List of wars involving Israel

See also: List of Israel Defense Forces operations and List of conflicts in the southern Levant

This is a list of wars and other major military engagements involving Israel. Since its declaration of independence in May 1948, the State of Israel has fought various wars with its neighbouring Arab states, two major Palestinian Arab uprisings known as the First Intifada and the Second Intifada (see Israeli–Palestinian conflict), and a broad series of other armed engagements rooted in the Arab–Israeli conflict.

Wars and other conflicts

Israel has been involved in a number of wars and large-scale military operations, including:

• 1948 Arab–Israeli War (November 1947 – July 1949) – Started as 6 months of civil war between Jewish and Arab militias when the mandate period in Palestine was ending and turned into a regular war after the establishment of Israel and the intervention of several Arab armies. In its conclusion, a set of agreements were signed between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, called the 1949 Armistice Agreements, which established the armistice lines between Israel and its neighbours, also known as the Green Line .
• Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency (1950s–1960s) – Palestinian attacks and reprisal operations carried out by the Israel Defense Forces during the 1950s and 1960s. These actions were in response to constant fedayeen incursions during which Arab guerrillas infiltrated from Syria, Egypt, and Jordan into Israel to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. The policy of the reprisal operations was exceptional due to Israel's declared aim of getting a high 'blood cost' among the enemy side which was believed to be necessary in order to deter them from committing future attacks.
• Suez Crisis (October 1956) – A military attack on Egypt by Britain, France, and Israel, beginning on 29 October 1956, with the intention to occupy the Sinai Peninsula and to take over the Suez Canal. The attack followed Egypt's decision of 26 July 1956 to nationalize the Suez Canal after the withdrawal of an offer by Britain and the United States to fund the building of the Aswan Dam. Although the Israeli invasion of the Sinai was successful, the United States and USSR forced it to retreat. Even so, Israel managed to re-open the Straits of Tiran and pacified its southern border.
• Six-Day War (June 1967) – Fought between Israel and Arab neighbors Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. The nations of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Algeria, and others also contributed troops and arms to the Arab forces. Following the war, the territory held by Israel expanded significantly ("The Purple Line") : The West Bank (including East Jerusalem) from Jordan, Golan Heights from Syria, Sinai and Gaza from Egypt.
• War of Attrition (1967–1970) – A limited war fought between the Israeli military and forces of the Egyptian Republic, the USSR, Jordan, Syria, and the Palestine Liberation Organization from 1967 to 1970. It was initiated by the Egyptians as a way of recapturing the Sinai from the Israelis, who had been in control of the territory since the mid-1967 Six-Day War. The hostilities ended with a ceasefire signed between the countries in 1970 with frontiers remaining in the same place as when the war began.
• Yom Kippur War (October 1973) – Fought from 6 to 26 October 1973 by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel as a way of recapturing part of the territories which they lost to the Israelis back in the Six-Day War. The war began with a surprise joint attack by Egypt and Syria on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Egypt and Syria crossed the cease-fire lines in the Sinai and Golan Heights, respectively. Eventually Arab forces were defeated by Israel and there were no significant territorial changes.
• Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon (1971–1982) – The PLO relocated to South Lebanon from Jordan, staged attacks on the Galilee, and used South Lebanon as a base for international operations. In 1978, Israel launched Operation Litani – the first Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which was carried out by the Israel Defense Forces in order to expel PLO forces from the territory. Continuing ground and rocket attacks, and Israeli retaliations, eventually escalate into the 1982 War.
• 1982 Lebanon War (1982) – Began on 6 June 1982, when the Israel Defense Forces invaded southern Lebanon to expel the PLO from the territory. The Government of Israel ordered the invasion as a response to the assassination attempt against Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov, by the Abu Nidal Organization and due to the constant terror attacks on northern Israel made by the Palestinian guerrilla organizations which resided in Lebanon. The war resulted in the expulsion of the PLO from Lebanon and created an Israeli Security Zone in southern Lebanon.
• South Lebanon conflict (1982–2000) – Nearly 18 years of warfare between the Israel Defense Forces and its Lebanese Christian proxy militias against Lebanese Muslim guerrilla forces, led by Iranian-backed Hezbollah, within what was defined by Israelis as the "Security Zone" in South Lebanon.
• First Intifada (1987–1993) – First large-scale Palestinian uprising against Israel in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
• Second Intifada (2000–2005) – Second Palestinian uprising, a period of intensified violence, which began in late September 2000.
• Israel–Hezbollah War (2006) – Began as a military operation in response to the abduction of two Israeli reserve soldiers by the Hezbollah. The operation gradually strengthened, to become a wider confrontation. The principal participants were Hezbollah paramilitary forces and the Israeli military. The conflict started on 12 July 2006 and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect on 14 August 2006, though it formally ended on 8 September 2006, when Israel lifted its naval blockade of Lebanon. The war resulted in a stalemate.
• Gaza War or Operation Cast Lead (December 2008 – January 2009) – Three-week armed conflict between Israel and Hamas during the winter of 2008–2009. In an escalation of the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israel responded to ongoing rocket fire from the Gaza Strip with military force in an action titled "Operation Cast Lead". Israel opened the attack with a surprise air strike on 27 December 2008. Israel's stated aim was to stop such rocket fire from and the import of arms into Gaza. Israeli forces attacked military and civilian targets, police stations, and government buildings in the opening assault. Israel declared an end to the conflict on 18 January and completed its withdrawal on 21 January 2009.
• 2012 Gaza War or Operation Pillar of Defense (November 2012) – Military offensive on the Gaza Strip. ^[1]
• 2014 Gaza War or Operation Protective Edge (July–August 2014) – Military offensive on the Gaza Strip as a response to the collapse of American-sponsored peace talks, attempts by rival Palestinian factions to form a coalition government, the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers, the subsequent kidnapping and murder of a Palestinian teenager, and increased rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas militants. ^[2]
• Syrian Civil War and the Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war.
• 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis or Operation Guardian of the Walls (May 2021) – Riots between Jews and Arabs in Israeli cities. Hamas fired rockets into Israel, with Iron Dome intercepting the most dangerous projectiles. Israel began airstrikes in Gaza.
• Gaza war or Operation Iron Swords (October 2023–present) – After a Palestinian incursion from the Gaza Strip into Southern Israel on 7 October 2023, Israel responded with a devastating bombing campaign and invaded the Strip. The war has created a humanitarian crisis in the Strip and an ongoing famine, with experts stating that Israel is perpetrating a genocide against Gazans through its conduct in the war.
• Israeli invasion of Lebanon or Operation Northern Arrows (September–November 2024).
• Iran–Israel war or Operation Rising Lion (June 2025).

