Israel prepared for Lebanon border operation: Netanyahu

  • June 6, 2024
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Israel prepared for Lebanon border operation: Netanyahu

Sub: IR

Sec: Places in news

Context:

  • Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that Israel is ready for a very intense operation along the Lebanon border.

Details:

  • Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters have exchanged near-daily fire.
  • Hezbollah reported multiple attacks on Israeli positions, including a guided missile strike on an Iron Dome platform.

Who are Hezbollah and how was the group founded:

  • Hezbollah means ‘Party of God’, is a Shiite Islamic militant organization in Lebanon, and is known as one of the world’s most heavily armed non-state actors.
  • Emerging during the Lebanese Civil War, it formed partly in response to the Palestinian presence and Israeli invasions in southern Lebanon.
  • Inspired by Iran’s theocratic government, Hezbollah received financial support and training from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
  • This underscores the regional rivalry between Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia and Shia-dominated Iran. 
  • The group is estimated to receive significant funding from Iran and possesses a diverse arsenal of weaponry, including rockets and missiles.

What are Hezbollah’s aims:

  • Hezbollah opposes Israel and Western influence in West Asia.
  • It supports the Syrian government and holds political influence in Lebanon.

First Lebanon War:

  • Took place from 6 June 1982 – 5 June 1985.
  • It was an invasion by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) of Southern Lebanon to root out the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) operating from there.
  • From its base in southern Lebanon, the PLO carried out attacks on Israel, thus the invasion was to put a stop to these attacks
  • The war ended in a tactical victory for Israel but was a strategic failure overall. The PLO was expelled from Lebanon but Israel’s enemy, Syria increased its influence and occupied Lebanon until 2005.

Second Lebanon War

  • This conflict started in July 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Golan Heights and Northern Israel.
  • It ended after a couple of months through a UN-brokered ceasefire.

Some facts about Lebanon:

  • It is a Western Asian nation, sharing borders with Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, with Cyprus situated to its west across the Mediterranean Sea.
  • Its location is at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland.
  • Beirut is the capital of Lebanon.
  • The border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights is disputed by Lebanon in a small area called Shebaa Farms.

Source: TH

IR Israel prepared for Lebanon border operation: Netanyahu