Issue Date: June 11, 1982 Israeli Troops Invade Southern Lebanon, Crush PLO Bases; Tentative Cease-Fire Agreed After Major Israeli Gains PRINT EMAIL SAVE TEXT
Shooting of Envoy Triggers Action Israeli Envoy Attacked in London Air Strikes Provoke Shelling Invasion Launched U.N. Demands Cease-Fire, Pullout Israel Claims Limited Goals Lebanon Interrupts Versailles Summit U.S. Makes Measured Response Other Reactions Palestinian Bastions Fall Syrian Missile Bases Destroyed Beirut Menaced Tentative Cease-Fire Set Shooting of Envoy Triggers Action The Israeli army invaded Lebanon June 6 in a coordinated land, sea and air attack aimed initially at crushing strongholds of the Palestine Liberation Organization. [See 1982 Other World News: Lebanon: Troops Mass Along Border] By June 10 Israeli troops had swept to the outskirts of Beirut and were exchanging fire with concentrations of the 25,000-strong Syrian peacekeeping force in central Lebanon. The air battles over central Lebanon were described as among the heaviest in the history of jet aviation. The next day, after urgent diplomatic pressure from the U.S., Israel and Syria agreed to a truce. The cease-fire left much of coastal Lebanon from Beirut south devastated and under Israeli control; Syria still held its stronghold in the Bekaa valley. Many PLO encampments had been obliterated and Palestinian forces were left in disarray. An Israeli military push into Lebanon had long been threatened, and the invasion was preceded by two rounds of air raids by Israeli jets in April and May. [See 1982 Israeli Jets Again Raid Palestinians in Lebanon; PLO Retaliates with Heavy Shelling, 1982 Lebanon: U.N. to Expand Forces] The immediate trigger was an assassination attempt on the Israeli ambassador in London June 3, which left him in critical condition. Although there was some doubt whether the PLO had ordered the attack, Israel immediately launched a new round of air raids on southern Lebanon, to which Palestinian forces responded with heavy shelling of northern Israel. A U.N. call for a cease-fire June 5 was rejected, and Israeli troops the next morning swept north with the objective of eradicating the PLO from southern Lebanon. Israeli Envoy Attacked in London Shlomo Argov, the Israeli ambassador to Great Britain, was critically wounded in a shooting attack late June 3 as he was leaving a party in London. The attack, although disclaimed by the Palestine Liberation Organization, was cited by Israel as a factor in the decision to invade Lebanon. Argov was rushed to a hospital with head wounds. Early June 4 he underwent an operation in which damaged parts of his brain, bone fragments and a blood clot were removed. A medical spokesman emphasized that Argov remained in a critical condition following the operation. The Israeli ambassador was shot as he was leaving the Dorchester Hotel after a party. A London policeman assigned to protect Argov chased a suspected assailant and shot him. The suspect, who carried a Jordanian passport, was taken to a hospital with a head wound but was expected to live. Three more suspects were arrested not long after the shooting. Two of these--one holding a Jordanian passport, and the other Iraqi papers-- were detained while driving through southern London. The third, carrying a Syrian passport, was arrested in Weybridge, Surrey. A series of police raids early June 4 succeeded in seizing a number of weapons. "We deplore this cruel crime," a policeman spokesman said, "but we believe we have frustrated a series of terrorist outrages." The PLO representative in London, Nabil Ramlawi, denied June 4 that his organization was responsible for the attack. The attempted assassination would serve Israeli rather than Palestinian interests, Ramlawi said, adding," "The Israeli ambassador is a victim of a determined campaign now being waged in European capitals to discredit the PLO and to undermine the understanding and friendship which exists between the Palestinians and the EEC [European Community] governments." Ramlawi continued, "It will also be used by the Begin regime to justify further murderous air and land attacks on Palestinian refugee camps in the Lebanon, and to suppress our families in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Our war is in Palestine against the Zionists, not in Europe." Yacov Keinan, press spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in London, said June 4 that the ambassador was "yet another victim of this totally barbaric, cowardly code of behavior which seems to direct the life and acts of continuing Arab terrorism." The Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Moshe Arens, more directly imputed responsibility for the attack to the PLO. Speaking to reporters June 7, Arens said, "We know enough about the PLO, its tactics and methods, to feel assured this was an act of the PLO, even though they won't take credit. It is a well-known PLO tactic to come up with new names ... but they are all one of the same Mafia-type octopus that works out of Lebanon." British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and other British officials voiced dismay over the attack and expressed sympathy to Israel. However, they did not share Israel's assumption that the PLO was necessarily responsible. Thatcher said June 6 that a "hit list" had been found on the suspects that included the name of the PLO representative in London. This was generally interpreted as meaning that the attack had been carried out by a small faction without