8 / 15150 Results
  • October 18, 1983

    Military Action:

    LAF and unidentified gunmen battle near airport, main highway access closed; artillery duels between LAF and PSP forces around Souq al-Gharb; LAF bombards sniper position...

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  • April 28, 1983

    Military Action:

    IDF planes fly reconnaissance missions over Tripoli, PLO forces fire anti-aircraft barrages; car bomb explodes near IDF vehicle in Sidon, joint searches conducted by IDF...

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  • September 30, 1982

    Military Action:

    IDF seals off Ein al-Hilweh camp near Sidon, detaining 70 Palestinians, after informer working for IDF ambushed; US Marines land M-60 tanks on beaches near airport after...

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  • August 24, 1982

    Military Action:

    Heavy fighting breaks out east of Beirut between Syrian and Phalangist forces following election of Bashir Gemayel as President of Lebanon (artillery and machine gun fire...

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  • August 1, 1982

    Military Action:

    IDF bombards PLO positions, residential areas in West Beirut by land, sea, air for 14 hours in fiercest fighting since invasion began; IDF makes only slight gains in...

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  • June 21, 1982

    Military Action:

    Israeli warships, armored units bombard Palestinian camps and civilian neighborhoods in Beirut hours before Begin meets Reagan in Washington, hit USSR embassy, fashionable...

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  • June 12, 1982

    Military Action:

    Israeli planes bomb Palestinian forces, areas south of Beirut; Beirut airport remains closed; Israelis destroy Syrian radar command center before fighting stops; Israel...

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  • June 8, 1982

    Military Action:

    Israeli forces advance to 15 miles from Beirut; one of the biggest air battles since the 1973 war takes place over Beirut (6 Syrian, 2 Israeli jets reported down); heavy...

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Military Action:

LAF and unidentified gunmen battle near airport, main highway access closed; artillery duels between LAF and PSP forces around Souq al-Gharb; LAF bombards sniper position in Bun al-Barajneh; US officials say snipers appear to be from pro-Iranian Hisballah faction; IDF position in Sidon attacked with RPGs and bazookas; 3 Katyushas fired south of Zahrani river.

Casualties:

2 LAF soldiers, 2 civilians killed near airport; 2 IDF border police killed, 1 wounded in Sidon.

Political Responses:

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Fateh Central Committee ends 2-day meeting in Kuwait, says it will seek Arab-wide support to reconcile factional differences; commander of PLA forces in Syria defects to PLO rebels; Lebanese government announces start of reconciliation talks at Beirut airport tomorrow, PSP says site is completely unacceptable.

US and Other Countries: Joint Chiefs of Staff begin review of rules governing operations of Marines in Lebanon; Reagan meets National Security Council to review Middle East policy.

Military Action:

IDF planes fly reconnaissance missions over Tripoli, PLO forces fire anti-aircraft barrages; car bomb explodes near IDF vehicle in Sidon, joint searches conducted by IDF and Haddad forces; explosion on Sidon-Nabatiyeh road as IDF vehicle passes; Druze and Phalange in Chouf exchange artillery and rocket fire; extraordinary security precautions maintained at Beirut airport and in city during Shultz visit.

Casualties:

4 IDF soldiers wounded in Sidon; body of Ain el-Hilweh resident found in central Sidon square; 2 Druze wounded in Chouf.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Israel's external debt has risen 25% in past 2 years, at end of 1982 was $28b. gross, $15.5b. net, $2b. higher than 1981; curfews imposed on Balata and al-Aza refugee camps after stones thrown at IDF and civilian vehicles, 1 soldier wounded near al-Aza.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: PLO representative in Beirut says if Israeli forces withdraw according to specific timetable, PLO and Syrian forces will also.

US and Other Countries: Secretary Shultz meets Begin, proposes indepth discussion of overall US-Israeli relations while Shultz is in the region; Shultz travels to Beirut, visits damaged US Embassy, meets Gemayel and other Lebanese officials, returns to Jerusalem; Senate Foreign Relations Committee tentatively agrees to $2.61b. aid level for Israel, $460m. more than proposed by Reagan Administration, $60m. more than approved by House committee.

Military Action:

IDF seals off Ein al-Hilweh camp near Sidon, detaining 70 Palestinians, after informer working for IDF ambushed; US Marines land M-60 tanks on beaches near airport after mine clearing activities completed.

