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2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict (Arab-Israeli conflict)
Part of the 2006 Middle East conflict
File:54995.jpg An IDF M109 self-propelled howitzer fires into Southern Lebanon
Date 12 July 2006 – present Location Lebanon and northern Israel Result Ongoing
Belligerents
File:Flag of Hezbollah.svg Hezbollah	Israel	Lebanon	United Nations
Commanders and leaders
Hassan Nasrallah (Secretary General)	Dan Halutz (CoS) Udi Adam (Regional)	Michel Sulaiman (CoS)
Casualties and losses
Militia: 43 confirmed by Hezbollah Allied militia: 8 confirmed by Amal IDF claims 300+ killed, 7 captured	Civilians: 20 killed 418 injured 300,000 displaced Soldiers: 36 killed 132 wounded 2 captured	Civilians: 828 killed 1,661 injured 900,000 displaced (Lebanese government accounts) Soldiers: 24 killed 70 wounded
Other casualties See Casualties

The 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict refers to a series of ongoing military actions and clashes in northern Israel and Lebanon between Hezbollah's armed wing and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israeli airstrikes on the country of Lebanon, and Hezbollah's rocket attacks on northern Israel.

Introduction

On 12 July 2006 Hezbollah initiated Operation Truthful Promise, resulting in the capture of two soldiers to exchange them for three Lebanese prisoners held by Israel, and the killing of eight soldiers and the wounding of twenty more. Israel then responded with Operation Just Reward, later renamed Operation Change of Direction. Israel's strike has included massive bombing raids by the Israeli Air Force (IAF), an air and Israeli Sea Corps naval blockade of Lebanon (especially southern Lebanon and Beirut), a force of tanks and armored personnel carriers, and a large incursion into southern Lebanon by IDF ground troops. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has engaged in artillery rocket bombardment of Israel's northern cities and towns, including Haifa.

The Lebanese government has disavowed Hezbollah's actions while urgently calling for international peacemakers to end the conflict by enforcing an immediate ceasefire.

The conflict has killed many civilians, caused widespread damage, displaced many people and disrupted normal life across most of Lebanon and northern Israel. Both sides' attacks on civilian population centers and infrastructure have drawn sharp criticism internationally. Some call the Israeli response "disproportionate violence".

Actions

Beginning of conflict

At 9:05 AM local time on 12 July 2006 a ground contingent of Hezbollah militants attacked two Israeli armored Humvees on a routine patrol along the Israel-Lebanon border near the Israeli village of Zar'it with anti-tank rockets, abducting two Israeli soldiers, and killing three. Five others were killed later on the Lebanese side of the border on 12 July during a mission to rescue the two captured soldiers. According to the Lebanese police force, the Israeli soldiers were attacked and captured on the Lebanese side of the border on 12 July during a mission to infiltrate the Lebanese town of Ayta al-Sha`b.

The IDF confirmed the capture of the two Israeli soldiers on 13 July and identified them as Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, both reservists who were on their last day of operational duty.

Hezbollah's attack was named after a "promise" by its leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah to capture Israeli soldiers and swap them for Samir Kuntar and other Lebanese prisoners held by Israel.

Hezbollah released a statement saying "Implementing our promise to free Arab prisoners in Israeli jails, our strugglers have captured two Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon". Later on, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah declared that "No military operation will return them… The prisoners will not be returned except through one way: indirect negotiations and a trade of prisoners."

Israeli response

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Israel responded within 2 hours

" force of tanks and armored personnel carriers was immediately sent into Lebanon in hot pursuit. It was during this pursuit, at about 11:00 A.M. . . . Merkava tank drove over a powerful bomb, containing an estimated 200 to 300 kilograms (440–660 Lb) of explosives, about 70 meters (230 ft) north of the border fence. The tank was almost completely destroyed, and all four crew members were killed instantly. Over the next several hours, IDF soldiers waged a fierce fight against Hezbollah gunmen . . . During the course of this battle, at about 3:00 P.M., another soldier was killed and two were lightly wounded."