widespread Palestinian support. Keinan, however, rejected this interpretation. "We do not accept the idea that this attack was carried out by a breakaway group of the Palestine Liberation Organization," the Israeli press officer said. He continued, "There is no such thing as a good and bad PLO." A statement received by the Associated Press in Beirut June 9 claimed responsibility for the attack on behalf of a breakaway Palestinian group that had for several years been at odds with Yasir Arafat, the head of the PLO. The statement was signed Al Asifa, a name used previously by followers of Abu Nidal, who was thought to be responsible for a number of terrorist actions apparently intended to discredit or damage the PLO. [See 1981 Arab Summit Breaks Down Over Saudi Peace Plan; Boycotted Meeting Collapses] Air Strikes Provoke Shelling In retaliation for the Argov shooting, Israel June 4 launched massive air strikes against Palestinian targets in Beirut and southern Lebanon. Israeli jets bombed Palestinian camps in the Beirut area steadily for two hours. The Lebanese government said at least 45 people were killed, and 150 wounded, in the attacks. A spokesman for the Syrian peacekeeping forces said eight Syrians were among the casualties. As had happened after the Israeli raids in May, Palestinian forces in southern Lebanon responded with heavy rocket and artillery fire into northern Israel, driving Israeli citizens into bomb shelters and causing heavy damage to homes and public buildings. Towns all across the northern frontier, from the Galilee region in the east to Nahariya on the Mediterranean coast, were hit. The Palestinians also shelled Christian militia emplacements along the Lebanese border. The Palestinian artillery barrage continued throughout the night and the next day, and Israeli planes resumed their bombing runs at daybreak, augmented by naval bombardment of coastal positions. At least one Israeli fighter was shot down and its pilot captured, reportedly the first Israeli pilot ever shot down by the Palestinians. Invasion Launched Massive armored columns of Israeli troops swept past United Nations observation posts the morning of June 6 in a three-pronged assault. One column pushed directly northward along the coastal road. Inland, similar thrusts from the Galilee region of northern Israel and from the Golan Heights pushed toward Palestinian emplacements in the hills of southern Lebanon. The ease with which the Israelis had rolled through the U.N.- controlled demilitarized zones provoked the wrath of PLO leader Yasir Arafat, who June 8 accused the U.N. forces of "collaborating with the Israeli troops," helping them "stab the Palestinians in the back." U.N. officials maintained that their forces had used a variety of nonviolent tactics to impede the Israeli advance, but to no avail. By day's end June 6, the Lebanese government was reporting that the Israelis had attacked Sidon, nearly 30 miles (45 kilometers) up the coast, where the PLO had a regional command center. According to the Lebanese, one contingent of Israelis had descended on the city from the north after landing troops and tanks on the coast. Israel would not reveal how many troops took part in the invasion, but Syrian and Palestinian estimates ranged from 25,000 to 40,000. U.N. Demands Cease-Fire, Pullout The United Nations Security Council June 6 unanimously demanded that Israel pull its forces out of Lebanon. Israel rejected the demand, as it had a June 5 demand for an immediate cease-fire on the eve of the invasion. After a day of closed-door negotiations, the council approved a resolution demanding "that Israel withdraw all its forces forthwith and unconditionally to the internationally recognized boundaries of Lebanon." It reiterated the previous day's call for an immediate cessation of all military actions across the Lebanese border. Israel's U.N. ambassador, Yehuda Blum, reacted with derision, accusing the council of ignoring scores of terrorist acts by Palestinians. "The council is galvanized into action when Israel finally resorts to its right of self-defense," he said, and was acting "to save a terrorist organization from well-deserved retribution." Israel Claims Limited Goals To ease rising fears that the action would draw Syria into the ground conflict and trigger an all-out Middle Eastern war, the Israeli cabinet June 6 declared that "during the operation, the Syrian army will not be attacked unless it attacks our forces." The objective of the military action, code-named "Peace for Galilee," was stated as follows: "to place all civilian population of the Galilee beyond the range of terrorist fire from Lebanon where their bases and headquarters are concentrated." In a June 6 letter to President Reagan, Prime Minister Begin said that the army had been ordered to push the Palestinians northward to at least 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the Israeli border, with the object of putting Palestinian artillery out of reach of Israeli settlements. The action was not aimed at seizing Lebanese territory, he said. His letter was a reply to a request for restraint from President Reagan, delivered that morning. The Palestinian news agency June 6 said the Israeli aim was, simply, to "crush the PLO." One PLO official warned the New York Times that if Israel succeeded, then henceforth "the hardest of hard-liners will dominate Palestinian politics." Lebanon Interrupts Versailles Summit Leaders of the industrial democracies gathered for an economic