Table

Conflicts considered as wars by the Israeli Ministry of Defense (as they were named by Israel in small text) are marked in bold.

Conflict	Combatant 1	Combatant 2	Results	Israeli commanders			Israeli losses
				Israeli Prime Minister	Defense Minister of Israel	Chief of Staff of the IDF	IDF forces	Civilians
1948 Palestine war War of Independence (1947–1949)	Yishuv (before 14 May 1948) Israel (after 14 May 1948) Before 26 May 1948: Haganah Palmach Hish Corps HIM Corps Irgun Lehi Druze militants [3] [4] Allied Bedouin tribes [5] [6] After 26 May 1948: Israel Defense Forces Sword Battalion Foreign volunteers: Mahal	Arab Higher Committee (before 15 May 1948) Arab League (after 15 May 1948) Arab Liberation Army Holy War Army Al-Najjada Egypt All-Palestine Protectorate (after 22 Sep 1948) Transjordan Syria Iraq Lebanon Saudi Arabia   Yemen   United Kingdom Mandatory Palestine (before 15 May 1948)	Israeli victory 1949 Armistice Agreements: Establishment of the State of Israel Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt and establishment of the All-Palestine Government Annexation of the West Bank by Jordan (including East Jerusalem) Syrian foothold established to the north and south of the Sea of Galilee	David Ben-Gurion		Yaakov Dori	4,074 [7]	~2,000 [7]
Suez Crisis Sinai War (1956)	Israel United Kingdom   France	Egypt	Victory Israeli occupation of the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip until March 1957			Moshe Dayan	231	None
Six-Day War (1967)	Israel	Egypt Syria Jordan Iraq [8] Minor involvement: Lebanon [9]	Victory Israel occupies a total of 70,000 km2 (27,000 sq mi) of territory: [10] The Golan Heights from Syria The West Bank including East Jerusalem from Jordan The Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt [11] [12]	Levi Eshkol	Moshe Dayan	Yitzhak Rabin	776–983	20
War of Attrition (1967–1970)	Israel	Egypt   Soviet Union Kuwait [13] PLO   Jordan   Syria [14]   Cuba	Inconclusive	Golda Meir		Haim Bar-Lev	1,424 [15]	227 [16]
Yom Kippur War (1973)	Israel	Egypt Syria Expeditionary forces Saudi Arabia [17] Algeria [18] Jordan Libya Iraq Kuwait [19] Tunisia Morocco [20] Cuba North Korea [21] [22]	Victory [23] At the final ceasefire: Egyptian forces held 1,200 km2 (460 sq mi) on the eastern bank of the canal. [24] Israeli forces held 1,600 km2 (620 sq mi) on the western bank of the canal. [25] Israeli forces held 500 km2 (193 sq mi) of the Syrian Bashan region of the Golan Heights.
1978 South Lebanon conflict Operation Litani (1978)	Israel SLA	PLO	Victory Palestinian withdrawal from South Lebanon	Menachem Begin	Ezer Weizman	Mordechai Gur	18	None
1982 Lebanon War First Lebanon War / Operation Peace Galilee (1982)	Israel Lebanese Forces South Lebanon Army	PLO Syria Others Lebanese National Resistance Front Al-Mourabitoun PKK [26] [27] [28]	Inconclusive Israeli tactical victories [29] Israeli strategic failures [a] PLO expulsion from Lebanon. [38] End of the Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon Beginning of the South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000) Start of the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon		Ariel Sharon	Rafael Eitan	657	2–3
South Lebanon conflict Security Zone Campaign (1982–2000)	Israel South Lebanon Army	Hezbollah Amal Lebanese Communist Party Jammoul PFLP–GC	Hezbollah-led victory [39] Collapse of the SLA and its provisional government [40] Israeli withdrawal and end of its occupation of Southern Lebanon	Shimon Peres	Yitzhak Rabin	Moshe Levi	559	7
First Intifada (1987–1993)	Israel	Al-Qiyada al-Muwhhada Fatah Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Palestinian Communist Party Hamas Palestinian Islamic Jihad	Palestinian Uprising suppressed [41] Madrid Conference Oslo I Accord Israel–PLO Letters of Mutual Recognition [42] Establishment of the Palestinian National Authority Creation of the West Bank "Areas" by the Oslo II Accord in 1995	Yitzhak Shamir		Dan Shomron	60	100
Second Intifada (2000–2005)	Israel	Palestinian Authority PLO Fatah Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Hamas Palestinian Islamic Jihad Popular Resistance Committees	Victory Palestinian uprising suppressed. [43] Israeli forces withdraw from the Gaza Strip Israel initiates the Gaza disengagement plan Israel constructs the West Bank barrier	Ariel Sharon	Shaul Mofaz	Moshe Ya'alon	301	773