Israel's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, told Israel's Channel 10, "If the soldiers are not returned, we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years." Retired Israeli army Col. Gal Luft, a former commander in the town of Ramallah, said,

"Israel is attempting to create a rift between the Lebanese population and Hezbollah supporters by exacting a heavy price from the elite in Beirut. The message is: If you want your air conditioning to work and if you want to be able to fly to Paris for shopping, you must pull your head out of the sand and take action toward shutting down Hezbollah-land."

Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert declared the attack by Hezbollah’s military wing an “act of war”, and promised Lebanon a “very painful and far-reaching response.” Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz also said that “the State of Israel sees itself free to use all measures that it finds it needs, and the Israeli Forces have been given orders in that direction.”

Israel said it held the Beirut government responsible for the attack, but Prime Minister Fuad Siniora denied any knowledge of the raid and stated that he did not condone it. An emergency meeting of the Lebanese government reaffirmed this position.

Early on 13 July 2006 Israel sent IDF jets to bomb Lebanon's international airport near Beirut, forcing its closure and diverting its arriving flights to Cyprus. Israel is now imposing an air and sea blockade on Lebanon, and has bombed the main Beirut–Damascus highway.

The Israeli Air Force has carried out nearly 2,000 bombing sorties across Lebanon, especially targeting transportation infrastructure. Israel says these missions are essential for weakening Hezbollah's rocket-launching capability.Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said that the ground operations would be limited.

On 23 July 2006, Israeli land forces crossed into Lebanon in the Maroun al-Ras area, which overlooks several other sites said to have been used as launch pads for Hezbollah rockets.

On 25 July IDF forces attacked Bint Jbeil, an important Hezbollah stronghold opposite the Israeli border. On 27 July, Hezbollah successfully ambushed the Israelis and killed 8 soldiers, though Israel says it also inflicted heavy losses on Hezbollah. By 29 July, the bulk of the combat had ended, and Israel withdrew some of its more battle-weary troops while maintaining control of the town.

The EU has warned Israel about disproportionate attacks against Lebanon. In addition spokespersons from the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization of Islamic Conference and an assortment of human rights organizations have condemned Israel for its ‘disproportionate’ response to Hezbollah’s attacks, although unprovoked by Israel. Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon stated "We received yesterday (26 July) at the Rome conference permission from the world... to continue the operation," and "everyone understands that a victory for Hezbollah is a victory for world terror". He said that in order to prevent casualties amongst Israeli soldiers battling Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, villages should be flattened by the Israeli air force before ground troops move in. With the loss of nine Israeli soldiers on 27 July and the Israeli government decision not to expand ground forces, Ramon issued the warning at a security cabinet meeting headed by Ehud Olmert that everyone remaining in southern Lebanon will be regarded as terrorists.

The Israeli government also began a public relations initiative in the press and the internet to promote and explain its actions in Lebanon, a practice also known as hasbara. The Israeli Foreign Ministry coordinated the efforts of "trainee diplomats" and international Jewish and evangelical Christian groups to track websites and chatrooms pertaining to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict and the 2006 Israel-Gaza conflict using the so-called "megaphone software" from Israel that enables these groups to post pro-Israeli viewpoints in response to software alerts of negative Internet opinions or Internet polls.

On 1 August Israeli soldiers have also landed in Baalbeck. troops had attempted to land near Dar al-Himkeh hospital west of Baalbeck in a 'widescale operation' in the area by the Israeli army. Israel's military released video that it said proved a hospital it raided over night deep inside Lebanon was actually a Hezbollah headquarters.[Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). Nasrallah said, addressing Israel: "You wanted an open war, and we are heading for an open war. We are ready for it."

After the Israeli initial response, Hezbollah declared an all-out military alert, and said it had 13,000 rockets capable of hitting towns and installations far into northern Israel. As a result, Defense Minister Peretz told commanders to prepare civil defense plans and many of the nearly 1,000,000 civilians living in Northern Israel have been sent to bomb shelters or fled their homes to other parts of the country. Hezbollah continued to fire hundreds of Katyusha rockets into northern Israel's towns and cities, including Nahariya, Safed, Hatzor HaGlilit, Rosh Pina, Kiryat Shmona, and Karmiel, and numerous small agricultural villages.

An Israeli Sa'ar 5 class missile corvette was struck on 14 July by an Iranian-made C-802 Noor (Tondar) radar-guided anti-ship cruise missile while it was stationed off the coast of Beirut causing the ship to return to port. The ship was enforcing a naval blockade imposed on Lebanon by Israel following the initiation of hostilities.

