War and Conflict Journal

Lebanon’s poorly equipped army is soliciting donations to make up for reduced American aid.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-10976438

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Just as international analysts express growing concerns over the possibility of a renewal of all-out war involving Israel, Lebanon, Hezbollah, and possibly Syria, new clashes are reported along the tense Israel-Lebanon border in early August,  2010.  According to early reports, at least four were killed in mutual artillery fire across the border.

Israel said an Israeli battalion commander was killed, and Lebanon claimed at least two of its soldiers and a journalist were killed in shelling. 

According to the New York Times:

The skirmish began when Israeli soldiers were conducting activities along the border area. There are conflicting reports about whether Israelis were installing a surveillance camera on a fence or clearing a tree.

Lebanese officials said Israelis had crossed the border into Lebanon, but Israeli military officials denied the claim, saying they were in Israeli territory.

Lebanese soldiers said they fired warning shots at the Israelis, prompting a brief but heavy exchange of fire.

Israeli military officials said they returned fire with light arms and artillery and then dispatched helicopters several minutes later to attack a Lebanese command center, damaging several armored combat vehicles.

This marks the most serious combat along the border since the month-long war between Lebanon/Hezbollah and Israel in the summer of 2006.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-israel-lebanon-20100804,0,6928535.story

http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/10/08/0302.htm

Fatah vs. Usbat al-Ansar (Feb. 2010)–Fighting in the Ain al-Helweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Four killed.  Renewed combat in the permanent Palestinian “refugee camps” of Lebanon as Fatah and the Islamist militia Usbat al-Ansar battle for territory and control.  Under a 1969 agreement between the Palestinians and the Lebanese government, the Lebanese Army does not interfere with in-fighting within the Palestinian camps.

http://www.historyguy.com/palestinian_civil_wars_conflicts.htm

http://www.historyguy.com/wars_of_lebanon.htm

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel did indeed launch a heretofore secret air strike on Syrian territory on September 6, 2007.  He did not specify what the target was or why it was so important to attack and risk war.  He also revealed a moment of unity between Israel’s rival political parties; Prime Minister Olmert consulted with opposition leader Netanyahu prior to the attack.  Netanyahu said that he agreed with the military mission over Syria.

Meanwhile, reports from Syria indicate a movement within the ruling circles of the Baathist government in Damascus, that Syria must perform some sort of military response to what is now an overt attack by Israel. 

Both sides have spoken of being prepared for war this summer, along with publicly alleged desire for peace.  Syria has been upgrading its military, particularly its missile forces, with large purchases from Russia.  Israel has spent the summer with increased training for its ground forces.  The Israeli army performed poorly in its combat with Hezbollah in the 2006 Second Lebanon War. 

The War and Conflict Journal believes that the evidence of mutual military buildups, internal politics in both countries, and a perceived sense that "something" must be done about each other. Both Israel and Syria see each other as a major threat, and many leaders in each nation feel that a war may serve as a way to either reduce a perceived threat, or prove to itself and its allies that it can stand up to the ancient enemy.

A new Middle Eastern, Arab-Israeli War is about to begin, and it will be the bloodiest, most expensive war in Israel’s history.  This time, Syria has missiles that can drop large conventional (and chemical) warheads on Israeli cities.  Once war begins, Israel will have to seize Syrian territory, up to and including the capital of Damascus, in order to force the missile attacks to stop.  Such a war could easily tempt Hezbollah to launch its missiles and rockets at Israel again, as they did in 2006.  Lebanon would again become a battleground.  And Iran, ally and patron to both Syria and Hezbollah, may also enter the fray, which in turn could cause the United States and other Western allies to join the war as an opportunity to abort Iran’s growing nuclear abilities.

A 2007 October War could easily escalate into a regional nightmare.  All sides must tread carefully.

Syrian official: Damascus eager to respond to Israel flyover–YNet News, Sept. 20, 2007

Netanyahu confirms secret attack on Syria–The Guardian, Sept. 21, 2007

North Lebanon Conflict—(May 20, 2007- September 2, 2007):