2006 Lebanon War Second Lebanon War / Operation Just Reward (2006)	Israel	Hezbollah Allies: Amal Popular Guard [44] PFLP-GC [45] Iran ( Ynet report) [46] ICU (U.N. report) [47] [48]	Inconclusive Ceasefire through UNSCR 1701	Ehud Olmert	Amir Peretz	Dan Halutz	121	44
Gaza War Operation Cast Lead (2008–2009)	Israel Israel Defense Forces Israel Security Agency	Gaza Strip Hamas Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine Al-Quds Brigades   Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades Popular Resistance Committees	Victory IDF declared unilateral ceasefire, 12 hours later Hamas announced a one-week ceasefire. Humanitarian crisis and deterioration of infrastructure and basic services in Gaza. [49] Temporary reduction in the number of rockets being fired from the Gaza Strip. See results		Ehud Barak	Gabi Ashkenazi	10	3
Gaza War Operation Pillar of Defense (2012)	Israel	Gaza Strip Hamas Al-Qassam Brigades Palestinian Islamic Jihad [50] Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General Command Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine [51] Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Popular Resistance Committees [52]   Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades [53] Jaysh al-Ummah [54]	Ceasefire both sides claim victory [55] [56] [57] According to Israel, the operation "severely impaired Hamas's launching capabilities." [58] According to Hamas, their rocket strikes led to the ceasefire deal [59] Cessation of rocket fire from Gaza into Israel. [60] Gaza fishermen allowed 6 nmi (11 km) out to sea for fishing; [61] reduced back to 3 nmi (6 km) after 22 March 2013 [62]	Benjamin Netanyahu		Benny Gantz	2	4
Gaza War Operation Protective Edge (2014)	Israel	Gaza Strip Hamas Palestinian Islamic Jihad Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine [63] Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine [64] Popular Resistance Committees   Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades [65] Abdullah Azzam Brigades [66] Jaysh al-Ummah [54]	Both sides claim victory According to Hamas, Israel was repelled from Gaza [67] According to Israel, Hamas was severely weakened and achieved none of its demands [68]		Moshe Ya'alon		67	6
Israel–Palestine crisis (2021)	Israel   Israel Defense Forces   Israeli Air Force Israel Police Israel Border Police Shin Bet [69] [70] Jewish Israeli protesters	Gaza Strip Hamas Palestinian Islamic Jihad Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine   Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades [71] Smaller militant groups [b] Protesters in Israel and Palestine Arab Israeli protesters Palestinian protesters in the West Bank and Jerusalem Jordanian, Lebanese, and Syrian protesters (see international)	Victory claimed by both sides Return to status quo ante bellum ; ceasefire went into effect Halting of both Israeli airstrikes inside the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rocket fire into Israel		Benny Gantz	Aviv Kochavi	1	14
Gaza war Operation Iron Swords (2023–present)	Israel [c] Allies: Popular Forces [d] [e]	Hamas Palestinian allies:   Palestinian Islamic Jihad   Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine   Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades Palestinian Mujahideen Movement Palestinian Freedom Movement Popular Resistance Committees Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command Abdul al-Qadir al-Husseini Brigades Jaysh al-Ummah	Ongoing		Yoav Gallant (until November 2024) Israel Katz (currently)	Herzi Halevi	1,060+	996+
Israel–Hezbollah conflict Operation Northern Arrows (2023–2024)	Israel	Hezbollah [77] Allies: Amal [78] Islamic Group [79] SSNP-L Hamas [80] PIJ [81] Popular Resistance Committees [82]   Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine [83] Islamic Resistance in Iraq Houthi movement [84]   Iran   Syria (until 2024) Islamic Azz Brigades [77]	Ongoing				87+	46+
Israeli invasion of Syria Operation Arrow of Bashan (2024–present)	Israel	Syria	Ongoing		Israel Katz		1	0
Iran–Israel war Operation Rising Lion (2025)	Israel   United States	Iran Houthis	Ceasefire Ceasefire between Iran and Israel			Eyal Zamir	1	31