summit in Versailles, France June 6 interrupted their discussions to declare that they were "deeply disturbed" by the events in Lebanon. [See 1982Industrial Democracies Hold Summit at Versailles; Lebanon, Falklands Conflicts Intrude] Their joint statement warned that the "chain of violence" could have "disastrous consequences for the whole region." The leaders endorsed the U.N. Security Council's call for an immediate cease-fire. Reportedly at U.S. insistence, the statement avoided condemning Israel directly. U.S. Makes Measured Response The U.S. State Department June 7 refrained from directly condemning the Israeli assault. In a formal statement, the State Department expressed "regret" at "the spiral of violence that began with the assassination attempt against the Israeli ambassador." "A divided Lebanon must not be the outcome of this violence," the U.S. proclaimed. "Israel will have to withdraw its forces from Lebanon, and the Palestinians will have to stop using Lebanon as a launching pad for attacks on Israel." In contrast with its response to earlier Israeli military actions, the Reagan administration's reaction was measured. Administration officials gave no indication that they would rescind an offer to sell Israel an additional 75 F-16 fighter aircraft. The plan for the $2.5 billion deal had been announced by the White House May 26. [See 1981 Israeli Jets Bomb Beirut as Fighting Escalates; U.S. Halts F-16 Deliveries] U.S. diplomacy was hampered somewhat by the dispersal of the government, as both President Reagan and Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. were in Europe attending economic and military summit meetings. [See 1982 Versailles Economic Summit: Reagan Visits Italy, Britain, 1982 NATO Summit Held in Bonn; U.S. Offers Arms Limits Plan] Haig June 7 urged a cease-fire and an expansion of the U.N. peace- keeping force in Lebanon, balanced with "some lessening" of the Syrian presence. In the meantime, U.S. special envoy Philip C. Habib, after meeting with Reagan in Europe, conferred June 8 with Prime Minister Begin in an effort to bring about a disengagement. Habib had played a central role in hammering out the 1981 Lebanese cease-fire, still regarded as one of the Reagan administration's chief diplomatic achievements. A new Habib mission had been in the works for several weeks but had been overtaken by events. [See 1982 Iran-Iraq War: Haig Vows Active U.S. Role] As the crisis worsened, Habib flew to Damascus June 9 to make a similar plea. Other Reactions Israel was seeking "the physical extermination" of the Palestinian people, the official Soviet news agency, Tass, declared June 6. Israel's "impudent and arrogant policy" amounted to "genocide against the Arab people of Palestine," Tass said. The Egyptian cabinet June 6 called the Israeli invasion "a blatant violation of international law." "While the attack on the Israeli ambassador in London was a crime which should be condemned," the Egyptians said, "it did not under any circumstances justify the Israeli action in Lebanon," adding, "Egypt condemns the Israeli aggression." Lebanese officials June 6, however, lamented what they described as general "Arab indifference" to the Lebanese plight. "The Arab world has been quiet as the grave about Israel's aggression," the state radio declared. In subsequent days the Lebanese appeals became more urgent, as streams of refugees fled the coastal cities, first toward Beirut and then beyond, as Israeli troops threatened to attack the city U.N. observers June 9 said thousands of homeless civilians were in urgent need of food and water. The next day, U.N. officials revealed that Israeli military authorities had ordered them to stop delivering food to Lebanese refugees. The most emphatic Moslem response to the Lebanese plea came from a distance, as Iran June 7 announced that it would send Revolutionary Guards to Lebanon "to engage the new wave of Zionist invasion there." On June 9, both Saeb Salam, a former Moslem premier of Lebanon, and Suleiman Franjieh, a former Christian president, joined ranks with President Elias Sarkis in urging all Lebanese to unite in confronting the crisis. Palestinian Bastions Fall June 7 brought major Israeli conquests, as guerrilla outposts at Hasbeya, Nabatiyeh, and the Beaufort Castle all fell before the Israeli advance. In a symbolic gesture, Prime Minister Begin was flown to the Beaufort Castle within hours after its capture to confer on the progress of the invasion with Defense Minister Ariel Sharon. The crumbling 12th- century Crusader fortress, just 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the Israeli border, had served as an elevated observation and command post for Palestinian artillery. Begin formally turned it over to Christian militia leader Maj. Saad Haddad. In the coastal thrust, Israeli troops were still engaged in heavy artillery and machine-gun exchanges with PLO forces in Tyre, a strongly fortified guerrilla base. Syrian officials said their troops and tanks had engaged Israeli ground units south of Jezzin and reported anIsraeli thrust toward the town of Meshgara at the southern end of the Bekaa Valley. The Syrian military zone extended southward to a line running roughly from the Zahrani River eastward to Mt. Hermon, and the Bekaa Valley held the Syrians' largest concentration of troops, artillery and antiaircraft missiles. As the scope of the fighting widened, Israel reported air clashes with Syrian jets. Israel June 8 diverted a large column of