Hezbollah attacks have penetrated as far south as Haifa, Israel's third largest city, as well as Atlit and the Jezreel Valley cities of Nazareth and Afula. Al-Manar has reported that the Hezbollah attack included a Fajr-3 and a Ra'ad 1 liquid-fuel missiles, developed by Iran. One of the attacks hit a railroad repair depot, killing eight workers; Hezbollah claimed that this attack was aimed at a large Israeli fuel storage plant adjacent to the railway facility. The plant has not been hit to date. Haifa is home to many strategically valuable facilities such as shipyards and oil refineries, and their targeting by Hezbollah is seen as an escalation.

On 25 July Nasrallah has announced the launch of the "second phase of our struggle" in which his long-range rockets would "go beyond Haifa," Israel's third-largest city. Israeli officials have been bracing for possible rocket attacks on Tel Aviv, which would mark a major escalation in the conflict.

Human Rights Watch criticised Hezbollah's attacks on Israeli civilian areas on 18 July, in part because "the warheads used suggest a desire to maximize harm to civilians. Some of the rockets launched against Haifa over the past two days contained hundreds of metal ball bearings that are of limited use against military targets but cause great harm to civilians and civilian property. The ball bearings lodge in the body and cause serious harm."

On 29 July in a televised address to the Lebanese nation Nasrallah said:

"I tell the Lebanese that no one among you should be afraid of the victory of the resistance.. I assert that the victory will be for all of Lebanon, for every Arab, Muslim and honorable Christian, who stood with Lebanon and defended it."

30 July reportedly saw 140-146 rockets fired from Hezbollah positions into Israel- the most fired on a single day since IDF Operation Change Direction began.

On 2 August Rockets also landed near the town of Beit Shean, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the border _ the deepest penetration so far. Reports of rocket attacks reached 300 striking 15 targets inside Israel despite the IDF's claim that the three-week offensive in Lebanon had eroded Hezbollah's firepower.

Haaretz -Israeli newspaper- says "Hezbollah's goals are simple, perhaps even attainable. Continuing the rocket fire, preventing Lebanon from becoming a step in the American vision for a new Middle East, and preventing its own disarmament. The group has no intention of renouncing its weapons in any cease-fire. "

Targeting of civilian areas

The alleged targeting of civilian areas in Israel and Lebanon by combatants on both sides has figured prominently in the conflict. A vast majority of the hundreds of Lebanese casualties have been civilians, including women and children, whereas around one-third (18 civilians out of 51 dead) of Israeli casualties have been civilians.

UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland, while calling Israel's offensive "disproportionate" and "a violation of international humanitarian law", also accused Hezbollah of "cowardly blending" among Lebanese civilians and causing the deaths of hundreds during two weeks of cross-border conflict with Israel. Images smuggled out of Lebanon and published in Herald Sun (Australia) prove that Hezbolla fighters are dressed in civilian cloths, and attack out of suburbia in southern Lebanon; an eye witness from Melbourne that was in one of the attacked civilian areas tells that "Until the Hezbollah fighters arrived , it had not been touched by the Israelis. Then it was totally devastated."

Louise Arbour, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed "grave concern over the continued killing and maiming of civilians in Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory." She suggested that the actions of Israel and Hezbollah may constitute war crimes. Arbour called for Israel to obey a "principle of proportionality" and said, "indiscriminate shelling of cities constitutes a foreseeable and unacceptable targeting of civilians … Similarly, the bombardment of sites with alleged military significance, but resulting invariably in the killing of innocent civilians, is unjustifiable."

Amnesty International condemned both Israel and Hezbollah and called for UN intervention, stating: "The past few days has seen a horrendous escalation in attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Yet the G8 leaders have failed conspicuously to uphold their moral and legal obligation to address such blatant breaches of international humanitarian law, which in some cases have amounted to war crimes."