Other armed conflicts involving the IDF

Main article: List of Israel Defense Forces operations

See also

• History of the Israel Defense Forces
• History of the Israeli Air Force
• Iran–Israel proxy conflict
• Israeli casualties of war
• Jewish military history
• List of modern conflicts in the Middle East
• List of wars involving the State of Palestine
• Outline of the Gaza war
• Timeline of Israeli history
• History of the Arab–Israeli conflict
• Violent conflicts involving the Yishuv

References

1. "Q&A: Israel-Gaza violence". BBC News. 19 November 2012.
2. "Israel and Hamas Trade Attacks as Tension Rises". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
3. Nisan, Mordechai (2015). Minorities in the Middle East: A History of Struggle and Self-Expression (2d ed.). McFarland. p. 284. ISBN   978-0-7864-5133-3. This Jewish-Druze partnership was often referred to as a "covenant of blood," in recognition of the common military yoke carried by the two peoples for the security of the country.
4. "The Druze in Israel: Questions of Identity, Citizenship, and Patriotism" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
5. Palestine Post, "Israel's Bedouin Warriors", Gene Dison, August 12, 1948
6. AFP (24 April 2013). "Bedouin army trackers scale Israel social ladder". Al Arabiya . Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
7. Sandler, Stanley (2002). Ground Warfare: An International Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 160. ISBN   978-1-57607-344-5.
8. Krauthammer, Charles (18 May 2007). "Prelude to the Six Days". The Washington Post. p. A23. ISSN   0740-5421. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
9. Oren (2002), p. 237.
10. Arnold, Guy (2016). Wars in the Third World Since 1945. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 299. ISBN   978-1-4742-9101-9.
11. "Milestones: 1961–1968". Office of the Historian. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018. Between June 5 and June 10, Israel defeated Egypt, Jordan, and Syria and occupied the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights
12. Weill, Sharon (2007). "The judicial arm of the occupation: the Israeli military courts in the occupied territories". International Review of the Red Cross. 89 (866): 401. doi:10.1017/s1816383107001142. ISSN   1816-3831. S2CID   55988443. On 7 June 1967, the day the occupation started, Military Proclamation No. 2 was issued, endowing the area commander with full legislative, executive, and judicial authorities over the West Bank and declaring that the law in force prior to the occupation remained in force as long as it did not contradict new military orders.
13. Tucker, Spencer; Roberts, Priscilla (2008). The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO. p. 596. ISBN   9781851098422.
14. "The War: Lebanon and Syria". Dover.idf.il. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
15. Lorch, Netanel (2 September 2003). "The Arab-Israeli Wars". Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 9 March 2007. Retrieved 3 March 2007.
16. Schiff, Zeev, A History of the Israeli Army (1870–1974), Straight Arrow Books (San Francisco, 1974) p. 246, ISBN   0-87932-077-X
17. O'Ballance (1979), pp. 201.
18. Shazly (2003), p. 278.
19. Rabinovich (2004), pp. 464–465.
20. Mahjoub Tobji (2006). Les officiers de Sa Majesté: Les dérives des généraux marocains 1956–2006 (in French). Fayard. p. 107. ISBN   978-2-213-63015-1.
21. Shazly (2003), pp. 83–84.
22. Cenciotti, David. "Israeli F-4s Actually Fought North Korean MiGs During the Yom Kippur War". Business Insider.
23. References:
    • Herzog, The War of Atonement, Little, Brown and Company, 1975. Forward
    • Insight Team of the London Sunday Times, Yom Kippur War, Doubleday and Company, Inc, 1974, page 450
    • Luttwak and Horowitz, The Israeli Army. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Abt Books, 1983
    • Rabinovich, The Yom Kippur War, Schocken Books, 2004. Page 498
    • Revisiting The Yom Kippur War, P. R. Kumaraswamy, pages 1–2 ISBN   0-313-31302-4
    • Johnson and Tierney, Failing To Win, Perception of Victory and Defeat in International Politics. Page 177
    • Charles Liebman, The Myth of Defeat: The Memory of the Yom Kippur war in Israeli Society ^{[ permanent dead link ]}Middle Eastern Studies, Vol 29, No. 3, July 1993. Published by Frank Cass, London. Page 411.
24. Rabinovich (2004), p. 467.
25. Morris (2011), p. 437.
26. "In the Spotlight: PKK (A.k.a KADEK) Kurdish Worker's Party". Cdi.org. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
27. "Abdullah Öcalan en de ontwikkeling van de PKK". Xs4all.nl. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
28. "a secret relationship". Niqash.org. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
29. Eligar Sadeh Militarization and State Power in the Arab–Israeli Conflict: Case Study of Israel, 1948–1982 Universal-Publishers, 1997 p.119.