tanks and armor from the northward coastal surge, forcing them eastward and inland. The tactical turnaround not only threatened to cut the vital Beirut- Damascus road but put the Israeli troops in a position to outflank either Palestinian positions in Beirut or Syrian concentrations in the Bekaa Valley. One inland advance column was said to have drawn within 15 miles (24 kilometers) of Beirut, where it was exchanging fire with Syrian troops. Along the coast, besieged Palestinian forces were tenaciously holding out a Sidon and Tyre, but an Israeli armored column pushed northward and attacked the PLO base at Saadiyat. The battle was partly visible from the capital. In the air, Israeli and Syrian jets fought one of the largest air battles since the Mideast war of 1973, though it was to be dwarfed by the clashes the next day. In the June 8 encounter, Israel claimed six Syrian jets downed, while Syria acknowledged the loss of two and claimed to have taken down two Israeli fighters. Meanwhile, Israeli officials continued to mollify Syria. Chief of Staff Gen. Rafael Eytan June 8 asserted thatIsraeli troops were "making every effort to refrain from conflict with the Syrians." Syrian Missile Bases Destroyed On June 9 the air war expanded, as Israel made a concerted effort to knock out Syrian antiaircraft ground-to-air missile batteries in the Bekaa Valley. Israel claimed a massive success, initially asserting that 17 of the 19 Syrian batteries had been knocked out and later saying the entire missile system had been destroyed. According to a Syrian count, Israel attacked with over 90 fighter- bombers--mostly U.S. made F-15s and F-16s--which were met by 54 Syrian MiGs. Israel claimed the destruction of 25 Syrian planes, of which Syria acknowledged 16 while claiming to have downed 19 of the attackers. Syria said the missiles were being replaced. On the ground June 9, Israeli troops appeared to have virtually won the battle for Sidon and now surrounded Damur, further up the coast. To augment the armored push, Israel landed tanks and troops at Khalde, a few miles south of Beirut and within sight of the city's international airport. In all the coastal engagements, Israeli ground troops were aided by sustained naval bombardment and pinpoint bombing of PLO encampments. In a separate engagement June 9, Syrian troops battled to hold a crucial crossroad on the Beirut-Damascus highway. Beirut Menaced The fighting reached its climax June 10, as Israeli troops warned that they intended to capture Beirut, and wave after wave of Israeli warplanes bombed the city and its environs. Israeli planes dropped leaflets urging Syrian troops to evacuate the city, saying, "In a short time we will capture the city" and advising Syrians on possible escape routes. Israeli ground forces were encountering their stiffest resistance yet, however, not only south of Beirut but in the Bekaa Valley and along the Beirut-Damascus road as well. Syria declared that it would not abandon the fight "for our Palestinian and Lebanese brothers and for our basic national security." Israel's greatest success was in the air, where Israeli jets again demonstrated their dominance, claiming to have downed another 25 Syrian MiGs. Israel tallied 61 enemy planes downed since the start of the invasion, against one Israeli loss. Israel had imposed tight military censorship from the start of the invasion, however, and neither side's claims were independently verifiable. President Reagan June 9 and 10 had addressed two strongly worded cables to Prime Minister Begin, but both had been rejected, administration officials revealed. Both cables--the second stronger than the first--appealed for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. The appeals, which were described as "very firm," seemed to mark a turn in U.S. attitudes in response to the possibility that Israel was exceeding its initially stated goal of pushing the PLO back 25 miles. Tentative Cease-Fire Set Under increasing pressure to halt its military advance, Israel June 11 announced a unilateral cease-fire, to begin at noon that day. "From that hour onward," the communique said, "the Israeli army will not shoot on all fronts in Lebanon unless shot at." If Syria, however, continued to fire on Israeli troops, "all responsibility for the severe consequences of this premeditated aggression will fall on the shoulders of the government ofSyria," Israel said. The communique warned that "any Syrian attempt to reintroduce ground-to-air missiles into Lebanese territory" would be "instantly repelled." Syria then ordered its troops to abide by the noon cease-fire. The official Syrian announcement made no mention of any conditions, but the official Syrian news agency said Syria was accepting the truce only on condition that Israel withdraw its forces from Lebanon. The Syrian announcement followed intensive negotiations with U.S. envoy Philip Habib. There was no immediate official response from the PLO. Israeli troops pounded Palestinian targets in Beirut with artillery and bombing until noon, when Israeli and Syrian guns fell briefly silent Scattered Palestinian groups ignored the truce, however, and the Israelis responded in force.
Modern Language Association (MLA) Citation: "Israeli Troops Invade Southern Lebanon, Crush PLO Bases...Shooting of Envoy Triggers Action." Facts On File World News Digest: n. pag. World News Digest. Facts On File News Services, 11 June 1982. Web. 27 June 2011.
Record URL: http://www.2facts.com/article/1982019370