes New Turn 8 August 2006 Murphy Kim 10 August 2006 The Environment Los Angeles Times The international journalists' representative body, Reporters without Borders, reported that, to its knowledge, the IDF had damaged transmitting equipment in the Satka area of Beirut and reduced the premises of Al Manar to ruins.http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/136513/1/ Lebanon: 7 Media Workers Injured in 48 Hours of Fighting Glantz Aaron 15 July 2006 OneWorld.net https://web.archive.org/web/20060718174102/http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/136513/1/ 18 July 2006 dead The IDF contend that the Al-Manar TV facilities which they bombed represent the propaganda arm of Hezbollah and were a legitimate target for the IDF military. Reporters Without Borders disputes this saying that the station "cannot be viewed as [a] military" target.http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=18386 Reporters Without Borders in Beirut to express solidarity with Lebanese media Reporters without Borders 27 July 2006 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080610170228/http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=18386 10 June 2008 A statement issued by the Israeli Foreign Ministry read: "The Al-Manar station has for many years served as the main tool for propaganda and incitement by Hezbollah, and has also helped the organization recruit people into its ranks." The Committee to Protect Journalists responded by saying: "While Al-Manar may serve a propaganda function for Hezbollah, it does not appear based on a monitoring of its broadcasts today to be serving any discernible military function". Reactions International action and reaction Foreign involvement in the 2006 Lebanon War International reactions to the 2006 Lebanon War Humanitarian aid during the 2006 Lebanon War thumb|170px|Israel Solidarity Rally in Los Angeles thumb|upright|A Lebanese protest in Sydney The governments of the United States,President Bush and German Chancellor Merkel Participate in Press Availability 13 July 2006 13 July 2008 The White House Office of the Press Secretary https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060713-4.html White House Press Secretary United Kingdom, Germany,German Foreign Office 13 July 2006 http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/Infoservice/Presse/Interview/2006/060713SteinmeierNahostIranZDF.html Interview with Federal Foreign Minister Steinmeier on the Middle East 25 November 2011 26 September 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110926230420/http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/Infoservice/Presse/Interview/2006/060713SteinmeierNahostIranZDF.html dead Australia, and Canada asserted Israel's right to self-defense. The United States government further responded by authorizing Israel's request for expedited shipment of precision-guided bombs, but did not announce the decision publicly.U.S. Speeds Up Bomb Delivery for the Israelis 22 July 2006 The New York Times David S. Cloud https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/22/world/middleeast/22military.html 25 November 2011 United States President George W. Bush said he thought the conflict was part of the "war on terrorism".Lebanon part of 'war on terror', says Bush ABC News 30 July 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20110430073214/http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200607/s1700569.htm 30 April 2011 dead http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200607/s1700569.htmhttp://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/14/bush/index.html Bush: 'Hezbollah suffered a defeat' CNN 14 August 2006 25 November 2011 On 20 July 2006, the United States Congress voted overwhelmingly to support Israel's "right to defend itself".http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll391.xml Final Vote Results for Roll Call 391 Clerk of the United States House of Representatives 20 July 2006 13 July 2008 410:8:4:10 http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20080529035729/http%3A//clerk%2Ehouse%2Egov/evs/2006/roll391%2Exml 29 May 2008 live Among neighboring Middle Eastern nations, Iran, Syria, and Yemen voiced strong support for Hezbollah. AYedioth Ahronoth report claimed Iranian soldiers were fighting in the war itself,Klein Aaron 27 July 2006 Iranian soldiers join Hizbullah in fighting http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3280446,00.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20190920100923/https://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3280446,00.html 20 September 2019 22 May 2019 Yedioth Ahronoth with some sources asserting Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani advised Hezbollah for its defense from Israel.2 October 2019 Shadowy Iran commander Qassem Soleimani gives rare interview on 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/mena/shadowy-iran-commander-qassem-soleimani-gives-rare-interview-on-2006-israel-hezbollah-war-1.9180012 October 2019 General Soleimani Reveals Untold Facts of 2006 Lebanon War https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440726/General-Soleimani-Reveals-Untold-Facts-of-2006-Lebanon-WarSoleimani Reveals Details of Role He Played in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/1929396/soleimani-reveals-details-role-he-played-2006-israel-hezbollah-war Asharq AL-awsat21 December 2020 روایت شهید "مغنیه" از نقش راهبردی سردار سلیمانی در جنگ ۳۳ روزه https://www.mehrnews.com/news/5098836/%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D8%B4%D9%87%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D9%85%D8%BA%D9%86%DB%8C%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%86%D9%82%D8%B4-%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%B3%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%AC%D9%86%DA%AF-%DB%B3%DB%B3-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%87 The Islamic Courts Union of Somalia was also reported to have fought alongside Hezbollah.Worth Robert F. 2006-11-15 U.N. Says Somalis Helped Hezbollah Fighters https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/15/world/middleeast/15nations.html 2023-10-26 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 More than 700 Islamic militants from Somalia traveled to Lebanon in July to fight alongside Hezbollah in its war against Israel, a United Nations report says. The militia in Lebanon returned the favor by providing training and — through its patrons Iran and Syria — weapons to the Islamic alliance struggling for control of Somalia, it adds.2006-11-15 Report: Over 700 Somalis fought with Hizbullah https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/report-over-700-somalis-fought-with-hizbullah 2023-10-26 The Jerusalem Post en-US On the other hand, the Arab League, Egypt, and Jordan issued statements criticizing Hezbollah's actionshttps://web.archive.org/web/20080908031737/http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/17/news/arabs.php 8 September 2008 dead http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/17/news/arabs.php Arab League criticizes Hezbollah for attacks Fattah Hassan M. 17 July 2006 International Herald Tribune and declaring support for Lebanon.https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=738698&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1 Arab League declares support for Lebanon, calls on UN to step in 13 August 2006 16 July 2006 Haaretz https://archive.today/20060828221441/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=738698&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1 28 August 2006 dead Saudi Arabia found Hezbollah entirely responsible.http://english.aljazeera.net/English/archive/archive?ArchiveId=24500 Saudi sideswipe at Hezbollah al Jazeera 15 July 2006 1 May 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070324150929/http://english.aljazeera.net/English/archive/archive?ArchiveId=24500 24 March 2007 dead 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." Many worldwide protests and demonstrations appealed for an immediate ceasefire on both sides and expressed concern for the heavy loss of civilian life on all sides. Other demonstrations were held exclusively in favor of Lebanon or Israel. Numerous newspaper advertising campaigns, SMS and email appeals, and online petitions also occurred.https://www.theguardian.com/uklatest/story/0,,-5978797,00.html Ads urge call for Lebanon ceasefire 16 August 2006 Press Association Press Association 28 July 2006 The Guardian London June 2016http://epetitions.net/julywar/index.php https://web.archive.org/web/20061124150902/http://epetitions.net/julywar/index.php 24 November 2006 usurped Save the Lebanese Civilians Petition 13 July 2008 15 July 2006 E-petitions.net Various foreign governments assisted the evacuation of their citizens from Lebanon.