Casualties:

1 US Marine killed, 3 wounded by US-made cluster bomb near airport; Beirut airport opens for first commercial flight since June 6; Israeli Minister of Economic Cooperation Dan Meridor says Israel may prepare Palestinian refugee camps in South Lebanon for winter if UNRWA doesn't act soon; although raw sewage and garbage remains in streets in some areas, roads are being repaved.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: "There is a Limit" group of anti-war reservists and soldiers call for IDF withdrawal from Lebanon and present a petition with 1,000 signatures which states "there is no military solution to the Palestinian problem"; Village League associate in Hebron attacked; heads of Israeli Druze community demand that IDF prevent Phalange assault on Lebanese Druze (claim 3 Druze abducted, new Phalange roadblocks in Druze villages set up since Gemayel assassination); Shamir addresses UN (will meet US Jewish leaders this week, travel to Chicago and Los Angeles before October 14 meeting with Shultz).

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Amin Gemayel declares end to Green Line, in ceremony celebrating Beirut as reunified capital (traffic surges across line following ceremony); Lebanese police deny receiving complaints of IDF soldiers looting Lebanese houses; 100,000 Palestinians led by Arafat mourn Abu Walid.

Arab Governments: Habib meets with Egyptian Foreign Minister Hassin Ali, assures him agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon will be concluded within a couple weeks; Syrian Foreign Minister Khaddam meets with Shultz in New York, explains Syrian withdrawal conditions.

US and Other Countries: Senator Percy says Marines need to be out of Lebanon within 90 days unless Congress approves an extension; White House denies US knew of massacre one day before Begin says he knew; Shultz, at UN, affirms heart of Reagan plan is Israeli return of occupied territories; British Labor Party says PLO represents Palestinian people; meeting of British, Israeli foreign ministers in New York ends with "basic disagreements"; West Germany, at UN, stresses its support for participation by all parties, including the PLO, in peace settlement; Simon Weisenthal, in Vienna, says those responsible for massacre were "las guilty as the Nazis" and should bear same punishment.

Military Action:

Heavy fighting breaks out east of Beirut between Syrian and Phalangist forces following election of Bashir Gemayel as President of Lebanon (artillery and machine gun fire around Kubbeih, Krayeh,. Ras al-Harf near Beirut-Damascus highway); two rockets from West Beirut hit port city of Jounieh; reprisals mount against parliament members who voted for Gemayel presidency (houses and offices of 11 members set afire in West Beirut and Tripoli); fighting between Phalange and PLO/LNM forces; Franjieh forces occupy 3 army positions; Bank of Beirut and Riyadh in West Beirut's Hlamra section blown up, looted overnight; land evacuation of PLO forces delayed because of fighting (500 PLO guerrillas sent to Latakia by ship instead, 600 depart for Yemen); PLO/Lebanese government spokespersons say 2,192 PLO members evacuated to Jordan, Iraq, South Yemen in last 3 days; PLO guerrillas scheduled to leave to Sudan; IDF destroys orchards along Tyre-Sidon road to "prevent PLO attacks"; clashes between IDF and Lebanese villagers northeast of Lake Karoun; new international units arrive in Beirut; Pentagon announces 4 US Marines arrive in Beirut for preliminary inspection, consultations.

Casualties:

3 IDF soldiers buried yesterday; freighter "Lotus" with relief supplies and Egyptian opposition parliament members aboard allowed to land by IDF; first Israeli planes land at Beirut airport; private Israeli airline begins flights to southern Lebanon; IDF begin releasing some of estimated 7,400 Palestinian prisoners held at al-Ansar detention camp.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Grenade thrown at IDF vehicle in Gaza Strip (no casualties; fourth incident of its kind in occupied territories in a week); Begin, Shimon Peres clash in Knesset debate after Peres condemns IDF advance, cutting off water supplies to Beirut; following Sharon meeting with Draper, Israel agrees to allow US, Italian contingents to take up positions in Beirut immediately rather than waiting until all PLO forces gone; Yitzhak Rabin speaks out against renewing war in northern Lebanon; pamphlets by 3 Arab groups in Nazareth ask Israeli Arabs to support PLO.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Lebanese Muslims meet at Salam's house, issue statement strongly critical of Gemayel; Gemayel reportedly seeking "mini-Marshall Plan" aid from US to rebuild Lebanon; Gemayel reported by Israeli paper to have met secretly inside Israel with Sharon several times since 1976.