30. Naor, Dan; Lewin, Eyal (3 April 2023). "Was the 1982 Lebanon War a Deviation from Israeli Security Doctrine?". The Journal of the Middle East and Africa. 14 (2): 219–244. doi: 10.1080/21520844.2023.2171652 . ISSN   2152-0844.
31. Schulze, Kristen E. (1 January 1996). "Perceptions and Misperceptions: Influences on Israeli Intelligence Estimates During the 1982 Lebanon War". Journal of Conflict Studies. ISSN   1715-5673. The failure of the invasion can be seen as the result of a number of misconceptions by the Israelis. The most prominent misconceptions underlying Israel's policy were: that Lebanon had a Christian majority, that the position of the president was a strong one, that the Lebanese Forces were powerful, that the Maronites wanted a Christian state, that the Maronite faction they were liaising with represented all Maronites, and that the Maronites were reliable.
32. Katz, Andrew Z. (1 July 2017), 5 Israel's 1982 Invasion of Lebanon to Secure Peace in the Galilee , Lynne Rienner Publishers, pp. 135–162, doi:10.1515/9781626376687-007, ISBN   978-1-62637-668-7 , retrieved 26 September 2024, The failure of Operation Peace of [sic] Galilee to achieve its objective prevailed upon the new national coalition government, which took office in 1984, to withdraw forthwith from Lebanon.
33. "Israel's 3-Year War in Lebanon Ends, But Some Troops Remain Behind". Washington Post. 6 June 1985. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 26 September 2024. In the latest poll, in May, 36 percent of the public still said it was right to launch the war in 1982 and 60 percent said it was wrong. Significantly, 75 percent said the war was a failure.
34. Kainikara, Sanu (2007). "Pathways to Victory: Observations from the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict" (PDF). The failure of the political objectives of Operation Peace for Galilee highlights a significant disconnect in Israel's execution of the conflict. In the opinion of John Garofano, Israel's political leaders, especially Ariel Sharon, had overestimated the time available and underestimated the cost in lives to achieve these goals. Corroborating this view, Shlomo Gazit, a former head of Israeli military intelligence says that both Begin and Sharon 'chose to isolate themselves from their intelligence advisors and never evinced the slightest doubt that they could achieve their objective'. As the siege of Beirut continued, Sharon's ability to direct IDF operations was gradually restricted by his cabinet colleagues to the point that he could only issue piecemeal orders. Meanwhile, the IDF suffered large numbers of casualties in fierce urban fighting and later became bogged down in two decades of a low-intensity war against Hezbollah that it could not win
35. Hertling, Mark. "What I Learned from Watching the Israeli Army". www.thebulwark.com. Retrieved 26 September 2024. In 1982, the IDF were initially successful, but changes in government policy and civilian leaders' strategic objectives caused mission creep, dysfunction, and eventual failure to achieve military goals. Israel withdrew its forces to the border areas by 1985, and withdrew further to the international boundary in 2000.
36. Khalidi, Rashid (4 January 2014). Under Siege: PLO Decisionmaking During the 1982 War. Columbia University Press. p. 45. ISBN   978-0-231-53595-3. However, the failure of "Operation Peace for Galilee" goes far beyond the objectives implied by the war's shrewdly chosen code name, since those who planned it had set their sights much farther afield.
37. Hammes, Thomas X. (17 February 2006). The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century. Voyageur Press. p. 105. ISBN   978-0-7603-2407-3. Adding to their frustration was the most recent and only failure of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF): Operation Peace for Galilee, the ill-fated invasion of Lebanon.
38. References:
    • Armies in Lebanon 1982–84, Samuel Katz and Lee E. Russell, Osprey Men-At-Arms series No. 165, 1985
    • Hirst, David (2010). Beware of Small States. NationBooks. pp. 144–145. ISBN   978-1-56858-657-1. In time, however, Arafat and his guerrilla leadership decided that they would have to withdraw, leaving no military and very little political or symbolic presence behind. Their enemy's firepower and overall strategic advantage were too great and it was apparently ready to use them to destroy the whole city over the heads of its inhabitants. The rank and file did not like this decision, and there were murmurings of 'treason' from some of Arafat's harsher critics. Had they not already held out, far longer than any Arab country in any former war, against all that the most powerful army in the Middle East – and the fourth most powerful in the world, according to Sharon – could throw against them? (...) But [Palestinians] knew that, if they expected too much, they could easily lose [Lebanese Muslim support] again. 'If this had been Jerusalem', they said, 'we would have stayed to the end. But Beirut is not outs to destroy.