Strikes on Lebanon's civilian population and infrastructure include Beirut airport, sea ports, a lighthouse, grain silos, bridges, roads, factories, medical and relief trucks, mobile telephone and television stations, fuel containers and service stations, and the country's largest dairy farm Liban Lait. There have been reports of incidents involving attacks on residential buildings, ambulances, fleeing civilians, and United Nations posts and personnel,. The Israeli government insists these attacks are accidental. On 30 July 2006 an Israeli airstrike hit a residential building in Qana that housed refugees, which Israel said was near Hezbollah rocket launching sites; 56 people died, 34 of which were children, according to the Red Cross The Guardian said that fragments from the same precision-guided bombs suspected of killing four UN observers five days before were found.

• See also 2006 Qana airstrike.

Hezbollah has fired rockets at civilian targets throughout the conflict, landing in all major cities of northern Israel including Haifa, Nazareth, Tiberias, Nahariya, Safed, Afula Kiryat Shmona, Karmiel, and Maalot, and dozens of kibbutzim, moshavim, and Druze and Arab villages. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah denied this, saying "In the beginning, we started to act calmly, we focused on Israel military bases and we didn't attack any settlement, However, since the first day, the enemy attacked Lebanese towns and murdered civilians … Hezbollah militants had destroyed military bases, while the Israelis killed civilians and targeted Lebanon's infrastructure." However, the veracity of these claims is debatable, in part due to the nature of Hezbollah's warheads, which seem to be designed to maximize human casualties

Environmental consequences of attacks

• IDF strikes on the Jiyeh power plant on 13 July and 15 July caused 25,000 tonnes of oil to spill into the Mediterranean and constitutes an environmental disaster for the region. At present an oil slick covers 80km of Lebanon's 200km coastline. The slick is reportedly causing breathing problems, killing fish, and threatening the habitat of the endangered green sea turtle.

• The IDF has been criticized for its use of depleted uranium warheads (e.g., GBU-28 "Bunker Buster" munitions which is delivered by U.S. during the conflict , armour-piercing artillery and sabot shells) because of their indiscriminate nature and resulting toxic environmental contamination. GBU-28 munitions are in use by the IDF in Lebanon against infrastructure which the IDF claim houses Hezbollah.

• BBC reported that Hezbollah rockets have caused forest fires inside Northern Israel.

Historical background

Israeli-Lebanon conflict

The history of conflict between Israel and Lebanon began in 1947, when Lebanon's founding Prime Minister Riad as-Solh sparked the Arab League decision to enter the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and sent his army into Palestine. The army was defeated, and retreated back into Lebanon, where it signed an armistice that lasted until shortly after the 1967 Six Day War.

After the war, and following the Black September in Jordan, over 110,000 Palestinian refugees migrated to Lebanon, making up over 400,000 refugees today. . By 1975, they numbered more than 300,000, creating an informal state-within-a-state in South Lebanon. The PLO became a powerful force and played an important role in the Lebanese Civil War. In response to numerous attacks launched from southern Lebanon, Israel invaded in 1978 in an attempt to rout out Palestinian militants. As a result the United Nations passed UN Resolutions 425 and 426, which called for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to military action in Lebanon. At the end of the operation, Israeli forces withdrew from Lebanon, leaving behind a UNIFIL force. Israel invaded again four years later in 1982, forcing PLO forces out of Lebanon (mostly to Tunisia), and Israel occupied the southern part of the country. A US brokered peace treaty was ratified by the Lebanese parliament in 1983, but President Amine Gemayel decided against signing in 1984. In 1985, Israel withdrew its forces from parts of Lebanon and remained in a 4–6 kilometre (2.5–3.75 mi) deep strip of southern Lebanon named by Israel “The Security Zone”, which Israel cited as a protective measure to defend its Northern towns against Katyusha rockets. This occupation lasted until 2000. On 24 May2000 after the collapse of the South Lebanon Army and the rapid advance of Hezbollah forces, Israel withdrew its troops from southern Lebanon.

Since then, Hezbollah has repeatedly attacked Israeli military positions, whilst Israel has carried out numerous attacks aimed at striking Hezbollah bases (see Hezbollah activities).