Arab Governments: Tunisia seeks "realistic decisions" on Arab-Israeli peace in statement one day after Bourguiba revives proposal for pan-Arab acceptance of 1947 UN partition plan; Saudi Arabia allocates $2 billion to rebuild Beirut; Egyptian, French officials confer on joint peace initiative.

US and Other Countries: Reagan Administration affirms decision to land Marines in Beirut despite renewed fighting; Shultz invites Sharon to meet Friday during Sharon's fundraising trip to US; Austrian Chancellor Kreisky, in Der Stern article, strongly criticizes Israel.

Military Action:

IDF bombards PLO positions, residential areas in West Beirut by land, sea, air for 14 hours in fiercest fighting since invasion began; IDF makes only slight gains in advances on PLO positions, refugee camps south of airport and along coastal highway from Ouzai; IDF occupies Beirut airport, approaches edge of Burj al-Barajneh camp; Eitan says operations tightened siege; IDF strikes hit Sabra, Shatila, Burj al-Barajneh, Corniche Mazraa, Museum and Galerie Semaan crossings, Salam's house, Muslim residential areas on east side of West Beirut not previously shelled; 150 IDF bombing runs across Beirut drop an estimated 260 tons of bombs; IDF attempt to land troops along coast repulsed; ninth cease-fire called at 5 PM; PLO shells 10 East Beirut neighborhoods; PLO claims 30 IDF tanks, troop carriers destroyed.

Casualties:

IDF says 9, PLO says 80, Israeli soldiers wounded in fighting; heavy damage to buildings; Lebanese radio station reports 55 neighborhoods hit, most distant from Palestinian camps; all hospitals except one reported hit, as well as ICRC offices; fires burn out of control as smoke blankets city; 15 Lebanese killed, 40 wounded by PLO barrages into Phalangist-held territory; lack of electricity to operate water pumps continues shortage of water (one hour after cease-fire, IDF cuts water again); Lebanese police estimate 200 dead, 400 wounded from IDF bombardment; 50 IDF soldiers serving in Lebanon sentenced for looting since invasion began (in some cases, stole items from prisoners being transported to Israel from Sidon, Tyre); while damage to Palestinian neighborhoods enormous, PLO military losses reported small; reports of IDF use of phosphorus shells in civilian areas growing; parliament building hit; one of West Beirut's two remaining fire stations is destroyed, leaving three trucks to cover 10 square miles and protect a population estimated at 600,000.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Sharon, in interview with David Brinkley, claims Beirut Airport under IDF control, reaffirms Israel's willingness to allow further time for mediation efforts, claims PLO seeks "immunity among the civilian population"; Israeli official, rejecting US appeals for military restraint, says IDF will respond maximally to PLO cease-fire violations, will not accept "war of attrition"; Cabinet meets, again postpones decision on whether IDF will enter city; Peace Now sends telegram to Begin claiming capture of West Beirut will not serve Israeli interests; Labor leader Danny Rosolio appeals for urgent meeting of Knesset's foreign affairs/defense committee; Shamir arrives in Washington for meeting with Reagan; Cabinet sets up ministerial committee under Mordechai Ben-Porat to work with Lebanese government on finding winter accommodations for thousands of Palestinian refugees left homeless in wake of invasion and to explore resettlement of refugees (must decide on UNRWA request to import tents for refugees); Mapam central committee urges government not to try to occupy West Beirut but to seek diplomatic solution; thousands participate in Rakah-sponsored demonstration against Lebanon war in Nazareth (participants include leaders of local Arab councils).

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Sarkis protests IDF moves when negotiations are moving ahead; Salam calls Habib 10 times trying to arrange cease-fire; Wazzan makes passionate appeal to world leaders to intervene, as sit-in by Lebanese Muslim women continues at American University of Beirut.

US and Other Countries: Reagan stresses need for cease-fire as State Department says fighting undermines chances for peaceful PLO withdrawal from Beirut.