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5189988.stm 18 July 2006 Lebanon evacuation gathers pace BBC News 25 November 2011 Media coverage 2006 Lebanon War photographs controversies Adnan Hajj photographs controversy Pro-Israel bias The 2007 report War to the Last Moment': The Israeli Media in the Second Lebanon War" by the Israeli media monitoring NGO Keshev (trans. "Awareness")http://people.socsci.tau.ac.il/mu/danield/files/2010/07/KESHEV-ENGLISH-REPORT-LEBANON-WAR1.pdf "War to the Last Moment" – The Israeli Media in the Second Lebanon War. Keshev July 2007 20 November 2012 stated that the Israeli media "except for a few exceptional instances ... covered the war in an almost entirely mobilized manner" serving more to support the goals of the Israeli government and IDF than to objectively report the news. "The media created a general atmosphere of complete and absolute support and justification of the war, and systematically suppressed questions that arose as early as the first day of fighting. ... The criticism gradually increased toward the end of the war-as it became clearer that the IDF was not managing to win. But the general spirit of the war coverage, in the broad strategic sense, as utterly uncritical." Keshev's report documents a post-war memo from the Deputy CEO of Marketing for the Hebrew newspaper Maariv to Maariv employees which states, in part, that Even when we had problematic material related to the management of the war ... we restrained ourselves. In a certain sense, we betrayed our role as journalists, but we did so because we took national, patriotic considerations into account and decided that in the event of war, and certainly a war which was not progressing as it should and was going awry, we were part of the Country; that it was permissible, and even required of us, to postpone disputes and criticism; and that we did not have to apologize, or to feel abashed, for our support and backing of the Army and the Government. According to the report, "significant coverage of the decision-making process was almost entirely absent in Israel's media" at the beginning of the war and reports on the status of Israelis living in the North who did not receive proper governmental support were marginalized. Further, the report states that the media unreasonably centered on the question of the loyalties of Arab-Israelis in the North instead of focusing on inadequate provision of services by the state. The report acknowledges that the Israeli media reported on Lebanese suffering, But states that it divorced the suffering from the IDF operations causing it. Finally, with regard to diplomacy, Israeli media buried the stories on negotiations to reflect the derision held by decision-makers toward a diplomatic solution. Pro-Hezbollah bias On 18 July 2006 Hezbollah Press Officer Hussein Nabulsi took CNN's Nic Robertson on an exclusive tour of southern Beirut. Robertson noted that despite his minder's anxiety about explosions in the area, it was clear that Hezbollah had sophisticated media relations and were in control of the situation. Hezbollah designated the places that they went to, and the journalists "certainly didn't have time to go into the houses or lift up the rubble to see what was underneath." According to his reports, there was no doubt that the bombs were hitting Hezbollah facilities, and while there appeared to be "a lot of civilian damage, a lot of civilian properties," he reiterated that he could not verify the civilian nature of the destroyed buildings.CNN Reliable Sources, Coverage of Mideast Conflict http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0607/23/rs.01.html CNN 23 July 2006 25 November 2011 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.Media Missiles: Working for the enemy Tom Gross National Review 2 August 2006 For example, 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.Our very strange day with Hezbollah http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/archives/2006_07_23_ac360_archive.html CNN 23 July 2006 25 November 2011 In the same interview CNN's John Roberts, 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. As another example, 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.https://web.archive.org/web/20060830094503/http://www.digitalphotopro.com/dppthisweek/2006/08/08/reuters-withdraws-all-photos-by-lebanese-freelance/ 30 August 2006 dead http://www.digitalphotopro.com/dppthisweek/2006/08/08/reuters-withdraws-all-photos-by-lebanese-freelance Reuters withdraws all photos by Lebanese freelance Reuters via Digital Photo Pro 7 August 2006 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.https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2006/08/trusting_photos.html Trusting photos Steve Herrmann BBC News Online editors' blog 8 August 2006 13 July 2008 It is "common practice to send more than one photographer to an incident".https://web.archive.org/web/20090122213934/http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/08/reuters_adnan_h.html 22 January 2009 dead http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/08/reuters_adnan_h.html Reuters: Adnan Hajj is not still taking photos for us Mark Memmott USA Today 9 August 2006 Social and online media were important for providing alternate means of creating and disseminating accounts and political commentary. For example, Lebanese blogger Fink Ployd maintained the blog BloggingBeirut.com, posting images, audio files, and testimony from Lebanon, particularly from Lebanese Arab youth.Khalil J.F. Youth-Generated Media: A Case of Blogging and Arab Youth Cultural Politics Television & New Media 2012 14 4 338 10.1177/1527476412463449 147260039 1527-4764 Swedish politician Lars Adaktusson, who worked as a journalist in Israel for national news outlet Sveriges Television (SVT) at the time of the war, stated in a 2017 presentation that he was ordered by SVT management to report that armed hostilities had been started by Israel irrespective of the facts. Also he was ordered not to report Hizbollah rocket attacks on Israeli civilians.(sv) Adaktusson: "SVT-chefer ville inte rapportera om raketer mot Israel" http://www.inblick.se/nyheter/2017/02/02/adaktusson-jag-fick-inte-rapportera-om-raketer-mot-israel Nyhetstidningen Inblick 5 February 2017 Analyses 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 HezbollahBlair David https://web.archive.org/web/20151208030858/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1526476/Syria-and-Iran-claim-victory-over-West.html 8 December 2015 live https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1526476/Syria-and-Iran-claim-victory-over-West.html Syria and Iran claim victory over West The Daily Telegraph London 16 August 2006 8 December 2015 while Olmert declared that the war was a success for Israel.Bentov Ami https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-07-12-4087089951_x.htm Olmert claims Lebanon War was a success USA Today 12 July 2007 16 January 2011 Lebanon thumb|A sign erected after the 2006 Lebanon War in South Lebanon which displays rockets and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah At the outbreak of hostilities, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora promised to rein in Hezbollah in an effort to stop Israel's offensive. Saniora said that there could be no sovereign state of Lebanon without the group's disarming. The former President of Lebanon Amin Gemayel, a longtime critic of Hezbollah said, "Hezbollah took a unilateral action, but its repercussions will affect the entire country."http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,203825,00.html Fighting with Israel deepens Lebanese divisions over Hezbollah Fox News 20 September 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20130521063504/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,203825,00.html 21 May 2013 dead The war deepened the longtime divide in Lebanon over Hezbollah's role. Many admired