Previous prisoner exchanges

During an attack in October 2000 on Shebaa Farms, Hezbollah captured three IDF soldiers who were killed either during the operation or in its immediate aftermath. Hezbollah sought to obtain the release of 14 Lebanese prisoners in exchange, together with Palestinian prisoners. A prisoner swap was carried out on 29 January 2004: 30 Lebanese and Arab prisoners, the remains of 59 Lebanese militants and civilians, 400 Palestinian prisoners, and maps showing Israeli mines in South Lebanon were exchanged for Israeli army reserve colonel Elchanan Tenenbaum captured in 2000 in Kuwait, and the remains of the three IDF soldiers mentioned above.

Hezbollah

Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shi’a Muslim Islamist organization formed in 1982 "primarily to offer resistance to the Israeli occupation." Hezbollah's political rhetoric has consistently called for the destruction of Israel.

It has a military and civilian wing, the latter participating in the Lebanese parliament, currently with 18% of the seats (23 out of 128) and the bloc it forms with others, the "Resistance and Development Bloc", a little less than 30% for a total of 35 seats (see Lebanese general election, 2005). It is a minority partner in the current Cabinet.

Casualties

Entity	Civilian	Military
Lebanon
Israel	20 dead, 418 wounded.	36 dead, 129 wounded.
File:Flag of Hezbollah.svg Hezbollah		49-450+ dead.
Canada	8 dead, 6 wounded.
Brazil	6 dead.
Germany	4 dead.
Kuwait	2 dead.
Australia		1 dead. Dual Citizen
Sri Lanka	1 dead.
Iraq	1 dead.
Jordan	1 dead.
Indonesia	1 dead.
Template:Country data PNA	1 dead
Argentina	1 dead.
Nigeria	1 dead.
India	1 dead.
Ukraine	1 dead.
United Nations		6 dead, 8 wounded. See main article
Total	850+ dead, 3600+ wounded.	108-517+ dead, 200+ wounded.

Position of Lebanon

While Israel holds the Lebanese government responsible for the Hezbollah attacks due to their failure to implement Resolution 1559 calling on them to disarm Hezbollah, Lebanon disavows the Hezbollah raids and states it does not condone them. An emergency meeting of the Lebanese government reaffirmed this position. Almost immediately after hostilities began, Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called for a ceasefire. On 14 July, following a phone call between Siniora and President Bush, the Prime Minister’s office issued the statement that “Prime Minister Siniora called on President Bush to exert all his efforts on Israel to stop its aggression on Lebanon, reach a comprehensive ceasefire and lift its blockade.”

The next day, in a televised message to the Lebanese people, and afterwards in an interview with CNN, Siniora said “We call for an immediate ceasefire backed by the United Nations.”

Negotiations for ceasefire

Terms for a ceasefire have been drawn and revised several times, yet have not been successfully agreed upon by the two sides. Hezbollah has maintained that it insists on an unconditional ceasefire , while Israel has insisted that it will agree to a ceasefire only under certain conditions, including the return of two captured Israeli soldiers.

The United Nations Security Council frequently rejected pleas from Lebanon that it call for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported the U.S. was the sole member of the 15-nation UN body to oppose any council action at all at this time.

International reaction

International reactions to the conflict have included widespread concern over current damage and over the possible escalation of the crisis, as well as mixed support and criticism of both Hezbollah and Israel. A number of nations, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Canada, have asserted Israel's right to self-defense. Further, the United States authorized Israel's request for the expedited processing and shipment of precision-guided bombs to Israel. The United States did not announce the shipment publicly. The majority (10) of the UN Security Council members have demanded an immediate cease-fire through a UN draft resolution, which was vetoed by the US and abstained from by 4 nations (UK, Peru, Slovakia, Denmark)

Neighboring Middle Eastern nations have been split in their response. Iran, Syria and Yemen have voiced strong support for Hezbollah, and the Arab League has issued a statement condemning Israel's response. By contrast, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan criticized Hezbollah's actions, as well as Iran and Syria for extending support to the organization, although they are under pressure to change their stance.

Protests and demonstrations have been held worldwide, mostly appealing for an immediate ceasefire on both sides and to express concern for the heavy loss of civilian life, but some also showing support exclusively to Lebanon or Israel. In addition there have been numerous newspaper advertising campaigns, text and email appeals and on-line petitions . Naveed Afzal Haq reportedly cited the conflict as the reason for his alleged shooting at the Jewish Federation building in Seattle.

Various foreign governments have stepped in to assist in the evacuation of civilians of their citizens from Lebanon.

