South Lebanon conflict

An armed conflict in southern Lebanon involving Israel and local allies, chiefly the South Lebanon Army, against Lebanese and Palestinian militant groups led by Hezbollah.

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Israeli invasion of Lebanon: Israel’s 1982 military campaign in Lebanon, which reached Beirut and reshaped the country’s conflict. The invasion established Israel’s prolonged military presence in southern Lebanon.
Israeli occupation of South Lebanon: Israel’s military control of parts of southern Lebanon from 1982 until its withdrawal in 2000. Occupation made control of territory and resistance to it the conflict’s central dynamic.
Hassan Nasrallah: A Lebanese cleric who led Hezbollah as its secretary-general from 1992 until 2024. His leadership guided Hezbollah during the final years of the occupation and Israel’s withdrawal.
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon: A UN peacekeeping force established in 1978 to confirm Israeli withdrawal and support peace in Lebanon. UNIFIL’s presence became central to monitoring the border after Israel withdrew.
Israeli–Lebanese conflict: The enduring political and military confrontation between Israel and Lebanon. The south’s occupation and withdrawal formed one phase of a wider unresolved confrontation.
Lebanese Civil War: A multisided conflict in Lebanon from 1975 to 1990 involving domestic factions and foreign powers. The south’s armed struggle grew within the wider war and its fragmented alliances.
South Lebanon Army: A Lebanese militia allied with Israel that controlled areas of southern Lebanon during the occupation. It supplied Israel with a local armed partner and administered the security zone.
Mustafa Badreddine: A senior Hezbollah military figure associated with the organization’s early armed operations. His career connects Hezbollah’s formative period to its developing military structure.
Blue Line: A UN-demarcated line marking Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, not an agreed international border. The line defined the post-withdrawal boundary and remains a source of disputes.
Lebanon–Israel border: The boundary separating Lebanon and Israel, partly monitored by the United Nations. Disputes along the border persist despite the end of the occupation.