UN: Security Council debates resolution calling for deployment of independent observers to monitor situation around Beirut; Council later unanimously demands immediate cease-fire throughout Lebanon, authorizes Secretary General to deploy military observers to check compliance (Israel reportedly withholding agreement, pending Cabinet decision, to deployment of observers around Beirut).

Military Action:

Israeli warships, armored units bombard Palestinian camps and civilian neighborhoods in Beirut hours before Begin meets Reagan in Washington, hit USSR embassy, fashionable shopping area, hospital, near Commodore Hotel; Israeli and Syrian troops trade fire along highway, Israelis claim to de-stroy 4 Syrian tanks; artillery duels continue all day; WAFA says IDF attempting to push down hillsides toward 3 Palestinian camps, provoking response; massive IDF buildup continues as 70 Israeli tanks move toward Khalde; Israeli patrol ambushed outside Beirut.

Casualties:

Two Palestinian hospitals hit, killing 8, wounding 22; scores of casualties from Sabra and Burj al-Barajneh camps; mass graves in Sidon; 50,000 flee Beirut southward to escape expected fighting; high civilian casualties in Bekaa (possibly 1,200 dead) and Baalbek schools house 25,000 refugees; telephone lines in Bekaa cut by Israelis and many civilians attacked along highway by Israeli jets; at Aley, hotels are burned out, hospital hit by 4 Israeli bombs; many suffering from effects of cluster bombs; refugees begin returning to Ain el-Hilweh.

Israel says voluntary agencies can resume work in Lebanon; Israel withholding aid from civilian Palestinians; Eitan says prison camp to be set up in Lebanon for PLO members; ICRC asks to visit after being allowed to see 18 Syrian prisoners; Israel says Lebanese economy will take 6 months to one year to recover, says refinery, which supplies 40 percent of Lebanese oil needs, will be operational in 60 days.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Sharon reportedly lobbying Israeli Cabinet for permission to storm Beirut; one of several MKs, visiting IDF in Beirut, says attack on PLO headquarters in Beirut "almost inevitable"; Begin tells US audiences the war in Lebanon is almost over, as Sharon says the IDF has not achieved all its objectives; 13 Israeli Cabinet ministers tour parts of Lebanon (Beaufort Castle; near Lake Karoun; Tyre; Sidon; outskirts of Beirut airport); El Al reports 15 percent slump in bookings as a result of the invasion; Begin encounters sharp criticism from US Congress, claims Israeli approach endorsed by Reagan.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Habib meets with Sarkis, Wazzan with Arafat; Arafat attacks US role in backing Israeli "slaughter"; PLO seeks to retain political presence in Lebanon; Salam calls on Reagan to keep IDF from attacking, and to give time for Arafat to persuade PLO militants to disarm; Lebanon says 1 1 Arab countries agree to attend summit on Lebanon; Danny Chamoun, son of Camille Chamoun, in New York says invasion "overdue," meets with administration figures.

Arab Governments: Syrian Cabinet meets on crisis; Arab and non-aligned countries consider convening emergency session of UN General Assembly, reach no decision.

US and Other Countries: Weinberger makes veiled criticism of Haig policies; State Department says UN resolution 509, demanding immediate Israeli withdrawal, no longer relevant; National Security Council reportedly disagrees with Haig's conciliatory attitude toward IDF invasion; Reagan reportedly supports Israeli demands for Syrian troop withdrawal and creation of demilitarized zone, does not take position on US troop involvement in peacekeeping force.

Military Action:

Israeli planes bomb Palestinian forces, areas south of Beirut; Beirut airport remains closed; Israelis destroy Syrian radar command center before fighting stops; Israel sends experienced civilian and military advisers from West Bank and Gaza to administer southern Lebanon; Israeli military sources say hundreds of captured Syrians and Palestinians brought to Israel, some kept in Lebanon; Palestinians are not considered POWs; Walid Jumblatt captured, held under house arrest by Israelis; Israel and PLO agree to begin cease-fire one day after extensive bombing of Beirut.

Syrian convoys seen moving from Lebanon to Syria; Syrian units not visible in Beirut.

PLO guerrillas retreat from Nabatiyeh, say civilian casualties far outnumber military ones.