The Israeli bombing of an apartment building in Qana on 30 July has led to widespread condemnation from around the world, even causing U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to call for a ceasefire "as soon as possible". In a UN Security Council meeting following the Qana bombing, the US was the sole veto of a condemnation of Israel; the United Kingdom, Slovakia, and Denmark abstained.

See also

Template:Campaignbox Arab-Israeli conflict

• 2006 Israel-Gaza conflict
• Israel-United States relations
• History of Lebanon
• History of Israel
• May 17 Agreement 1980s prospective peace agreement
• Arab-Israeli conflict
• Multinational Force in Lebanon in 1982
• United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon - UNIFIL (1978-current)
• History of the Middle East
• Views of the Arab-Israeli conflict
• International law and the Arab-Israeli conflict
• Arab-Israeli conflict facts, figures, and statistics
• July 2006 Seattle Jewish Federation shooting
• 2006 Qana airstrike

External links

Independent

• United Nations Interim Forces In Lebanon, including maps of the UN deployment
• New York Times: Interactive map updated daily
• BBC News: Middle East Crisis in depth
• JURIST: Legal news and resources on the conflict
• Google Earth layer
• MOSAIC: World News from the Middle East, Peabody Award-winning site that provides a daily compilation of news broadcasts (translated and dubbed where needed) from news agencies throughout the Middle East
• ABC News: The Middle East Conflict
• CTV News: Mideast Crisis
• Toronto Star: Mideast Crisis
• Fox News The MidEast
• The Guardian - Israel & the Middle East
• The Center for Democracy in Lebanon

Pro-Israeli

• The Jerusalem Post: IDF Home Front Command Website Comes Under Fire
• Yedioth Ahronoth - Israel at War
• Israel Insider - Security

Pro-Lebanese

• A vision of Hell - Center for Democracy in Lebanon
• Lebanon under Siege
• Free Patriotic Movement
• Al-Manar TV - Hezbollah TV station.

Frontline photographs

Warning: the following links contain graphic wartime imagery.

• From Israel To Lebanon — Photographs of Lebanese civilian targets and casualties, as well as Israeli children signing artillery shells
• CNN Photographs of the Israel Airstrike on Qana — Graphic photographs of Lebanese civilian casualties at the 2006 Qana airstrike
• Pictures From Qana — Graphic photographs of Lebanese civilian casualties at the 2006 Qana airstrike
• stopdestroyinglebanon.com — Graphic photographs of Lebanese civilian targets and casualties
• Images of civilian casualties in Lebanon
• Images of war in Israel — Graphic photographs of Israeli military and civilian casualties

Frontline blogs

Israeli blogs

• Aggregate of Israeli blogs in English — Approximately 100 blogs by Israelis with a variety of political opinions
• Kishkushim — Written mainly by Carmia, a resident of Haifa
• On the Face — A Tel Aviv-based Israeli-Canadian journalist, featured in Le Monde, La Repubblica and the Wall Street Journal, amongst other publications
• Israel North blog - A compilation of blogs of Russian-speaking residents of northern Israel, translated into English

Lebanese blogs

• Beirut Spring - Blog about the conflict.
• Democracy in Lebanon - Political Forum.
• BloggingBeirut.com — Finkployd's and other's regular war dispatches from Beirut, as featured in the New York Times
• Lebanese Political Journal — In-depth analysis on the political situation in Lebanon
• Lebanon News Live — Minute by minute account of the conflict, covering both sides. Constantly updated
• Electronic Lebanon — Commentary, analysis, human rights and development information, and diaries from on the ground
• Beirut Live — The Blog for people who want to know more about the situation in the Middle East.

