A 60-year-old Lebanese citizen has never been allowed a decade of peace or stability by Israel. Over the past sixty years, he has witnessed seven Israeli invasions of Lebanese territory, meaning these invasions have spanned nearly every phase of his life.
Today, Israel has begun its fourth ground incursion into southern Lebanon, a move dubbed a “limited invasion.” However, under international law, any invasion, no matter its duration or scope, is considered unlawful. This incursion aims at “a wide, unlawful annexation of territory,” according to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
This ground invasion is occurring amid international silence. For instance, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFEL) has acknowledged that Israel informed them of its “intention to undertake a liimited ground incursion into Lebanon”. This raises questions about UNIFIL’s role, which is supposed to implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution UNSCR 1701. It also prompts concerns about the international community’s commitment to human rights and international law, especially after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received multiple rounds of applause at the United Nations General Assembly last week, while Israeli forces were committing war crimes in various parts of Lebanon.
For over four decades, the Lebanese territory has been a battleground for the Arab-Israeli conflict, which Israel has exploited to occupy Southern Lebanon for nearly 18 years. Gideon Levy, a journalist and writer for Haaretz, says: “This scenario repeats itself in every war Israel wages.” He explains, “First, no one is interested in a full-scale war. Then comes the airstrikes, followed by various operations. Next, there’s a very limited ground incursion, both in time and territory. And after a few weeks, we might find ourselves on the outskirts of Beirut.” Historically, Lebanese resistance has often defined the limits of Israeli incursions, forcing a halt to their progress, such as during the “Merkava massacre” in Wadi al-Hujeir in 2006.
Israel has consistently violated Lebanese sovereignty for over 40 years, with little regard for international law or United Nations Security Council resolutions, including the most recent, Resolution UNSCR 1701. It has continued to breach Lebanese airspace, using its warplanes and drones to gather intelligence in preparation for executing its “Dahiya Doctrine,” and to target Hezbollah leadership and assassinate Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. This strategy aims to push Hezbollah beyond the Litani River and create what Israel calls a “buffer zone.”
Despite Israel’s claims of a limited ground incursion, there are signs that the operation may expand, with the potential for further occupation of Lebanese territory. Israeli Minister Amichai Chikli recently commented on X, stating, “Lebanon, despite having a flag and political institutions, cannot truly be defined as a state,” adding that this necessitates “a reassessment of the border with the entity calling itself the State of Lebanon.”
Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman also weighed in on X, stating, “What we need now is a 10-kilometer perimeter,” adding, “All the Lebanese villages within that range, including Adaisseh and Kafr Kila, must be leveled to the ground… we have no choice but to act as we did in Quneitra.” This statement openly advocates for the use of excessive force against civilians, as the destruction of civilian infrastructure without clear military necessity constitutes a violation of the principles of proportionality and distinction under international humanitarian law. It also demonstrates a disregard for international laws governing armed conflicts, even if these laws are not effective in the current conflict.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee’s warnings on X refer to “advancing to the north of the Awali River,” not the previously emphasized “north of the Litani.” This could indicate a new Israeli expansionist agenda. Ultimately, it is the battlefield, through resistance, that will determine the geographical and temporal scope of this “new occupation.”
Decades of Violations of International Law and Over 21 Massacres
Israel’s attacks on Lebanese territory began on December 28, 1968, when Israeli warplanes launched an assault on Beirut International Airport – known as “Operation Gift.” This attack was in retaliation for the hijacking of a plane en route from Tel Aviv to Rome by Palestinian resistance fighters. Eight Israeli helicopters participated in the attack, destroying all Arab commercial aircraft at the airport, including 13 planes belonging to Middle East Airlines. The damage was estimated at around $43.8 million. The United Nations Security Council issued resolution UNSRC 262/1968, condemning Israel for its “deliberate military action in violation of its obligations under the Charter and ceasefire resolutions,” and declared that such actions “threaten peace.”
On April 9, 1973, Israel assassinated three senior Fatah leaders in the heart of Beirut, in retaliation for the killing of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics. The operation, called “Verdun” or “Spring of Youth,” was carried out after intelligence gathering aided by collaborators, including a woman named “Yael.” Israeli soldiers and officers, including former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, disguised as a woman, participated in the mission. This operation is detailed by Ronen Bergman in his book “Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations”, where he provides a thorough account of “Operation Verdun.”
In 1978, Israel launched “Operation Litani” with the aim of expelling the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and creating a buffer zone 10 kilometers from the border—an excuse it uses again today in its war with Hezbollah. Israeli forces occupied the area south of the Litani River for three months before withdrawing due to international pressure and the issuance of UN Security Council Resolutions UNSCR425 and UNSCR426, which established the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). “Operation Litani” was launched in response to “Operation Kamal Adwan,” executed by Palestinian fighter Dalal Mughrabi and other commandos on two buses near Tel Aviv. The operation resulted in the deaths of 1,100 civilians, with 2,000 wounded and between 100,000 to 250,000 people displaced.