the organization for being the sole group to fight against Israel. Others considered it to be a dangerous militia that executes Iran and Syria policies in Lebanon. The divide over Hezbollah followed mostly sectarian lines, with Shias largely supporting the group and Sunnis, Christians and Druze mostly opposing it. On 27 August 2006, Nasrallah said in an interview with New TV that the abduction of the two soldiers did not cause the war. It only advanced a long planned war for a few months. But he added: "If there was even a 1 percent chance that the July 11 capturing operation would have led to a war like the one that happened, would you have done it? I would say no, absolutely not, for humanitarian, moral, social, security, military, and political reasons. [...] What happened is not an issue of a reaction to a capturing operation... what happened was already planned for. The fact that it happened in July has averted a situation that would have been a lot worse, had the war been launched in October."Nicholas Noe, Voice of Hezbollah, The Statements of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Verso, 2007, pp. 394–95 On 22 September 2006, some eight hundred thousand Hezbollah supporters gathered in Beirut for a rally at which Nasrallah stated that Hezbollah had achieved a "divine and strategic victory."http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/09/22/lebanon.rally https://web.archive.org/web/20110603232032/http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/09/22/lebanon.rally/ dead 3 June 2011 Hezbollah leader: Militants 'won't surrender arms' CNN 22 September 2006 30 April 2007 Israel Within hours of Israeli's bombing of Lebanon on 13 July 2006, hundreds of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv to oppose the war.Beinin Joel The 2006 Lebanon War and the Israeli Peace Forces New Insight Fall 2006 http://www.wilberforce.edu/cdsp/cdsp_art1_1.html https://web.archive.org/web/20091015072435/http://www.wilberforce.edu/cdsp/cdsp_art1_1.html 15 October 2009 dead 7 May 2009 On 22 July, about 2,000 people, including many Arab citizens of Israel, demanded an end to the offensive during a protest march in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square.Somfalvi Attila Tel Aviv: Thousands rally against war Yedioth Ahronoth 22 July 2006 http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3279792,00.html https://web.archive.org/web/20110501102454/http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3279792,00.html 1 May 2011 live 7 May 2009 On 5 August, some Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv, including former Knesset members of the Meretz party, Mossi Raz, Naomi Hazan and Yael Dayan.August 2015 Initially, in a poll by an Israeli radio station, Israelis were split on the outcome with the majority believing that no one won.With guns silent, wartime unity unravels in Israel International Herald Tribune 18 August 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20070820160659/http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/18/africa/web.0818israel.php 20 August 2007 dead http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/18/africa/web.0818israel.php By 25 August 63% of Israelis polled wanted Olmert to resign due to his handling of the war.https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/news-analysis-israeli-war-protests-echo-1973-2490458.php Israeli war protests echo 1973 Matthew Kalman San Francisco Chronicle 27 August 2006 13 July 2008 In a 2012 opinion piece in The Jerusalem Post, Caroline Glick wrote that "if you fail to win, you lose" and that as "Hezbollah survived, it won the war."Glick Caroline B. https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=228892 The path to the next Lebanon War The Jerusalem Post 11 July 2011 23 February 2012 Olmert admitted to the Knesset that there were mistakes in the war in Lebanon,Olmert: Mistakes made in Lebanon war United Press International 14 August 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20151208031409/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2006/08/14/Olmert-Mistakes-made-in-Lebanon-war/73131155588758/ 8 December 2015 live http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2006/08/14/Olmert-Mistakes-made-in-Lebanon-war/73131155588758 8 December 2015 though he framed UN Security Council resolution 1701 as an accomplishment for Israel that would bring home the captured soldiers, and said that the operations had altered the regional strategic balance vis-à-vis Hezbollah.http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/PMSpeaks/speechknes140806.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20070210035841/http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/PMSpeaks/speechknes140806.htm 10 February 2007 PM Olmert's Speech at the Knesset Regarding the War in the North Office of the Prime Minister of Israel 14 August 2006 13 July 2008 The Israeli Chief of Staff Dan Halutz admitted to failings in the conflict.Israel army chief admits failures 24 August 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5282548.stm BBC News 25 November 2011 On 15 August, Israeli government and defense officials called for Halutz's resignation following a stock scandal in which he admitted selling stocks hours before the start of the Israeli offensive.Stocks scandal spells doom of embattled Israeli army chief Agence France-Presse 16 August 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20121226042911/http://lebanonwire.com/0608MLN/06081643LAF.asp 26 December 2012 dead http://www.lebanonwire.com/0608MLN/06081643LAF.asp 25 November 2011 Halutz subsequently resigned on 17 January 2007. 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 Olmert and the establishment of a state commission of inquiry. They set up a protest tent opposite the Knesset and grew to over 2,000 supporters by 25 August,February 2016 including the influential Movement for Quality Government.http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3295083,00.html Hundreds support protesting reservists ynet 24 August 2006 Sela Neta 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 the IDF, and likely a third commission to examine the Home Front, to be announced at a later date. These would have a more limited mandate and less authority than a single inquiry commission headed by a retired judge.https://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/755787.html Olmert: An inquiry commission will not be formed, we do not have the luxury to submerge in investigating the past הארץ 20 September 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20110605040059/http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/755787.html 5 June 2011 dead The political and military committees were to be headed by former director of Mossad Nahum Admoni and former chief of staff Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, respectively. Critics argued that these committees amount to a whitewash, due to their limited authority, limited investigatory scope, their self-appointed basis, and that neither would be headed by a retired judge.February 2016 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. On 12 September, former defense minister Moshe Arens spoke of "the defeat of Israel" in calling for a state committee of inquiry. He said that Israel had lost "to a very small group of people, 5,000 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."https://web.archive.org/web/20070111110105/http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/commentary/newsblogs/jerusalemdateline/060908.aspx 11 January 2007 dead http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/commentary/newsblogs/jerusalemdateline/060908.aspx Did Israel Lose the War? – Part Two CBNnews.com Chris Mitchell 8 September 2006 8 December 2015 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.Halutz disputes officer's remarks that Israel lost war 22 September 2006 https://archive.today/20070802091348/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/766154.html 2 August 2007 dead https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/766154.html Haaretz 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. Gen. Dan Halutz's resignation.https://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/770328.html IDF general urges army chief to quit his post over 'failure' of war Amos Harel Haaretz 4 October 2006 13 July 2008 