39. References:
    • Helmer, Daniel Isaac. Flipside of the Coin: Israel's Lebanese Incursion Between 1982 and 2000. DIANE Publishing, 2010.
    • "2000: Hezbollah celebrates Israeli retreat". BBC News. 26 May 2000. Retrieved 25 July 2006.
40. • "Land for Peace Timeline". Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre. 2006. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
    • "Hezbollah 101: Who is the militant group, and what does it want?". The Christian Science Monitor. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012. Iran has also played an instrumental role in building up Hezbollah's military capabilities over the years, which enabled the group's impressive military wing to oust Israel from south Lebanon in 2000
41. Kober, Avi, Israel's Wars of Attrition: Attrition Challenges to Democratic States, p. 165
42. Murphy, Kim (10 September 1993). "Israel and PLO, in Historic Bid for Peace, Agree to Mutual Recognition". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
43. Sources:
    • Amos Harel; Avi Issacharoff (1 October 2010). "Years of Rage". Haaretz . Retrieved 28 September 2014.
    • Laura King (28 September 2004). "Losing faith in the intifada". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 28 September 2014.
    • Jackson Diehl (27 September 2004). "From Jenin to Falluja". The Washington Post . Retrieved 28 September 2014.
    • Zeev Chafetz (22 July 2004). "The Intifadeh is over – just listen". World Jewish Review. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
    • Yaakov Amidror (23 August 2010). "Winning the counterinsurgency war: The Israeli experience". Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs . Retrieved 28 September 2014.
    • Hillel Frisch (12 January 2009). "The need for a decisive Israeli victory over Hamas" (PDF). Begin–Sadat Center for Strategic Studies . Retrieved 28 September 2014.
    • Ofek Bouchriss (15 March 2006). The "Defensive Shield" Operation as a Turning Point in Israel's National Security Strategy (Master thesis). United States Army War College . Retrieved 28 September 2014– via Defence Technology Information Center.
    • Charles Krauthammer (18 June 2004). "Israel's Intifada Victory". The Washington Post . p. A29. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
    • Sever Plocker (22 June 2008). "2nd Intifada forgotten". Ynetnews . Retrieved 28 September 2014.
    • Moshe Yaalon (January 2007). "Lessons from the Palestinian "war" against Israel" (PDF). Washington Institute for Near East Policy. pp. 14–15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2007.
    • Yoaz Hendel (20 September 2010). "Letting the IDF win". Ynetnews . Retrieved 28 September 2014.
    • Yossi Klein Halevi; Michael B. Oren (20 September 2004). "Israel's unexpected victory over terrorism". World Jewish Review. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
    • Zvi Shtauber; Yiftah Shapir (2006). The Middle East strategic balance, 2004–2005. Sussex Academic Press. p. 7. ISBN   978-1-84519-108-5 . Retrieved 12 February 2012.
44. Herbert Docena (17 August 2006). "Amid the bombs, unity is forged". Asia Times . Archived from the original on 31 August 2006. Retrieved 25 November 2011. 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.
45. "PFLP claims losses in IDF strike on Lebanon base". The Jerusalem Post . Associated Press. 6 August 2006. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012.
46. Klein, Aaron (27 July 2006). "Iranian soldiers join Hizbullah in fighting". Ynet. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
47. Worth, Robert F. (15 November 2006). "U.N. Says Somalis Helped Hezbollah Fighters". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 26 October 2023. 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.
48. "Report: Over 700 Somalis fought with Hizbullah". The Jerusalem Post . 15 November 2006. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
49. "Gaza Humanitarian Situation Report – January 2, 2009 as of 14:30" (PDF). United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2 January 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
50. "IDF believes Hamas, Islamic Jihad will honor cease-fire". The Jerusalem Post. 22 November 2012. Archived from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
51. "PFLP says fighters will continue to strike Israel". Ma'an News Agency. 17 November 2012. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
52. "Occupied Quds City Targeted by Palestinian Missile". Fars News Agency. 20 November 2012. Archived from the original on 16 December 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
53. "Fatah: We also fought against Israel in Pillar of Defense". The Jerusalem Post . 24 November 2012. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
54. "Jaysh al-Ummah (Gaza)". European Council on Foreign Relations . Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
