2006: 33-DAY WAR
Since that withdrawal, a series of violent episodes between Hezbollah and Israel came to a head with the 2006 war, following the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers on the border.
Israel launched a vast offensive in mid-2006, but the militants stood firm, with Hezbollah’s powerful leader Hassan Nasrallah proclaiming a “divine victory”.
Lasting 33 days, the war resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Lebanese, mainly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the war, stipulated that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers should be deployed in southern Lebanon.
It also called for “the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations”.
But Israel accuses the “Party of God” of maintaining its presence in the region, where experts say it has a major network of tunnels.