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48. "Israel backed by army of cyber-soldiers". Times Online. 2006-07-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
49. "Israeli Attacks Increase; Hezbollah Vows 'Open War'". NPR. 2006-07-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
50. "Israeli Couple Weds in Bomb Shelter". Associated Press. 2006-07-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
51. "Israel battles militants on two fronts". Reuters. 2006-07-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
52. "14 people remain hospitalized in Ziv hospital in Safed". Ynetnews. 2006-07-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
53. "Safed: Man seriously injured in Katyusha attack". Ynet. 2006-07-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
54. "Anxious northern Israel endures rocket fire". CNN. {{cite news}}: Text "date2006-07-14" ignored (help)
55. "Katyusha rockets hit Galilee". Ynetnews. 2006-07-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
56. "Northern Israel under attack; missile fired at Haifa". Ynetnews. 2006-07-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
57. "Hezbollah rockets kill 9 in Israeli city". Associated Press. 2006-07-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
58. "Hizbullah: One of the rockets is a Ra'ad 1". Ynet. 2006-07-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
59. "2 wounded in Hezbollah strike on Haifa". The News-Sentinel. 2006-07-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
60. "Israel hammers at Lebanese infrastructure". The Associated Press. {{cite news}}: Text "2006-07-17" ignored (help)
61. "Lebanon: Hezbollah Rocket Attacks on Haifa Designed to Kill Civilians". Human Rights Watch. 2006-07-18.
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64. "WRAPUP 16-Israel raid kills more than 60, Lebanon shuns Rice=Reuters news". 2006-07-30. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
65. "10:44 am: Hezbollah guerrillas fire record number of rockets at Israel". 2006-08-02. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
66. "300 Hezbollah Rockets Strike 15 Israeli Targets". 2006-08-02. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
67. "10:44 am: Hezbollah guerrillas fire record number of rockets at Israel". 2006-08-02. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
68. "US 'outrage' over Israeli claims". BBC News. 2006-07-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
69. "U.N. Exec Blames Hezbollah for Deaths". Forbes. 2006-07-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
70. "Photos that damn Hezbollah". Herald Sun. 2006-07-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
71. "UN warning on Mid-East war crimes". BBC. 2006-07-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
72. "Toll Rises in Middle East". New York Times. 2006-07-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
73. "UN: Security Council must adopt urgent measures to protect civilians in Israel-Lebanon conflict". Amnesty International.
74. "Howard says Lebanon evacuation possible by ferry". ABC. 2006-07-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
75. "UAE aid truck bombed by Israel". Gulfnews. 2006-07-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
76. "Israel hits Lebanon telecoms, plans more incursions". Reuters. 2006-07-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
77. "By the numbers: heavy damage to infrastructure". FT.com. 2006-07-18. Retrieved 2006-07-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
78. "Mayhem in middle east: it gets worse". The Daily Mirror. 2006-07-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
79. "Israeli air attack kills 60 civilians, including 37 children". CNN. 2006-07-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
80. "'10 buildings for each rocket'". News24/AFP. 2006-07-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
81. "CNN Live Saturday". CNN. 2006-07-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
82. "To Flee or to Stay? Family Chooses Too Late and Pays Dearly". New York Times. 2006-07-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
83. "Israel troops 'ignored' UN plea". BBC. 07-26-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
84. 34 Youths Among 56 Dead in Israeli Attack, ABC News,July 30, 2006
85. "UN 'They found them huddled together'". The Guardian. 2006-07-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
86. "Israel halts airstrikes for 48 hours". CNN. 2006-07-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
87. Major Attacks in Lebanon, Israel and the Gaza Strip, New York Times
88. "Safed: Man seriously injured in Katyusha attack". Ynet. 2006-07-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
89. "Hizbullah leader promises enemy 'more surprises'". Islamic Resistance Lebanon. July 17 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
90. "Lebanon: Hezbollah Rocket Attacks on Haifa Designed to Kill Civilians". Human Rights Watch. 2006-07-18.
91. "Environmental disaster in Lebanon war". United Press International. 2006-07-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
92. "LEBANON: An environmental disaster looms". Reuters. 2006-07-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
93. "Amid the fighting in Lebanon, a budding ecological disaster". Globe and Mail. 2006-07-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
94. Israel to get U.S. "bunker buster" bombs - report, Reuters, 24 July, 2006
95. "Obligations under international humanitarian law of the parties to the conflict in Israel and Lebanon". Amnesty International. 2006-07-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
96. "Hizbullah chain of command still intact". Jerusalem Post. 2006-07-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