https://archive.today/20080821150529/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/770328.html 21 August 2008 dead Ron-Tal was subsequently fired for making those and other critical comments.https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/771417.html https://web.archive.org/web/20061023073700/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/771417.html dead 23 October 2006 Peretz backs Halutz on dismissal of Major General Yiftah Ron-Tal 6 October 2006 Haaretz 20 September 2014 In March 2007, the Committee decided to name the war the "Second Lebanon War", a decision that was subsequently approved by the Israeli cabinet.Sofer Ronny Cabinet approves war's name Yedioth Ahronoth 25 March 2007 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3380792,00.html 3 June 2007 In 2008, Ehud Barak, the replacement defense minister for Peretz, stated that the conflict failed to disarm Hezbollah, and that the group is increasingly entrenched in South Lebanon, further stating that "Hezbollah is stronger than ever and has more rockets than at the outbreak of the Lebanon war in the summer of 2006"https://web.archive.org/web/20130528092138/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gZEvvDWHJCrybf38T2Ylf0aplRXw 28 May 2013 dead http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gZEvvDWHJCrybf38T2Ylf0aplRXw Israel's Barak says Hezbollah stronger than ever: report AFP 7 January 2008 but he later noted that "[Israeli] deterrence still exists."http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3810160,00.html Barak warns Lebanese government Yedioth Ahronoth 24 November 2009 Einav Hagai The IDF's Northern Command cited this deterrence as one reason Hezbollah did not fire any rockets into Israel during Operation Cast Lead.Katz Yaakov https://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1253198148634&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull Analysis: Teheran is restraining an already wary Hizbullah The Jerusalem Post 29 May 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110429195009/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1253198148634&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull 29 April 2011 dead Israeli military historian Martin van Creveld stated that Israel's war against Hezbollah was indeed "marked by a long series of failures" but he criticized the Winograd Commission for its failure to take into account the substantial achievements of the war. He noted that hundreds of Hezbollah fighters were killed in the war, and that the organization had "the fight knocked out of it", since following the war, Israel experienced a level of calm on its Lebanon border not seen since the mid-1960s. He also noted that Hezbollah was "thrown out of South Lebanon", and was replaced by "a fairly robust United Nations peacekeeping force" to prevent its return.https://web.archive.org/web/20141129042632/http://forward.com/articles/12579/israel-s-war-with-hezbollah-was-not-a-failure-/ 29 November 2014 dead http://forward.com/articles/12579/israel-s-war-with-hezbollah-was-not-a-failure-/ Israel's War With Hezbollah Was Not a Failure Forward van Creveld Martin 30 January 2008 IDF Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror highlighted the number of Hezbollah militants killed, the quick military response to Hezbollah's long-range rocket attacks, the post-war replacement of Hezbollah by the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, and Iran's loss of Hezbollah as a deterrent against an Israeli first strike following the war.Yaakov Amridor, "Misreading the Second Lebanon War", 16 January 2007, JCPA.org Thomas Friedman concurred, stating that the war was a "huge strategic loss for Hezbollah", and contrasted the billions in damage suffered by Hezbollah and Lebanon with the "relatively minor damage" suffered by Israel, which enjoyed an economic "growth spurt" immediately following the war.Friedman, Thomas. "The Arab Commission," The New York Times, 5 September 2007 Some Israeli sources stated that due to unprecedented Iranian military support to Hezbollah before and during the war,http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Iran/SupportTerror/Pages/Iranian%20complicity%20in%20the%20present%20Lebanese%20crisis%20-%20July-Aug%202006.aspx Iranian complicity in the present Lebanese crisis-July–Aug 2006 Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs 15 August 2006 16 October 2013 some consider it the first round of the Iran–Israel proxy conflict, rather than a continuation of the Arab–Israeli conflict.Iranian Involvement in Lebanon Military and Strategic Affairs Zisser Eyal May 2011 3 1 http://www.inss.org.il/uploadimages/Import/%28FILE%291308129458.pdf 8 December 2015 17 November 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161117225213/http://www.inss.org.il/uploadimages/Import/(FILE)1308129458.pdf dead Winograd Commission report Winograd Commission 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". 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. Following a long period of using standoff firepower and limited ground activities, the IDF launched a large-scale ground offensive close to the UN Security Council's resolution which imposed a ceasefire. "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 12 July to react (to the capturing) 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]... the South of Lebanon and 'cleaning' it of Hezbollah." "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."https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/world/middleeast/31winograd-web.html English Summary of the Winograd Commission Report 30 January 2008 The New York Times 25 November 2011 International thumb|George W. Bush declared that Hezbollah lost the war and that "There's going to be a new power in the south of Lebanon".http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_4180464 Bush: Hezbollah lost the war; it was part of broader global struggle Nedra Pickler The Denver Post 15 August 2006 13 July 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080609085816/http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_4180464 9 June 2008 live In the aftermath of the conflict US President George Bush said that Hezbollah was responsible for starting the war, and that the group suffered a defeat at the hands of Israel.https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/08/20060814-3.html President Discusses Foreign Policy During Visit to State Department White House 14 August 2006 13 July 2008 He dismissed claims of victory by Hezbollah leaders, asking: "how can you claim victory when at one time you were a state within a state, safe within southern Lebanon, and now you're going to be replaced by a Lebanese Army and an international force?" In his 2010 memoir, Decision Points, Bush wrote that Israel had weakened Hezbollah and secured its northern border, but that Israel's "shaky military performance" cost it international credibility. He also said that Israel "mishandled its opportunity", and that some of the sites it attacked were of "questionable military value".https://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=194538 Abbas was ready to back Olmert deal, Bush memoir says Hilary Leila Krieger The Jerusalem Post 9 November 2010 9 November 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20101110230454/http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=194538 10 November 2010 live In a speech given on 15 August 2006, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad claimed that the Arab resistance against Israel would continue to grow stronger, saying, "Your weapons, warplanes, rockets and even your atomic bomb will not protect you in the future."https://web.archive.org/web/20120227041728/http://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2006/08/15/57835.htm 27 February 2012 dead http://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2006/08/15/57835.htm Speech of President Bashar al-Assad at Journalists Union 4th Conference Syrian Arab News Agency 15 August 2006 The Economist magazine concluded that by surviving this asymmetrical military conflict with Israel, Hezbollah effectively emerged with a military and political victory from this conflict. 