This conflict began in May, 2007, when the Lebanese Army began a siege of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in order to drive out a militant Islamic milita called Fatah Islam. The resulting combat killed 158 Lebanese soldiers, 120 Fatah al-Islam militants and 42 civilians.
This conflict, which came a year after the destructive Israel-Hezbollah War, tested the capacity of the Lebanese government to bring violent militias under control. Most of the fighting took place in the port city of Tripoli and in the nearby Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, which is home to thousands of Palestinian refugees.
Lebanon received military support from the United States in the form of military equipment and ammunition. As such, this conflict can be considered a part of the larger War on Terror led by the U.S. The Fatah al-Islam group is an al-Qaida inspired armed militia which openly challenged the authority of the Lebanese government.
Fatah al-Islam ("Conquest of Islam") formed in November, 2006 in northern Lebanon, drawing members from the largely Sunni Muslim Palestinian refugee community, as well as from veteran foreign fighters from the War in Iraq. Fatah al-Islam’s leader, Shaker Abssi, is a Palestinian who fought with jihadist forces in Iraq, and who had connections to the late al-Qaida in Iraq leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.Shaker Abbsi was sentenced to death by a Jordanian military court in 2004 for his alleged involvement in the 2002 murder of the American diplomat, Laurence Foley, who was assassinated in Amman, Jordan. The rise of Fatah al-Islam and other Muslim Jihadist groups among the Palestinian refugee community is indicative of the continuing problems the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), has experienced since the formation of the Palestinian Authority, the rise of Hamas, a rival political organization opposed to Fatah, the primary Palestinian party. In the decades prior to the Oslo Peace Accords with Israel, Fatah and the PLO claimed the support of the majority of Palestinians. However, in the process of changing from a liberation army to a governing political party, Fatah (founded by the late Yasser Arafat), lost the allegiance of many young Palestinians, who looked to groups like Hamas and (to a lesser extent), Fatah al-Islam for meaning and leaderhip of a more fundamentalist religous nature. Also, these fundamentalist Islamic groups advocate continued war with Israel, which Fatah is moving away from.
The violence began on May 20, 2007, when Lebanese authorities raided a Fatah al-Islam safe-house in Tripoli, sparking a gunbattle. The fighting spread to the nearby Nahr al-Bared camp, where Fatah al-Islam was based. The Lebanese Army quickly cordoned off the camp and began a siege which ended in September, 2007, as the defeated remnants of Fatah al-Islam attempted to break out of the camp and were destroyed in firefights with the Lebanese military.

Links:

2007 Lebanon Conflict–Wikipedia article
A new face of Al Qaeda emerges in Lebanon –International Herald Tribune
Profile: Fatah al-Islam–al-Jazeera article
Lebanon’s New War(s)–From Mobile Newsweek
Lebanon: Fatah Islam Fighters Caught–From the Associated Press

This War and Conflict Post is taken from the original page on the Historyguy.com website:

  Please cite this source when appropriate:
Lee, R. "The History Guy: North Lebanon Conflict (2007)"
http://www.historyguy.com/north_lebanon_conflict_2007.htm

From YNET NEWS–War fears grow between Israel and Syria

IDF: Syria’s antiaircraft system most advanced in world

Israeli military source says that after studying IAF’s performance during Second Lebanon War, Damacus has purchased most advanced ground-to-air missiles from Russia. IDF fears Assad’s arms race may be sign of possible conflict with Israel
Alex Fishman

Syria possesses the most crowded antiaircraft system in the world following its continued purchase of Russian weapon systems, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday, quoting a senior Israeli military source.

According to one estimate, the Syrians hold more than 200 antiaircraft batteries of different types.

In a bid to respond to the Israel Air Force’s supremacy, Damascus has been exerting great efforts in the past few years to improve its ability in terms of ground-to-ground and ground-to-air missiles.

According to the military source, as part of these efforts the Syrians have purchased the most advanced ground-to-air missiles from the Russians, considered the cutting edge in aircraft interception technology.

Some of these missiles were snatched from the production lines even before being introduced into Russian operation service.

Damascus’ race to purchase antiaircraft weapons is one of the prominent characteristics in the Syrians’ preparations for a possible conflict with Israel.

According to the military source, Syria studied the IAF’s performance during the Second Lebanon War and has since invested great sums of money in antiaircraft systems, particularly in systems for the defense of strategic sites.

The Institute for National Security Studies recently issued a memo on the strengthening of the Syrian army. In the chapter dealing with air defense, researcher Yiftah Shapir writes that the antiaircraft deals between Syria and Russia include the purchase of SA-24 missile systems, an armored vehicle which carries four Igla-S missiles – among of the most advanced shoulder missiles on the market.

In addition, the Syrians purchased between 36 to 50 Pantsir S-1 (SA-22) systems. This is a system combining missiles and shells and its development has only been completed recently. It is installed on a high-mobility vehicle and has a launcher of 12 missiles. Each missile weighs 65 kilograms (143 pounds) and has a 16-kilogram (35.2-pound) warhead.

The Syrians have also improved their old antiaircraft systems, such as the SA-3 and SA-6.

According to the memo, the Syrians are interested in purchasing long-range S-300 air defense systems and S-11 and SA-17 medium-range mobile air defense systems.

The S-300, one of the most advanced missiles used by the Syrian army can accurately intercept aircrafts from a distance of several tens of kilometers, thanks to an improved radar system combined with special sensors on the missile itself.

According to the military source, the Syrian army possesses today improved long-range and short-range air defense systems for the interception of aircrafts.

More fighting in Lebanon as the government and the Islamist Palestinian factions continue to fight.

By ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press Writer – July 17, 2007

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Army troops are making "significant" gains in their
long-running battle against al-Qaida-inspired fighters barricaded
inside a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, security
officials said Tuesday.

But a senior military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said four soldiers
were killed in fighting Monday. The body of a missing soldier also has
been found, he said.

The latest deaths raise to 103 the army’s death toll since the fighting broke out nearly two months ago.

See the full story at:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070717/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_violence;_ylt=AkeXY0SXx3yQZ5IheMabYJILewgF