55. Londoño, Ernesto; Birnbaum, Michael (21 November 2012). "After Israel, Hamas reach Gaza cease-fire, both sides claim victory". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
56. Kalman, Matthew; Sengupta, Kim (21 November 2012). "Fragile truce deal hailed as a victory on both sides". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
57. Ahren, Raphael (21 November 2012). "Israel says it 'fulfilled all its goals,' while Hamas hails an 'exceptional victory'". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
58. Lyon, Alistair, ed. (21 November 2012). "Israel's battle damage report says Hamas crippled". Jewish Journal. Reuters. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
59. Balmer, Crispian (21 November 2012). "Analysis: Relief at Gaza ceasefire can't mask its frailty". Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
60. Ravid, Barak (22 November 2012). "Israel's Pillar of Defense achieved its goals". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
61. "Israel eases restrictions on Gaza fishing – Middle East – Al Jazeera English". Aljazeera.com. 25 November 2012. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
62. Williams, Dan (22 March 2013). "Hamas appeals to Egypt after Israel halves Gaza fishing zone". Reuters. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
63. "Qassam brigades claim rocket, mortar fire at southern Israel Archived 19 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine ", Ma'an News Agency, Monday 21 July 2014.
64. "Abu Jamal: Palestinian resistance continues to confront the occupier with rockets and missiles". PFLP. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
65. "Armed wing linked to Mahmoud Abbas's faction says it shot rockets at Ashkelon, Sderot and elsewhere Wednesday night". The Times of Israel . Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
66. Ben Solomon, Ariel (11 July 2014). "Videos show Lebanese jihadi group active in Gaza". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
67. Daraghmeh, Mohammed; Laub, Karin (26 August 2014). "Israel-Gaza conflict: Hamas claims 'victory for the resistance' as long-term truce is agreed with Israel". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
68. "Netanyahu: Hamas suffered its greatest blow since it was founded". The Jerusalem Post . 27 August 2014. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
69. "How data and AI drove the IDF operation in Gaza". Ynet News. 29 May 2021. Archived from the original on 1 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
70. "Shin Bet aiding attempt to clamp down on Jewish-Arab 'terror' wracking cities". The Times of Israel . 14 May 2021. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
71. Maher, Marwan (13 May 2021). "كتائب الأقصى تعلن مشاركتها في ضرب إسرائيل بضرب 106 صاروخ وقذيفة". Al-Masry Al-Youm (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
72. Joe Truzman (4 June 2021). "Analysis: 17 Palestinian militant factions identified in recent Gaza conflict". FDD's Long War Journal . Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
73. Uddin, Rayhan. "'Popular Forces': Who are the Gaza gangsters being armed by Israel?" . Retrieved 22 June 2025.
74. "Leader of militia in Gaza fighting Hamas admits cooperating with IDF". The Times of Israel. 6 July 2025.
75. Fabian, Emanuel; Yohanan, Nurit; Freiberg, Nava (5 June 2025). "Israel providing guns to Gaza gang to bolster opposition to Hamas". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
76. Rasgon, Adam (6 June 2025). "Who Is Yasser Abu Shabab, the Leader of the Israeli-Backed Militia in Gaza?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 7 June 2025.
77. "Iran Update, January 14, 2024". Institute for the Study of War . Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
78. Ari, Lior Ben (8 February 2024). "Lebanese Amal movement opposed to Israel but otherwise independent". Ynetnews . Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
79. Nada Homsi (31 October 2023). "'We're with the resistance': Hezbollah allies the Fajr Forces join Lebanon–Israel front". The National . Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
80. "Hamas says 3 members who infiltrated Israel from Lebanon were killed in IAF strike". The Times of Israel . 14 October 2023. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
81. Fabian, Emanuel (9 October 2023). "Officer, 2 soldiers killed in clash with terrorists on Lebanon border; mortars fired". The Times of Israel . Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
82. "Iran Update, September 25, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
83. "Three PLFP leaders killed in strike in Kola district of Beirut". The Jerusalem Post . 30 September 2024. Archived from the original on 30 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
84. "Iran Update, October 28, 2024". Institute for the Study of War.

