The C-130 Hercules hummed on the tarmac at Ramat David Airbase, its silhouette stark against the predawn sky. The airmen moved with purpose, loading crates of ammunition and fuel into the massive transport plane. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stood at the cusp of a military campaign that would rewrite the history of the Middle East. Operation Peace for Galilee was set to launch, the war drums echoing from Tel Aviv to Beirut.
Brigadier General Amos Yaron leaned against the hood of his command vehicle, a Centurion Sho't Kal tank modified with reactive armor. He reviewed the maps under the red-filtered light. The orders were clear: penetrate southern Lebanon, destroy the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) infrastructure, and push back Syrian forces entrenched in the Bekaa Valley. Intelligence reports suggested heavy PLO fortifications along the Litani River, bolstered by Syrian SA-6 surface-to-air missile batteries—a lethal challenge to the IDF's air supremacy.
The trigger came days earlier. Gunmen from the Abu Nidal Organization ambushed Shlomo Argov, Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom. Though not directly linked to the PLO, the attack provided a convenient casus belli. Prime Minister Menachem Begin declared the invasion necessary, citing the PLO's presence in Lebanon as an existential threat to Israel's northern border.
June 6, 1982. The IDF's 162nd Armored Division roared northward, spearheaded by Merkava Mk1 tanks bristling with 105mm cannons. Infantry from the Golani Brigade followed in M113 armored personnel carriers while AH-1 Cobra helicopters prowled overhead, their Hellfire missiles locked and loaded. The IDF's tactics blended mechanized warfare with close air support, honed during skirmishes with Arab armies in previous conflicts.
In the skies, F-16 Fighting Falcons streaked toward Syrian positions, their payloads of AGM-65 Maverick missiles designed to neutralize air defenses. The first strikes obliterated radar installations, clearing the way for a wave of A-4 Skyhawks targeting PLO artillery emplacements.
Resistance came swiftly. PLO fighters wielding RPG-7s and Strela-2 MANPADS ambushed IDF columns as they pushed toward Tyre. Syrian T-62 tanks dug into defensive positions and engaged Israeli armor. The Merkavas proved their mettle, superior optics, and fire control systems, allowing precise, devastating strikes. Despite the resistance, the IDF advanced relentlessly, their morale bolstered by disciplined command and tactical superiority.
By mid-June, Israeli forces encircled Beirut. The city, home to entrenched PLO fighters and Syrian troops, became a cauldron of urban warfare. Israeli artillery pounded targets day and night while naval gunboats shelled the coastline. In the air, F-15 Eagles established dominance, shooting down Syrian MiG-23s that were attempting to challenge Israeli superiority.
On the ground, the IDF operated in tight-knit units. Golani Brigade soldiers carried Galil assault rifles and Uzi submachine guns as they cleared buildings and conducted raids. The PLO countered with AK-47s, RPK light machine guns, and mortars, using the labyrinthine streets of Beirut as their ally.
The diplomatic front saw its own battle. U.S. Special Envoy Philip Habib worked tirelessly to broker a ceasefire, aiming to extricate the PLO from Beirut. By late August, a deal was struck. Under international supervision, Yasser Arafat and his fighters evacuated to Tripoli, a bittersweet victory for Israel.
Israel's vision of peace unraveled quickly. Bashir Gemayel, the Maronite Christian leader poised to lead a pro-Israel government, was assassinated in September 1982. His death plunged Lebanon deeper into chaos. The Phalangist militia, Israel's ally, retaliated with the infamous Sabra and Shatila massacre, a humanitarian catastrophe that drew global condemnation and stained Israel's campaign.
The IDF established the South Lebanon Security Belt in southern Lebanon, relying on the South Lebanon Army (SLA) to maintain order. However, the occupation sowed seeds of resistance. Shia militants, many later forming Hezbollah, launched a relentless guerrilla war. Katyusha rockets rained down on northern Israel, and IEDs turned the occupation into a costly quagmire.
By 1985, Israel withdrew most of its forces, leaving a fractured Lebanon behind. The PLO remnants clashed with Amal and other factions in the War of the Camps, an internecine struggle that exemplified the chaos. The Syrian Army tightened its grip on the country, asserting control over a devastated Beirut.
For Israel, the First Lebanon War became a bitter lesson in the limits of military power and the unintended consequences of intervention. For Lebanon, it marked another chapter in a seemingly endless civil war, its scars etched into the shattered facades of its cities and the memories of its people.
The guns fell silent, but the region simmered, a crucible of unresolved tensions destined to ignite again.
Book ReferenceRabin, Yitzhak. The Rabin Memoirs. Edited by Dov Goldstein. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996.
Article ReferenceSmith, Jordan. "Yitzhak Rabin and the Pursuit of Peace: Reflections on Leadership." Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 32, no. 4 (1999): 451-472.
Speech ReferenceRabin, Yitzhak. "Remarks at the Signing of the Oslo Accords." Speech delivered at the White House, Washington, DC, September 13, 1993. The transcript is available at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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