Casualties:

Israeli casualties put at 130 killed, over 600 wounded; Red Cross estimates 1,000-1,200 dead, 3,000 wounded in Sidon alone (dead being laid out in tens in parking lots); another RC delegate says 600,000 displaced by fighting; 90 percent of 3 Palestinian camps around Tyre destroyed; yesterday's death toll put at 207 dead, 647 wounded; former Lebanese Prime Minister Saeb Salam says 1,000 people killed in Beirut area on June 10 alone; refugees from bombarded Palestinian camps camping out in parks under trees; hospitals in Beirut jammed with wounded, as stretchers are lined up outside American University Hospital.

Political Responses:

Israel/Occupied Territories: Begin meets with Habib, urges the US to set up a multinational force to supplant Israel in Lebanon; Shamir has day of meetings with Habib; before PLO cease-fire announced, leftist Shinui Party and a Labor Party Knesset member call for no further moves to create new Lebanese political order, joined by Peace Now and other Israeli peace groups; group of Israeli academics accuses government of launching unjust war and of deception, charges IDF with slaughtering Palestinians; newly formed Committee Against the War in Lebanon plans protest outside Prime Minister's office.

Military Action:

Israeli forces advance to 15 miles from Beirut; one of the biggest air battles since the 1973 war takes place over Beirut (6 Syrian, 2 Israeli jets reported down); heavy fighting in Tyre and Sidon continues, as Tyre residents are told via air-dropped leaflets to go to beaches to avoid bombings, city is shown in flames; 15,000 people try to enter city from countryside, saying they have no food; Israelis move 100 tanks into mountains east of PLO stronghold of Damour; Israeli shells re-portedly destroy a Red Cross center on the edge of Sidon; tank battles near Jezzine, and Israelis reportedly aim to cut highway to Syria; Israeli planes blast road 2 miles south of Beirut airport; fierce fighting between Israeli and Syrian troops on edge of Beirut; Israelis capture Lebanese president's summer residence at Beiteddine; third attack on Beirut sports complex.

Syrians engage Israelis on southern edges of Beirut, along Beirut-Damascus highway; major Syrian-Israeli tank battle shaping up in Chouf region, stronghold of PLO ally and Lebanese National Movement (LNM) leader Walid Jumblatt (temporarily out of country).

Fierce resistance from PLO units continues in Tyre and Sidon; a few PLO-fired rockets fall on northern Galilee, from enclave controlled by Syria; PLO and Lebanon accept UN call for a cease-fire.

Casualties:

Beirut residents stockpile goods and Palestinian suburbs almost deserted as residents fan out into city; Red Cross center in Sidon destroyed by Israeli shelling; thousands of refugees pour into Beirut from southern Lebanon; 10,000 people placed under Red Cross care in Tyre alone.

Political Responses:

Israel/Occupied Territories: Prime Minister Begin lays out 4 conditions for withdrawal from Lebanon, including removal of all Syrian and PLO forces from Lebanon, creation of a 40 km demilitarized zone north of the Israeli border; Knesset defeats no-confidence vote, 94-3; Israeli Ambassador Arens meets with Deputy Secretary of State Stoessel, Defense Secretary Weinberger and Senator Percy as a former Israeli general meets the US press; Begin calls on Assad not to engage Israeli troops; UN reports continue to be censored; about 40 demonstrators opposed to the invasion are attacked in Tel Aviv.

Palestinians/Lebanese: Arafat meets with USSR Ambassador; Lebanese president appeals to Arab League to hold a meeting; Lebanon's UN Ambassador says casualties run into thousands, mostly civilians.

Arab Governments: Iranian volunteers reported arriving in Lebanon via Syria, as well as Palestinian volunteers from Jordan and Kuwait; Arab diplomats from Lebanon, Kuwait, Bahrein, Jordan and Algeria ask the US to pressure Israel to withdraw immediately, accept cease-fire; Syria rejects any troop withdrawal from Lebanon, reacting to reports of new Israeli conditions for a withdrawal.

US: Reagan, in London, appeals for an end to hostilities; Haig later says US would not deny Israel the "right of legitimate self-defense."

UN: Lebanon and the PLO accept the UN call for a cease-fire; Israel rejects the Security Council demand for withdrawal. Lebanon circulates a petition condemning Israel, threatening sanctions if it does not withdraw. UNIFIL General Callaghan makes first offi-cial protest of the invasion to Israel.