1. Sources: ^{[30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37]}
2. Besides Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, FDD's Long War Journal identified the following militant groups as having fought in the 2021 conflict: Jihad Jibril Brigades, Humat al-Aqsa, Jaysh al-Ummah, Katibat al-Sheikh al-Emireen, Mujahideen Brigades, Abdul al-Qadir al-Husseini Brigades, and two al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades splinter factions. ^[72]
3. See List of military aid to Israel during the Gaza war and American involvement
4. Popular Forces have been described as a Salafi Jihadist organisation with alleged ties to the Islamic State. Several senior leaders in the Popular Forces also allied with the Islamic State in the Sinai. ^[73]
5. From May 2024 ^{[74] [75] [76]}

Bibliography

• Morris, Benny (25 May 2011). Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-2001. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN   978-0-307-78805-4.
• O'Ballance, Edgar (1979). No Victor, No Vanquished: The Yom Kippur War (1979 ed.). Barrie & Jenkins. pp. 28–370. ISBN   978-0-214-20670-2.
• Oren, Michael B. (2002). Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East . Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-515174-9.
• Rabinovich, Abraham (2004). The Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter That Transformed the Middle East. New York: Schocken Books. ISBN   978-0-8052-4176-1.
• Shazly, Lieutenant General Saad el (2003). The Crossing of the Suez, Revised Edition (revised ed.). American Mideast Research. ISBN   978-0-9604562-2-2.

External links

• Israel's Wars at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Israel's Wars & Operations at the Jewish Virtual Library