The Second War in Lebanon Israel-Hezbollah War of 2006 : Was Air Power Able to Accomplish the Goals of the Israeli Government?

Israel has not enjoyed security along its shared northern border with Lebanon for more than 40 years. Prior to the defeat of the combined Arab armies in 1967, the nation of Israel enjoyed a relatively peaceful border with Lebanon. However, the 1967 conflict created a refugee problem that forced many Palestinians to seek shelter in neighboring countries. As a result, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO): after experiencing problems with the Jordanian government: moved to Lebanon and began a series of cross-border attacks against the Israeli people, government, and military.2 The PLO's actions so destabilized and weakened the Lebanese government: indeed produced a sectarian civil war: that it was unable to exercise control over its southern territory. Given this situation, the nation of Israel felt compelled to act militarily and invaded southern Lebanon in the summer of 1982 for self-defense purposes.3 Over the next 18 years of occupation, Israeli forces fought the PLO, the Amal militia, and an emergent group called Hezbollah: better known as the Party of God. Hezbollah: a Shia Muslim oriented terrorist group: became the dominant terrorist force in Lebanon while Fatah and Hamas became the main Palestinian terrorist factions in the West Bank and Gaza.