The 1982 Lebanon War in 10 Minutes

Gemini said Step into the chaotic landscape of the "First Lebanon War," a conflict that began as a localized military operation and transformed into a decade-long quagmire. In this installment, we unpack Operation Peace for Galilee, launched by Israel in June 1982 in response to persistent PLO attacks and the attempted assassination of Israel's ambassador in London. We'll follow the rapid Israeli advance past the "40-kilometer line" all the way to the outskirts of Beirut, aiming to dismantle Yasser Arafat's "state within a state" and install a friendly Maronite Christian government. We'll dive into the war's most controversial and haunting chapter: the Sabra and Shatila massacre, where Lebanese Phalangist militias entered refugee camps and murdered hundreds of civilians while Israeli forces held the perimeter. This event sparked massive "Peace Now" protests in Israel, leading to the Kahan Commission and the eventual resignation of Defense Minister Ariel Sharon. Join us as we examine the long-term fallout: the expulsion of the PLO to Tunisia, the rise of a new and more disciplined enemy in Hezbollah, and the creation of the "Security Zone" in Southern Lebanon that Israel would occupy for the next eighteen years.