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.Hizbullah's shallow victory The Economist 19 August 2006 http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=E1_SSJGSJD 25 November 2011 Matt M. Matthews, a military historian at the Combat Studies Institute of the US Army Command and General Staff College praised Hezbollah paramilitaries and reflected on what he described as "the lackluster performance of the IDF." He attributed this to several factors including (Lieutenant-General and Chief of the IDF General Staff) Halutz's steadfast confidence in air power coupled with continuing COIN operations against the Palestinians at the expense of training for major combat operations.We Were Caught Unprepared: The 2006 Hezbollah-Israeli War 2007 http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/download/csipubs/matthewsOP26.pdf Matthews, Matt 978-0-16-079899-3 Combat Institute Studies Press Fort Leavenworth, Kansas https://web.archive.org/web/20090326212531/http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/download/csipubs/matthewsOP26.pdf 26 March 2009 dead 10 August 2009 . Retrieved 10 August 2009. The US Congressional Research Service found that although Hezbollah's military capabilities may have been substantially reduced, its long-term potential as a guerrilla movement appeared to remain intact: "Observers note that Hezbollah's leaders have been able to claim a level of 'victory' simply by virtue of not having decisively 'lost'."Congressional Research Service, 2006 "Lebanon: The Israel–Hamas–Hezbollah Conflict" Military analyst and former IDF general Giora Eiland concluded that, though outgunned and outnumbered, Hezbollah managed to hold off Israel's advanced armed forces and proved its ability to damage Israel by launching rockets at its territory until the end of the war. He estimates that Hezbollah's destructive capabilities have increased in the years after the war and that the group is capable to inflict "far worse damage on the Israeli homefront" than in 2006.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-lebanon-idUSTRE6BF20L20101216 Israel can't defeat Hezbollah: Israeli expert 16 December 2010 Reuters An Israeli official warned that combat with Hezbollah will be very bloody and Lebanon would sustain heavy damage in any future war.https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Hezbollah-planning-large-raids-into-Galilee-senior-army-source-says-375303 Hezbollah planning 'large raids' into Galilee, senior army source says 14 September 2014 The Jerusalem Post In the 2007 BBC documentary, Hunting for Hezbollah, BBC This World reporter Emeka Onono referred to Israel's inability to eliminate Hezbollah as a "humiliation for Israel's supposedly all-powerful army," and he went on to claim that Hezbollah's survival propelled it to hero status throughout many Muslim nations."Hunting for Hezbollah." Norman, Louise. This World. British Broadcasting Corp. 4 July 2007. Television. British military historian John Keegan stated that the outcome of the war was "misreported as an Israeli defeat" due to anti-Israel bias in the international media. He concluded that Hezbollah had suffered heavy losses, and that a ceasefire came into effect before Israel could completely dislodge Hezbollah from its positions. He also stated that the casualties sustained by Israel during the war had alarmed the Israeli Government and High Command because Israel's small population is acutely vulnerable to losses in battle.Keegan, John, "Why Israel will go to war again – soon", Telegraph Charles Krauthammer, a syndicated columnist and political commentator, citing an interview by which Nasrallah admitted that he would not have captured the soldiers had he known that it would lead to war, wrote, "Nasrallah's admission, vastly underplayed in the West, makes clear what Lebanese already knew. Hezbollah may have won the propaganda war, but on the ground it lost. Badly." He noted that Hezbollah's entrenched infrastructure along Israel's border was shattered and would not be easily rebuilt due to the presence of the Lebanese Army and a robust UNIFIL force, hundreds of Hezbollah's best fighters were killed in the war, and that many Lebanese were angry with Hezbollah for provoking a war which largely devastated the country.Krauthammer, Charles. "Hezbollah's 'Victory'", The Washington Post 9 January 2006 The Washington Post stated that the war had been "widely seen as a disaster for the Israeli military". It further reported that the US Defense Department had sent as many as a dozen teams to interview Israeli officers who had fought in the war, to learn the lessons of the Israeli army's failures during the conflict.2006 Israel–Lebanon War Looms Large in Pentagon Debate on Future 6 April 2009 https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/05/AR2009040502235.html 6 March 2012 The Washington Post Greg JaffePentagon learning from 'IDF's disaster' Yedioth Ahronoth 4 June 2009 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3697924,00.html 6 March 2012 Michael Young, opinion-page editor at the Lebanese Daily Star newspaper, stated that Hezbollah turned "the stench of defeat into the smell of victory", through clever use of its propaganda machine. He suggested that Hezbollah had "hoodwinked" pundits who believed that Hezbollah was victorious, and opined that "one dreads to imagine what Hezbollah would recognize as a military loss."Young, "Hoodwinked by Hezbollah", reason.com; 24 August 2006. American military strategist and historian Edward Luttwak drew comparisons with the 1973 Yom Kippur War, where what initially looked like an Israeli setback later turned out to be an IDF victory and an Arab defeat. He stated that although some IDF tanks were penetrated by missiles, they also largely limited IDF casualties, and that Hezbollah had failed to inflict massive losses on the IDF and to kill large numbers of Israelis in rocket attacks.https://web.archive.org/web/20110922222218/http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/5573%2Cnews-comment%2Cnews-politics%2Cagain-israeli-gloom-is-misplaced 22 September 2011 dead http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/5573,news-comment,news-politics,again-israeli-gloom-is-misplaced Again, Israeli gloom is misplaced The First Post Luttwak Edward Cambridge professor and Peterhouse Fellow Brendan Simms summed up the war this way; "Hezbollah have suffered a setback (but are too clever to admit it) and the Israelis have scored a long-term success (but are too narrow-minded to realize it)."Brendan Simms, "Hezbollah have suffered a setback", Social Affairs Unit, 24 August 2006. Journalist Michael Totten wrote that "Hezbollah lost and Hezbollah knows it." He questioned why Hezbollah did not attack Israel when the IDF attacked Hamas in Gaza in 2008, and noted that most of Nasrallah's supporters "want Hezbollah to deter Israeli invasions, not to invite Israeli invasions". Totten concluded that Nasrallah's boasts "play well in much of the Arab world", but that the 2006 "victory" seemed "empty at home."Totten, Michael, "Who Really Won the Second Lebanon War" https://web.archive.org/web/20120118192156/http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2009/01/30/who-really-won-the-second-lebanon-war/ 18 January 2012 , Commentary, 30 January 2009. Armin Rosen, Defense and military advisor wrote at Business Insider that the 2006 Lebanon War was "widely remembered as one of the worst debacles in the history of the Israeli military", but remarked that it established Israeli deterrence against Hezbollah.Armin Rosen, "The Israeli Army Is Suffering Some Of Its Most Severe Losses In Years", Commentary, 21 July 2014. Financial and political repercussions 2008 conflict in Lebanon The fighting resulted in a huge financial setback for Lebanon, with an official estimate of a fall in growth from +6% to 2% and US$5 billion (22% of GDP)http://www.undp.org.lb/about/AboutLebanon.cfm UNDP in Lebanon United Nations Development Programme January 2007 15 May 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080515030907/http://www.undp.org.lb/about/AboutLebanon.cfm 15 May 2008 dead in direct and indirect costs, while the cost for Israel was estimated at US$3.5 billion.https://web.archive.org/web/20090306195653/http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L08225712.htm 6 March 2009 dead http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L08225712.htm Factbox – Costs of war and recovery in Lebanon and Israel Reuters 9 July 2007 Indirect costs to Israel include a cut in growth by 0.9%.https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/jpost/access/1188773011.html?dids=1188773011:1188773011&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jan+1%2C+2007&author=SHARON+WROBEL&pub=Jerusalem+Post&edition=&startpage=15&desc=2006+GDP+growth+tops+forecasts 2006 GDP growth tops forecasts Sharon Wrobel The Jerusalem Post 1 January 2007 12 May 2008 30 April 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110430050929/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/jpost/access/1188773011.html?dids=1188773011:1188773011&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jan+1%2C+2007&author=SHARON+WROBEL&pub=Jerusalem+Post&edition=&startpage=15&desc=2006+GDP+growth+tops+forecasts dead and the cost to tourism was estimated at 0.4% of Israel's GDP in the following year.