Israel and its neighbors: Decades of war
By Ray Sanchez, CNN
The violence between Israel and Hamas is just
the latest flare-up in a region of enduring and deadly conflicts. Wars
have erupted several times since the founding of the modern state of
Israel in the late 1940s. Here's a look at some of the most serious
conflicts involving Israel and its neighbors since then -- conflicts
that have spanned more than six decades and claimed countless lives.
Israel's War for Independence
Israeli infantry make a full assault on Egyptian forces during the Arab-Israeli War in 1948.
Keystone/Getty Images
When they fought: November 1947 to January 1949.
Who was fighting: Arab armies invaded what is now Israel.
What happened: In Israel's War for Independence, known as the Arab-Israeli War, Egypt gained control of Gaza.
What was the outcome:
Israel fought with Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and
Lebanon, which invaded territory in the former Palestinian mandate after
the announcement of an independent Israeli state on May 14, 1948.
Armistice talks gave Israel 75% of what was Palestine, adding nearly
one-third more land to the new state of Israel before the invasion. More
than 600,000 Arabs fled Israel to become refugees in neighboring
countries.
The Six-Day War
During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israeli soldiers celebrate after taking control of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
AP
When they fought: June 1967
Who was fighting: The Six-Day War lasted from June 5 to June 10, 1967, as Israel struck first at Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
What happened: Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.
What was the outcome: Israel tripled its land holdings and gained control of Gaza.
Fighting between Israel and Egypt
Israeli troops fire mortar shells toward Egyptian military positions on the Suez front in 1970.
AFP/Getty Images
When they fought: July 1967 to August 1970
Who was fighting: On July 1, 1967, hostilities escalated near the Suez Canal between Israel and Egypt in what Israel called the War of Attrition.
What happened: Egypt sought to wear down Israel and eventually get Israeli troops to leave the Suez Canal.
What was the outcome:
Israel and Egypt agreed to a three-month ceasefire, and negotiations
under a United Nations mediator. The fighting stopped in early August
1970.
The Yom Kippur War
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, left, meets with Gen.
Ariel Sharon, second from left, during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Sharon, who later became Israeli Prime Minister, said his greatest
military success came during that war. He surrounded Egypt's Third Army
and, defying orders, led 200 tanks and 5,000 men over the Suez Canal, a
turning point.
Ministry of Defense/Getty Images
When they fought: October 1973
Who was fighting:
Egypt and Syria launched the Yom Kippur War, which lasted from October
6, 1973, to October 22, 1973, with air strikes against Israeli targets
in the Suez Canal and Golan Heights.
What happened: Egypt
and Syria were seeking to retake territory lost in 1967. Other Arab
countries -- including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia,
Sudan, Morocco and Jordan -- aided Egypt and Syria with troops,
financial assistance and weapons. The Soviet Union airlifted supplies to
the Arab combatants, while the United States provided aid to Israel.
What was the outcome: In 1973, the United Nations passed a resolution calling for a cease-fire and talks aimed at peace in the region.
Israel invades southern Lebanon
PLO terrorists hijacked a bus on Israel's Coastal Highway near Tel Aviv on March 11, 1978.
AP
When they fought: March 1978
Who was fighting: Israel invaded Lebanon.
What happened: A PLO
attack on a bus in northern Israel prompted Israeli military forces to
move into Lebanon to push the PLO militants back from the border.
Israeli Defense Forces entered Lebanon and occupied part of the south.
What was the outcome:
After protest from the United Nations, Israel withdrew but created a
"security zone" in the south of the country, administered by the Army of
South Lebanon. The U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 425 on
March 19, 1978, days after Israel first invaded its northern neighbor in
response to cross-border attacks by Palestinian militants.
Israel invades Lebanon
Rescue workers walk among corpses at the Sabra refugee camp
in West Beirut, Lebanon, on September 20, 1982, days after Lebanese
Christian militias massacred nearly 800 Palestinians.
Paola Crociani/AP
When they fought: 1981-1982
Who was fighting: Israel attacked Lebanon.
What happened: On July 17, 1981, Israel bombed PLO headquarter.