The 1982 Lebanon war was part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and the Lebanese Civil War. It began on 6 June 1982. Israel called it Operation Peace for Galilee. It was later known as the Lebanon war or First Lebanon war. The war started when the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) attacked southern Lebanon. On 3 June 1982 the Abu Nadal Organization tried to assassinate Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov.[11] This may have been done to hurt the PLO's reputation.[11] At the time, however, Israel blamed the PLO for the attempt.[11] The shooting of the ambassador was the trigger that caused Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.[12][13]
Quick Facts Date, Location ...
| 1982 Lebanon War |
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| Part of Israeli–Palestinian conflict and Lebanese Civil War |
Top: Israeli troops invading Lebanon, 1982
Bottom: A map of the military situation in Lebanon in 1983
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Controlled by the Lebanese Front and allied militias
Administered by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFL)
|
| Date | 6 June 1982 – 5 June 1985
(main phase June–September 1982) |
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| Location | |
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| Result |
Inconclusive |
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Territorial
changes |
Self-proclaimed Free Lebanon State slowly transforms into South Lebanon Security Zone |
|---|
|
| Belligerents |
|---|
 Israel Lebanese Front Phalange al-Tanzim- Free Lebanon Army
|
 LCP
 Al-Mourabitoun
 Islamic Amal
- Arab Socialist Action Party
 ASALA
- Al-Tawhid
 PKK[1][2][3]
|
| Commanders and leaders |
|---|
Israel:- Menachem Begin
(Prime Minister) - Ariel Sharon
(Ministry of Defence) - Rafael Eitan
(Army Chief of Staff) - David Ivry
(Israeli Air Force) - Ze'ev Almog
(Israeli Sea Corps) - Yekutiel Adam †
(Deputy Chief of Staff)
Phalange:
Al-Tanzim:
SLA: |
PLO:- Yasser Arafat
(Chairman of the PLO) - Saad Sayel †
(Fatah Military Chief of Staff)
Syria:
LCP:
Al-Mourabitoun:
Amal:
ASALA:
Others: - Muhsin Ibrahim
- Abbas al-Musawi
- Ragheb Harb
- Murat Karayılan
- Inaam Raad
- Said Shaaban
|
| Strength |
|---|
- Israel:
- 78,000 troops
- 800 tanks
- 1,500 APCs
- 634 aircraft
- LF:
- SLA:
|
- Syria:
- 22,000 troops
- 352 tanks
- 300 APCs
- 450 aircraft
- 300 artillery pieces
- 100 anti-aircraft guns
- 125 SAM batteries
- PLO:
- 15,000 troops
- 80 tanks
- 150 APCs
- 350+ artillery pieces
- 250+ anti-aircraft guns
|
| Casualties and losses |
|---|
- Israel:
- 654 killed and 3,887 wounded (1982–85)[4][5]
- 4 missing
- 12 captured
- 1 aircraft lost
- 2 helicopters lost
|
- PLO: Syria:
- 1,200 killed
- 296 captured
- 300–350 tanks lost
- 150 APCs lost
- c. 100 artillery pieces lost
- 82–86 aircraft lost
- 12 helicopters lost
- 29 SAM missile batteries lost[9]
|
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Total Lebanese: 19,085 killed and 30,000 wounded.[10]
Civilians at Sabra-Shatila massacre: 800-3,500 killed.[10]
Also see Casualties below. |
Close
Uri Ben-Eliezer, War over Peace: One Hundred Years of Israel's Militaristic Nationalism, University of California Press (2019)
Gad Barzilai, Wars, Internal Conflicts, and Political Order: A Jewish Democracy in the Middle East, State University of New York Press (1996)
Gabriel, Richard, A, Operation Peace for Galilee, The Israeli-PLO War in Lebanon, New York: Hill & Wang. 1984, p. 164, 165, ISBN 978-0-8090-7454-9 "Lebanon Demands Payment". The Los Angeles Times. 16 November 1984.
Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948–1991
