Israel Pulls Out: Lebanon Occupation Ends After 18 Years

Israel completed its withdrawal from Lebanese territory 18 years after the 1982 invasion, pulling forces from the self-declared security zone except for the contested Shebaa Farms. The retreat vindicated Hezbollah's resistance strategy and reshaped the group's political legitimacy in Lebanon, while leaving unresolved border disputes that would erupt again in the 2006 war. The withdrawal, completed on May 24, 2000, was celebrated in Lebanon as Liberation Day and marked the end of Israel's longest military occupation. The security zone, a strip of southern Lebanon roughly 10 to 15 kilometers deep, had been maintained since 1985 to protect northern Israel from cross-border attacks by Palestinian and later Hezbollah fighters. Israel's proxy force, the South Lebanon Army, had policed the zone with Israeli support for over a decade. The decision to withdraw was driven by growing Israeli casualties from Hezbollah guerrilla attacks, declining public support for the occupation, and Prime Minister Ehud Barak's campaign promise to bring the soldiers home. The withdrawal happened faster than planned: as SLA positions collapsed and fighters deserted, the Israeli military accelerated its pullback to avoid being caught in the disintegration. SLA members and their families who had collaborated with Israel scrambled to cross the border, with some welcomed into Israel and others left behind. Hezbollah marched into the evacuated zone to triumphant celebrations, claiming credit for driving out the Israeli military through armed resistance rather than negotiation. The group's stature grew enormously within Lebanon and across the Arab world. The Shebaa Farms dispute, involving a small area claimed by both Lebanon and Syria, provided Hezbollah with a continued justification for maintaining its arsenal.