Israel’s rich history of military aggression against Lebanon

Israel’s recent raids into Lebanon came to revive memories of its old and continuous acts of terror and aggression targeting the Arab state.

At least 48 civilians, including ten children, lost their lives in the recent series of Israeli terror raids across south Lebanon, which followed the capture of two Israeli soldiers by the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah on Wednesday.

Israel carried on with its offensive on Thursday, blasting Beirut's airport and two army air bases near the Syrian border, as well as imposing a naval blockade.

Although Hezbollah had repeatedly threatened to capture Israeli soldiers, it had limited its attacks to shelling across the border. Wednesday's raid, in which it captured the two Israelis, marked the organisation’s biggest operation since 2000, when it forced Israel end its military occupation of southern Lebanon.

Hassan Nasrallah, the head of the Lebanese movement, said that the two Israeli soldiers would only be freed through a prisoner swap.

The seizure of the soldiers "was also meant to draw international attention... and highlight the ordeal of thousands of Lebanese, Palestinian and Arab detainees (in Israel) as well as their families."

"This is an ordeal of 10,000 detainees and 10,000 families," he said.

Nasrallah added that his group was observing "self-restraint ... as we do not want an escalation and we do not want to take Lebanon and the region to war."

"The Israelis always first say they do not wish to negotiate, but eventually they accept," Hezbollah leader was quoted as saying.

But whether Israel will resort to negotiations or not remains in question.

Here is a chronology of Israel’s terror raids and military aggression against Lebanon since 1968 when its forces raided Beirut airport, destroying 13 civilian planes.

In December 1968, Israeli commandos attacked 13 passenger planes at Beirut airport, claiming it was in retaliation for an attack by Lebanese-trained Palestinians, targeting Israeli airliner in Athens.

In April 1973, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, disguised as a woman, led a raid on a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) bases in Lebanon, killing three PLO members.

In March 1978, Israel launched a major military incursion, called the Litani River Operation, into south Lebanon and set up occupation zone. Most of the Israeli troops withdrew within weeks, leaving the zone in the hands of Israel's Lebanese Christian allies, the South Lebanon Army (SLA).

In January 1979, a car bomb attack organised by Israeli agents in west Beirut killed Ali Hassan Salameh, the security chief of PLO's Fatah group, known as Abu Hassan, and four bodyguards.

In June 1982, the Israeli Occupation forces invaded Lebanon, drove to Beirut, and encircled the PLO and Syrian forces in W. Beirut.

In September 1982, Israel captured Beirut after pro-Israeli Christian leader Bashir Gemayel, who was elected president days earlier, got assassinated.

Also September 1982 witnessed the horrific crime of Sabra and Shatila massacre, carried out by Lebanese Maronite Christian militias in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, which were surrounded by Israeli soldiers throughout the incident.

The Kahan Commission, an Israeli inquiry into the massacre confirmed at that time that Israel was (indirectly) responsible for the massacre, and named then Israeli Defence Minister (and future Prime Minister) Ariel Sharon, among several Israeli figures, as bearing “personal responsibility” for the incident.

In June 1985, Israel withdrew most of its forces from Lebanon, leaving a small military unit and an Israeli-supported militia (the so-called "South Lebanon Army") in southern Lebanon.

In February 1992, Israeli forces killed Hezbollah leader Sheikh Abbas Musawi, his wife and six-year-old son.

In 1993, Israel launched a massive attack against Lebanon dubbed "Operation Accountability".

In April 1996, Israel launched another 17-day operation against south Lebanon and Hezbollah, dubbed "Operation Grapes of Wrath".

In May 2000, Israel was defeated by Hezbollah and forced to end 22 years of occupation in south Lebanon.