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/aug/15/israelandthepalestinians.lebanon Lebanon war cost Israel $1.6bn Borger Julian The Guardian London 15 August 2006 12 May 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080513153656/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/aug/15/israelandthepalestinians.lebanon 13 May 2008 live According to Imad Salamey in The Government and Politics of Lebanon, the main casualty was the fragile unity between Lebanon's sectarian and political groups.https://books.google.com/books?id=SShmAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA68 The Government and Politics of Lebanon Routledge Imad Salamey 2013 68 9781135011338 Aftermath Post-ceasefire events Timeline of Military Operations in the 2006 Lebanon War#Post-ceasefire events thumb|An infographic produced by the Israel Defence Force criticizing Hezbollah's violations of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. The resolution calls for Hezbollah to remain disarmed and bans paramilitary activity south of the Litani River. In the days following 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.http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/08/14/monday/index.html IDF: Hours after cease-fire, 4 clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli troops; 4 Hezbollah fighters killed 23 August 2006 14 August 2006 CNNhttp://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/08/15/tuesday/index.html IDF: Israeli soldiers kill 3 Hezbollah fighters 23 August 2006 15 August 2006 CNNhttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,208372,00.html Hezbollah Rockets Fall Inside Southern Lebanon As Citizens Return to Region Associated Press Fox News 15 August 2006 13 July 2008 Israeli warplanes continued conducting numerous flyovers and maneuvers above southern Lebanon, which Israel said did not violate the ceasefire.http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5300553 Israel flies over Lebanon, but no airstrikes 13 July 2008 Janelle Chantelle 18 August 2006 WIS-TV https://web.archive.org/web/20110429011956/http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5300553 29 April 2011 deadhttps://web.archive.org/web/20071128114543/http://www.americanintifada.com/2006/08/08-16-05.htm 28 November 2007 dead https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060816/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictlebanon_060816145220 Four Hezbollah fighters killed in ceasefire breaches: UN Yahoo! News Agence France-Presse 16 August 2006 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.http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/19/mideast.main.05/ Israel: Raid targets weapons transfer 21 August 2006 19 August 2006 CNN Lebanese officials "said the Israelis were apparently seeking a guerrilla target in a school."http://archive.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/08/20/israeli_raid_endangers_cease_fire_deal/ Israeli Raid Endangers Ceasefire Deal 13 July 2008 20 August 2006 The Boston Globe Thanassis Cambanishttps://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5674288 Israeli Commando Dies in Lebanon Raid 27 August 2006 19 August 2006 Associated Press April 2019 medicmedichttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5268870.stm Israel's raid in the Bekaa Valley 13 July 2008 20 August 2006 BBC Newshttps://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/20/AR2006082000149.html Plans for Lebanon Force Faulted 13 July 2008 21 August 2006 The Washington Post Doug Struckhttp://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/19/mideast.main/index.html Kofi Annan declares Israeli raid violation of ceasefire 21 August 2006 Morales Alex 20 August 2006 CNN https://web.archive.org/web/20060821010536/http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/19/mideast.main/index.html 21 August 2006 live Israel's aerial and commando operations were criticized by UN Secretary-General 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.https://web.archive.org/web/20151208153442/http://d11840.u26.azkihosting.com/article.asp?article=16625 8 December 2015 dead https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/785914.htm IDF checking French claim its UN troops almost fired at IAF jets Haaretz AP 9 November 2006 Israel argued that "[t]he ceasefire is based on (UN resolution) 1701 which calls for an international arms embargo against Hezbollah," and said the embargo could be lifted after full implementation of the ceasefire but Annan said that UNIFIL would only interdict arms at Lebanon's request.UN won't stop Syria sending weapons to Lebanon https://web.archive.org/web/20071127053536/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2006%2F08%2F27%2Fwleb27.xml 27 November 2007 dead https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/27/wleb27.xml The Daily Telegraph London 27 August 2006 Michael Hirst Harry De Quetteville http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5296314.stm UN urges Israel to end blockade BBC News 29 August 2006 13 July 2008 On 7 September 2006 and 8 September 2006, respectively, aviation and naval blockades were lifted.https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/09/world/middleeast/09lebanon.html Israel Ends Its Blockade of Lebanon's Coastline The New York Times Smith Craig S. 9 September 2006 8 December 2015 In the second half of September Hezbollah claimed victory and asserted an improvement in their position, and they redeployed to some positions on the borderhttp://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3306965,00.html Hizbullah members throw stones over border fence Yedioth Ahronoth 20 September 2014 21 September 2006 Greenberg Hananhttps://www.theguardian.com/syria/story/0,,1879238,00.html We still have 20,000 rockets, says Nasrallah Whitaker Brian The Guardian 20 September 2014 22 September 2006 as Israel completed its withdrawal from Lebanon save border-straddling Ghajar.https://web.archive.org/web/20130321194410/http://lebanonwire.com/0610MLN/06100101LAF.asp 21 March 2013 dead http://www.lebanonwire.com/0610MLN/06100101LAF.asp Israel pulls bulk of troops out of Lebanon Agence France Presse France 1 October 2006 8 December 2015http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5396966.stm UN hails Israel's Lebanon pullout 1 October 2006 BBC News 25 November 2011https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195841/http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=910249 27 September 2007 dead http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=910249 Israel violates Lebanese airspace, launches mock raids Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) 3 October 2006http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=75903 Israeli warplanes violate Lebanese airspace again Dailystar.com.lb 4 October 2006 16 January 2011https://web.archive.org/web/20121227044639/http://lebanonwire.com/0610MLN/06102218LAF.asp 27 December 2012 dead http://www.lebanonwire.com/0610MLN/06102218LAF.asp Israel to continue Lebanon overflights: defense minister Agence France Presse 22 October 2006 8 December 2015 On 3 October, an Israeli fighter penetrated the 2 nmi km 0 on in defence perimeter of the French frigate Courbet without answering radio calls, triggering a diplomatic incident.fr L'armée française au Liban se sent menacée par Israël https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063651/http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/20061110.FIG000000186_l_armee_francaise_au_liban_se_sent_menacee_par_israel.html 4 March 2016 , Le Figaro On 24 October, six Israeli F-16s flew over a German Navy vessel patrolling off Israel's coast just south of the Lebanese border. 