Israel vs. Lebanon

Dear SD and TM,

I am reading about the Arab-Israeli conflict, and one of the books I am reading does not agree with itself. It says that Israel invaded Lebanon in 1978 and withdrew, invaded in 1982 and withdrew in 1985, and invaded and withdrew in 1993. It says elsewhere that Israel was mired in Lebabon from its invasion in 1982 till its withdrawal 2000. I have an idea as to how to reconcile this seeming contradiction, but does some one know the Straight Dope?

Garrett

Does this help?

http://www.oneworld.org/amnesty/reports/israel/2.html

The 1978 attack was an attack designed to drive the PLO north of the Litani river ( about 15 miles north of the Israeli border ).

The anti-PLO 1982 invasion was the big one. The withdrawal in 1985 wasn’t to Israel, but rather just a redeployment southwards in Lebanon from the Awali river to the Litani river, where they remained until 2000.

The 1993 actions ( Operation Accountability and Operation Grapes of Wrath ), launched from within the Israeli occupied zone of Lebanon, were relatively brief but intense operations designed to put pressure on Lebanon and Syria to reign in Hezbollah.

  • Tamerlane

Actually, Operation Grapes of Wrath was in 1996.