Israel returned to invade Lebanon and imposed a siege on Beirut in 1982, citing an assassination attempt on its ambassador in London, Shlomo Argov. Israel’s military and political leadership initially limited the army’s advance to 40 kilometers from the border, as recounted by Johnny Mansour and Fadi Nahas in their book “The Military Organization in Israel”.
The invasion, known as “Operation Peace for Galilee” or the “First Lebanon War,” caused the deaths of 17,825 people and injured 30,203 others, according to a detailed survey of police and hospital records conducted by Annahar newspaper.
Israeli forces reached Beirut and occupied the Presidential Palace in Baabda after advancing through Tyre, Nabatieh, Hasbaya, and the Chouf regions. The Sabra and Shatila massacres followed, with hundreds of civilians killed. The final death toll remains debated, but historian Bayan Nuwayhed reported in her book “Sabra and Shatila: Twenty Years After the Massacre” that 960 victims were identified, with 408 people missing or kidnapped. Other sources, estimate the death toll reached 3,000, according to the BBC.
During this war, Israel employed siege tactics, starving Beirut for seven months, while also committing genocide and war crimes. Environmental crimes were also reported, including the use of phosphorus bombs.
In 1993, Israel launched the seven-day “Operation Accountability,” where aerial and ground forces targeted various regions of Lebanon, reaching the outskirts of Beirut.The aggression resulted in the death of 150 victims.
In 1996, Israeli warplanes conducted around 139 airstrikes in an operation called “Grapes of Wrath,” during which the Qana Massacre occurred, leaving around 170 dead. Israel further violated international law by bombing a United Nations compound where civilians had sought refuge.
Israel maintained its occupation of southern Lebanon for 18 years, gradually withdrawing from certain areas until the full withdrawal in 2000. However, in 2006, the “Second Lebanon War” or the “July War” erupted, lasting 34 days and claiming the lives of 1,200 people. Israeli warplanes carried out about 7,000 airstrikes, deploying cluster bombs, many of which dated back to the Vietnam War, according to Human Rights Watch. This war was in retaliation for Hezbollah’s capture of Israeli soldiers and the killing of others in southern Lebanon.
No Distinction Between Civilians and Combatants
Investigations by Human Rights Watch concluded that Israel often attacked targets that could not be classified as military objectives under the laws of war, constituting blatant violations of international humanitarian law.
In a review of Israel’s history of aggression, it has committed 21 massacres in Lebanon up to 2006. Israel continues its massacres in the current war, entitled “Operation Northern Shield” or the “Third Lebanon War.” Since the escalation of the conflict, Israel has committed massacres in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Southern Lebanon, and Baalbek. According to the Disaster Management Authority, Israel has killed 1,873 people and injured 9,134 others since the war began on October 8, 2023, and displaced an estimated one million people, including 300,000 children, according to UNICEF.
Israel claims to protect civilians by issuing warnings through Avichay Adraee’s account on X (formerly Twitter), but it bombards targets just minutes later, showing little regard for civilian lives. These warnings are often issued after midnight through platforms many citizens do not use, making them ineffective. Israel aims to kill its “target,” even if it means the death of dozens or hundreds of civilians. Although there is little coverage of the civilian casualties in the assassination of Nasrallah, Israeli media reports suggest that the death toll could be as high as 300.
This marks a new era of armed conflict between Lebanon and Israel. In the ongoing war against Lebanon and Gaza, Israel has been described as a “factory of mass assassinations,” using artificial intelligence systems designed by its Unit 8200 to identify targets. Israel also deploys U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets, referred to by an Israeli military officer as a “flying computer,” in what Israeli media calls a genocidal war on Lebanon. Israel possesses a customized version of this jet, known as the “Adir,” which has been enhanced with advanced electronic warfare systems, according to The National Interest. The Dutch Court of Appeals has warned of the clear risk that F-35 jets could be used in operations that violate international humanitarian law.
Israel also uses “Hammer” bombs, or Mark 84 bunker buster bombs, which U.S. President Joe Biden acknowledged had killed civilians in Gaza, adding that these bombs, along with other weapons, target population centers.
We are all part of the “war generation,” a broad term in Lebanon reflecting the experiences of a generation that has lived through ongoing conflict. We are not merely the “cluster bomb generation”; we are the “cyber warfare generation,” defined by the use of advanced military technology that has devastated infrastructure, killed, and displaced countless Lebanese people, along with refugees. We have become equal in this suffering, as war has become an inseparable part of our collective identity. Israel has ensured that the horrors our parents told us about are now ones we witness with our own eyes.