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. Germany confirmed the consultations, and that both sides were interested in maintaining good cooperation.https://web.archive.org/web/20061129023040/http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Germany_Israel_confirm_naval_vessel_10252006.html 29 November 2006 dead http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Germany_Israel_confirm_naval_vessel_10252006.html Germany, Israel confirm naval vessel-planes incident Deutsche Presse-Agentur 25 October 2006 8 December 2015https://web.archive.org/web/20080609015751/http://story.malaysiasun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/b8de8e630faf3631/id/210716/cs/1/ 9 June 2008 dead http://story.malaysiasun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/b8de8e630faf3631/id/ba4623e8cf1e387d/ Israel denies firing shots at German ship October 2006 Malaysia Sun Yedioth Ahronoth On 1 December 2006, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan submitted a report to the Security Council president maintaining "there were no serious incidents or confrontations" since the ceasefire 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.https://web.archive.org/web/20150919142041/http://www.israeliwatch.com/2006/12/03/annan-israels-actions-compromise-efforts-to-stabilize-the-israeli-lebanon-border/ 19 September 2015 dead http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/02/news/UN_GEN_UN_Lebanon_Peacekeepers.php Annan: Israel's actions compromise efforts to stabilize the Israeli–Lebanon border International Herald Tribune 29 March 2009 In one case, a UNIFIL demining team was challenged by two Hezbollah members in combat uniforms armed with AK-47 rifles; 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.Ynet News (2 December 2006). "Annan finds 13 incidents of illicit arms in Lebanon". Retrieved 8 December 2006. Annan also reported that as of 20 November 2006, 822 Israeli cluster bomb strike sites had been recorded, with 60,000 cluster bomblets having been cleared by the UN Mine Action Coordination Center.The Daily Star (4 December 2006). "UN secretary general's update to the Security Council on Resolution 1701". Retrieved 8 December 2006. 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,he "אולמרט: צר לי מאוד על התפטרות הרמטכ"ל", YNet, 17 January 2007. and calls for resignations of many cabinet-members including Prime-Minister Ehud Olmert following publication of the Winograd Commission's findings.https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/01/AR2007050100160.html War report sharply criticizes Olmert The Washington Post Associated Press Gutkin Steven 1 May 2007 8 December 2015 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.https://web.archive.org/web/20140122054928/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0%2C7340%2CL-3501276%2C00.html 22 January 2014 live http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3501276,00.html Lebanon says Israel report sets scene for new war ynetnews.com Reuters 31 January 2008 8 December 2015 After the war, the Lebanese Army deployed 15,000 soldiers, backed by a UNIFIL force of 12,000, deployed South of the Litani River to replace Hezbollah, although the Lebanese government said that it cannot and will not disarm Hezbollah by force. On 7 February 2010, the Lebanese Army fired at an Israeli bulldozer on the border, and Israeli forces returned fire. There were no reported casualties. Lebanon claimed that the bulldozer had crossed the border and entered Lebanese territory. On 21 February 2007, Lebanese Army troops fired at an Israeli UAV over Tyre with small arms, causing no damage.Porat Elisha https://www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=52232 Lebanese army fires at Israeli UAV The Jerusalem Post Israel 21 February 2007 16 January 2011 On 30 June 2007, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's fourth report on the implementation of Security Council 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." 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."Report of the secretary general on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, The Daily Star. 30 June 2007. On 12 February 2008, Imad Mugniyah, the head of Hezbollah's military wing, was assassinated by a car bomb in Damascus.Robyn Powell Chivers Tom Israel denies assassinating Hezbollah chief https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/13/whizbollah213.xml https://web.archive.org/web/20080215010927/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2008%2F02%2F13%2Fwhizbollah213.xml 15 February 2008 dead The Daily Telegraph 13 February 2008 London The Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, was widely believed to be behind the assassination. Although Israel officially denied involvement, Mugniyah had been the target of previous Mossad assassination attempts.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1578556/Israel-denies-assassinating-Hizbollah-chief.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1578556/Israel-denies-assassinating-Hizbollah-chief.html 11 January 2022 subscription live London Israel denies assassinating Hizbollah chief Robyn Powell Tom Chivers 13 February 2008 The Daily Telegraph 25 November 2011 Israel considered Mugniyah a "significant force behind actions against Israel".Greenberg, "Military Intelligence: Hizbullah lost its number one figure," ynetnews.com, 13 February 2008 On 14 July 2009, an explosion in Khirbat Silim, a Lebanese village near the Lebanon-Israel border, killed eight Hezbollah militants. Israel and the United Nations stated that the explosion was a hidden Hezbollah weapons cache, and condemned Hezbollah for violating Resolution 1701. The Lebanese government stated that the explosion was caused by IDF munitions left following the 2006 war.Benhorin, UN official: Arms Cache that exploded in Lebanon was Hezbollah's, ynetnews.com, 23 July 2009Jpost.Com Staff https://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1248277901293&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull Lebanon: July 14 explosion came from abandoned IDF munitions The Jerusalem Post 27 July 2009 29 May 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110429195201/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1248277901293&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull 29 April 2011 dead Hezbollah blamed the explosion on leftover shells that had been collected following Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.Associated Press, "Hezbollah: Lebanon blast set off by old shells," 22 July 2009 A Kuwaiti newspaper, al-Seyassah, reported that the ammunition warehouse stored chemical weapons.Nahmias, "Traces of chemical weapons found in Hezbollah warehouse," ynetnews.com, 9 September 2009, ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,l-3771736,00.html On 23 August 2009, the IDF published a video it said showed villagers from Marwakhin, a village in southern Lebanon, "forcefully resisting" efforts by Hezbollah militants to store weapons in their village.Lebanese villagers recorded driving away Hezbollah men, Ynetnews.com, 25 August 2009 On 4 November 2009 Israeli navy commandos of Shayetet 13 boarded the ship Francop in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and seized 500 tons of Iranian armaments disguised as civilian cargo. Israel said the weapons were bound for Hezbollah and originated from Iran.Jeffrey White http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3139 Iran and Hizballah: Significance of the Francop Interception Washington Institute for Near East Policy 16 January 2011 Hezbollah disavowed any connection to the contraband and accused Israel of "piracy."https://web.archive.org/web/20091114201253/https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h3S0DqyLu9CfgcBASy2XHOGCk0IAD9BPAIG80 14 November 2009 dead https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h3S0DqyLu9CfgcBASy2XHOGCk0IAD9BPAIG80 Hezbollah denies link to arms ship Google News Associated Press Amy Teibel 5 November 2009 According to Lebanese Army in May 2010 it fired anti-aircraft artillery at two Israeli jets over Lebanon.http://www.moqavemat.ir/?a=content.id&id=10788 مقاومت – Lebanon fires at intruding Israeli