97. %5b%5bBBC News%5d%5d "In pictures: Conflict enters fourth week: Picture 8: "Some Hezbollah rockets have started forest fires in Israel"". 2006-08-02. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
98. CIA Factbook
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100. Israel-Lebanon border, June 1982
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102. "Factfile: Hezbollah". Aljazeera. 2006-07-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
103. "Israel, Hezbollah swap prisoners". CNN. 2004-01-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
104. ^ "Who are Hezbollah?". BBC News Online. 2002-04-04. Retrieved 2006-07-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
105. ^ "Mideast Casualties at a Glance". Associated Press. 2006-07-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
106. "Israel 'to control Lebanon strip'". BBC. 2006-07-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
107. "Israeli Forces Gather at Border". Washington Post. 2006-07-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
108. "Hezbollah official site". Hezbollah official site. 2006-07-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
109. "Eight Canadians killed in Lebanon: Ottawa". Reuters. 2006-07-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
110. Template:Pt icon "Itamaraty confirma morte de brasileiros no Líbano". Globo. 2006-07-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
111. "Two more Brazilians killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon". People's Daily. 2006-07-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
112. Template:De icon "Deutsch-libanesische Familie umgekommen". Süddeutsche Zeitung. 2006-07-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
113. Template:De icon "Urlauber getötet". n-tv.de. 2006-07-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
114. "Israel targets Lebanese air bases, Kuwaiti nationals among dead and UN prepares envoy to Region". The Daily Star. 2006-07-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
115. "Australian Dual Citizen Killed in Israel". The Age. 2006-07-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
116. Template:Id icon "Seorang WNI Tewas Kena Rudal". Suara Merdeka. 2006-07-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
117. Template:Es icon "Naharía, la ciudad del norte israelí donde una argentina murió bajo fuego de Hezbollah". Clarín. 2006-07-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
118. "Israel decides not to expand Lebanon offensive (Roundup)". Monsters & Critics. 2006-07-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
119. "First Indian casualty in Lebanon". The Tribune, Chandigarh, India. 2006-07-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
120. "Ukraine man in Lebanon feared killed in bombings". Kanal 5 (Ukraine). 2006-07-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
121. "Lebanon says Bush to press Israel to limit attacks". Reuters. 2006-07-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
122. "Lebanese PM demands ceasefire". ABC News. 2006-07-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
123. "Hezbollah wants an unconditional ceasefire". CTV.ca. 2006-07-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
124. "Israel sends instructions to Lebanon through Italy". Jerusalem Post. 2006-07-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
125. "Headlines for July 17, 2006". Democracy Now!.
126. "Developments in Israel-Lebanon Crisis". Forbes. 07-13-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
127. Office of the Press Secretary (2006-07-13). "President Bush and German Chancellor Merkel Participate in Press Availability". The White House. Retrieved 2006-07-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
128. Reuters (2006-07-22). "US Rushes Precision-Guided Bombs to Israel". Reuters. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
129. "United States Vetoes Security Council Draft Resolution on Events in Gaza(.doc)". United Nations. 07-13-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
130. "Arabs divided over Hezbollah's role in Lebanon crisis". Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 07-15-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
131. "Militia Rebuked by Some Arab Countries". The New York Times. 07-17-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
132. "Arab world fed up with Hizbullah". The Jerusalem Post. 07-17-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
133. "Public Challenges Arab Leaders on Lebanon Conflict". NPR. 07-28-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
134. "Ads urge call for Lebanon ceasefire". The Guardian. 2006-07-28. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
135. "Save the Lebanese Civilians Petition". epetitions.net. Retrieved 2006-08-02.
136. Smith, Carol; Cat le, Phuong; & Rolph, Amy. "I am a Muslim American, angry at Israel", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 29, 2006.
137. "Lebanon evacuation gathers pace". BBC News. 2006-07-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
138. Cite error: The named reference RiceResumeBloomberg was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
139. "Rice says 'time to get to a ceasefire' in Lebanon - UPDATE". Forbes. 2006-07-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
140. "ISRAELI AIR ATTACK KILLS CIVILIANS". CNN. 2006-07-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
141. Tom Zeller Jr. (2006-07-24). "Anne Frank 2006: War Diaries Online". The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-07-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

More background

• Current events
• 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
• 2006
• Arab-Israeli conflict
• Battles of Israel
• Hezbollah
• History of Israel
• History of Lebanon
• Israel Defense Forces Operations