Israel at War: 1982 | 5 Minute Videos

After years of relentless terrorist attacks from its northern neighbor, Israel decided to act. An old adage holds that everyone knows how wars begin but nobody knows how they end. That was certainly true in Lebanon. Renowned historian Michael Oren explains.

Script:
At dawn, on June 6, 1982, 60,000 Israeli troops, accompanied by 800 tanks, stormed across Israel’s northern border into Lebanon.

So began the fourth Arab-Israeli war—a war that the Israeli government officially dubbed Operation Peace for Galilee but the rest of the world called the Lebanon War.

An old adage holds that everyone knows how wars begin but nobody knows how they end.

That was certainly true in Lebanon.

The war’s roots could be traced back to Israel’s struggle for independence in 1948, when more than 100,000 Palestinians fled to Lebanon.

They were kept in refugee camps, which became hotbeds of radicalism.

Then, with the Palestinians’ defeat in the Jordanian Civil War of 1970, another 200,000 Palestinians fled to Lebanon along with numerous terrorist groups.

Chief among these was the Palestine Liberation Organization, the PLO, under Yasser Arafat.

The massive influx of armed Palestinians tipped Lebanon’s delicate balance between Christians, Druze, and Muslims.

It lead, five years later, to the outbreak of civil war in Lebanon, and hundreds of thousands of casualties. Syria exploited the conflict to occupy large parts of the country.

The terrorists, meanwhile, turned their sights on Israel—firing rockets into the Galilee and attacking northern border communities.

In March 1978, terrorists landed on a beach between Tel Aviv and Haifa and attacked the nearby highway, killing 38 civilians, many of them children.

Israel responded by invading southern Lebanon—the Litani Operation—which succeeded in pushing the terrorists back from the border, but only temporarily.

The PLO attacks continued, not only from Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza, but also against Jews and Israelis abroad.

Israel struck back, hitting PLO bases. In addition, it formed an alliance with Bashir Gemayel, the leader of the Lebanese Chistian militia.

Israeli Defence Minister Ariel Sharon believed that, together with the Christians, Israel could drive the PLO and the Syrians out of Lebanon and replace them with a pro-Western government that would make peace with Israel.

The entire Middle East would be altered, Sharon asserted, and convinced Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin of the plan.

Israeli forces were ready to strike.

On June 3, 1982, Shlomo Argov, Israel’s ambassador to Great Britain was shot in the head by a Palestinian terrorist and left permanently disabled.

The next day, the Israeli government approved Operation Big Pines, designed to push the PLO 25 miles away from the border.

But a secret part of the plan also provided for the possibility that the IDF would push further north to drive Syrian forces out of Lebanon.

Two Israeli divisions crossed the border, one heading north along the coastal road and the other heading east to outflank the Syrians.

Between the two columns towered Beaufort Castle, a medieval stronghold that served as the PLO’s fort. It was taken after a bloody battle by Golani Brigade commandos.

On both fronts, the fighting proved fierce.

Yet everywhere Israeli arms prevailed—the air force shot down 100 Syrian jets and helicopters without suffering a single loss.

Bashir Gemayel signed an historic peace agreement with Israel.

By the end of June, Israel was besieging Beirut.

Through American mediation, Syrian troops evacuated the area and some 6,500 PLO terrorists — most notably among them Yasser Arafat — boarded boats for Tunisia.

Operation Big Pines appeared to be on the verge of an historic success.

But it was not to be.

[charlesledent]

2 facts historically not accurate: Bashir Jumayil wasn't killed in a car explosion but in a building. His death didn't allow a signature of any lebanon israel peace treaty. It was his brother Amiens that conclure that act.. a précision the massacres of Sabra and Shatila were comitted by Christian militia man called Élie Hobeika. He was an undercover syrian agent. That was revealed by his bodyguard. In 1980. Hobeika was encountering Assad's brother in Paris

[VirginMostPowerfull]

First!!! Holy Mary pray for everyone and pray for peace!

[andy]

Cool 5 minute segment. Oren is the rare politician who will actually answer a question candidly.

[wesb]

True that they can’t abide a Jewish state.

[bosse]

There will be no change, no peace, before King Yahshua(Jesus Messiah) comes. 💪

[suvorovetz]

why are you calling palestinian Arabs "palestinians'? The Jews and the Christians who lived in Levant all had palestinian passports before the end of the Mandate.

[MrToolz.]

So much misinformation. It’s sad PragerU is only making propoganda videos

[zakikaddoura]

The Arabic story says that Israel gave the green light on sabra and shateila massacre

[sameersheriff]

I feel like sensitive topics like the Israel-Palestine war need to be carefully assessed while making content about it to not hurt people's feelings as taking a side isn't simple in wars like this spanning for decades and maybe even centuries with religions involved.

[professorthree]

They really about to make 119 of these videos.

[sonicfromsouth]

You can flip it and say as long as there is no Palestinian state there is no peace, like adding and subtracting

[sergeyzhukov]

Help Israel and stop supplying Ukraine

[reyancap]

wait, didnt dave smith already defeat this dude in a debate and he kept crying "blood libel"? LMAO

[anthonymorris]

Beirut under Christian rule was often referred to as Paris on the Mediterranean. Lebanon was the most successful Arab state outside of the oil Gulf states. Then Hezbollah arrived and destroyed the place.

[jemjem]

Having to justify multiple "At wars" here 🧐