jets Moqavemat.ir 16 January 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110212091723/http://www.moqavemat.ir/?a=content.id&id=10788 12 February 2011 dead In 2010, French UNIFIL forces warned that they could in the future attack Israeli jets with anti-aircraft batteries if Israel continued its overflights of Lebanese airspace.http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/06/front2454040.05.html Israel again buzzes German ships near Lebanon World Tribune.com 16 January 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110428191000/http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/06/front2454040.05.html 28 April 2011 dead On 4 August 2010, a clash on the border occurred when the Israel military tried to remove a tree from between the border and the border fence on Israeli territory. According to the Israelis, the tree was blocking the view of one of their video cameras at the border. The Lebanese army fired at the Israeli forces and there was a clash for a few hours. In the ensuing clash, one Israeli soldier died as well as two Lebanese soldiers and one Lebanese journalist. There were also a number of injured military soldiers and civilians on both sides including Lebanese journalists.Julie Stahl http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2010/August/Netanyahu-Lebanon-Ambush-a-Violent-Provocation Netanyahu: Lebanon Ambush a 'Violent Provocation' CBN News 4 August 2010 16 January 2011 Prisoner swap 2008 Israel–Hezbollah prisoner exchange On Wednesday 16 July 2008, in accordance with the mandates of Resolution 1701, Hezbollah transferred the coffins of captured Israeli soldiers,https://web.archive.org/web/20120203072930/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215330982807&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull 3 February 2012 dead https://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215330982807&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull Goldwasser, Regev to be laid to rest after 2 uncertain years 16 July 2008 The Jerusalem Post Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, in exchange for incarcerated Palestinian Liberation Front militant Samir Kuntar, four Hezbollah militants captured by Israel during the war, and bodies of about 200 other Lebanese and Palestinian militants held by Israel.https://web.archive.org/web/20080814215354/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1002425.html 14 August 2008 dead https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1002425.html Regev and Goldwasser to receive military funerals Thursday 17 July 2008 Haaretz Until that time, Hezbollah had provided no information on Goldwasser and Regev's condition and disallowed the Red Cross from visiting them. In film The 2006 Lebanon War is the subject of two feature length films, both of which were screened at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. They are Philippe Aractingi's Under the Bombs (2007) and Guy Nattiv and Erez Tadmor's Strangers (2007).Milliken Mary http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-31601020080125 https://web.archive.org/web/20160117033858/http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-31601020080125 dead 17 January 2016 Israel–Lebanon war sparks 'human' films at Sundance In.reuters.com 26 January 2008 23 February 2012 Israeli soldier and documentary filmmaker Yariv Mozer also wrote, directed and filmed the autobiographical "My First War" based on his experiences in the conflict.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1221143 My First War (2008) 6 April 2008 IMDb 20 September 2014 The conflict was also the subject of an episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, which was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Programming in 2007.http://emmyonline.org/mediacenter/news_28th_nominees.html 17 July 2007 NOMINEES FOR THE NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY AWARDS IN 32 CATEGORIES 19 July 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20070829035836/http://www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/news_28th_nominees.html 29 August 2007 dead A collective of Lebanese filmmakers produced during and in the immediate aftermath of the war some twenty short videos that were released as Videos Under Siege and presented in numerous festivals including the Dubai International Film Festival. The directors involved included Akram Zaatari, Khalil Joreige, Joana Hadjithomas, Danielle Arbid, Tina Baz, Gregory Buchakjian, Ghassan Salhab, Rania Stephan and others.Arab Filmmakers of the Middle East: A Dictionary Armes Roy 2010 Indiana University Press Bloomington and Indianapolis 978-0-253-35518-8 100 See also List of extrajudicial killings and political violence in Lebanon List of invasions in the 21st century 2006 in Israel List of modern conflicts in the Middle East List of proxy wars List of rocket attacks from Lebanon on Israel List of wars involving Israel List of wars involving Lebanon List of wars: 2003–present Operation Accountability Operation Grapes of Wrath Timeline of the Arab–Israeli conflict United Nations Security Council Resolution 1697 2026 Lebanon war Notes N note References Sources 30em Cordesman Anthony H. Sullivan George Sullivan William D. Lessons of the 2006 Israeli–Hezbollah War 2007 CSIS Washington Cordesman Sullivan 2007 Cambanis, Thanassis, A Privilege to Die: Inside Hezbollah's Legions and Their Endless War Against Israel, Free Press, New York, 2010 Crooke, Alastair and Mark Perry, "How Hezbollah Defeated Israel", Asia Times PART 1: Winning the intelligence war, 12 October 2006 PART 2: Winning the ground war, 13 October 2006 PART 3: The political war, 14 October 2006 Ehrlich, Dr. Reuven (Col. Ret.), "Hezbollah's use of Lebanese civilians as human shields", Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S), November 2006. [The study was supported by Military Intelligence, the Operations Division of the IDF General Staff, the IDF Spokesperson and the legal experts of the IDF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.] Harel Amos Issacharoff Avi 34 Days: Israel, Hezbollah, and the War in Lebanon Palgrave Macmillan New York 2008 citeHI/ Why They Died: Civilian Casualties in Lebanon During the 2006 War https://books.google.com/books?id=8P9-VqpNRv4C Human Rights Watch 2007 HRW 2007 Human Rights Watch (HRW), Civilians under Assault, Hezbollah's Rocket Attacks on Israel in the 2006 War, August 2007 Volume 19, No. 3 Kober Avi The Israel Defense Forces in the Second Lebanon War: Why the Poor Performance? The Journal of Strategic Studies 31 1 3–40 2008 Kober/ 10.1080/01402390701785211 free Marcus, Raphael D. Israel's Long War with Hezbollah: Military Innovation and Adaptation under Fire (Georgetown UP, 2018) online review Matthews Matt M. We Were Caught Unprepared: The 2006 Hezbollah-Israeli War https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA477851 https://web.archive.org/web/20211230145431/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA477851 live 30 December 2021 The Long War Series Occasional Paper 26, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center Combat Studies Institute Press Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 2006 Matthews/ Rapaport, Amir, "The IDF and the Lessons of the Second Lebanon War", Mideast Security and Policy Studies No. 85, The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 2010 http://go.ynet.co.il/pic/news/vinograd/vinograd.pdf The final Winograd Commission report (Hebrew) 4 December 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120830094827/http://go.ynet.co.il/pic/news/vinograd/vinograd.pdf 30 August 2012 Lubotzky, Asael, From the Wilderness and Lebanon, Koren Publishers Jerusalem, 2016 External links yes 2209914 Middle East crisis: Facts and figures. BBC News Resolution 1701. The United Nations Security Council Second Lebanon War. The Israel Defense Forces The 2006 Lebanon War: Hezbollah's expensive ‘victory' ten years on. Al Arabiya Iran Israel Lebanon Modern history Society Lebanon War Lebanon 2006 Lebanon Lebanon 2006 Category:Iran–Israel proxy conflict Category:Hezbollah–Israel conflict Lebanon 2006 Category:Wars involving Lebanon Lebanon 2006 Category:Articles which contain graphical timelines Category:July 2006 in Lebanon Category:August 2006 in Lebanon Category:Articles containing video clips Category:Amir Peretz Category:Ehud Olmert