Israel Launches Operation Peace for Galilee into Lebanon

Israel’s invasion of Lebanon on June 6, 1982, under Operation Peace for Galilee successfully expelled the PLO but inadvertently created conditions for Iranian-backed Hezbollah’s emergence.

Operation Launch

Israeli military invasion:

Large-scale ground operation
PLO elimination objective
Beirut siege initiation
Regional intervention

PLO Expulsion

Palestinian Liberation Organization defeat:

Military infrastructure destruction
Leadership evacuation
Operational capability elimination
Regional influence reduction

Lebanese Shia Awakening

Demographic transformation:

Southern Lebanon Shia mobilization
Iranian Revolutionary Guards arrival
Religious awakening
Political organization

Iranian Opportunity

Tehran’s strategic advantage:

Lebanese Shia constituency
Regional influence expansion
Anti-Israeli proxy creation
Revolutionary export

Hezbollah Formation

Iranian proxy creation:

Revolutionary Guards training
Ideological indoctrination
Military organization
Iranian financing

Israeli Strategic Miscalculation

Jerusalem’s unintended consequences:

PLO replacement by Iran
Hezbollah emergence
Long-term occupation
Strategic objective failure

Syrian Response

Damascus military engagement:

Israeli advance resistance
Regional balance concerns
Iranian coordination
Strategic realignment

International Intervention

Global diplomatic response:

Multinational Force deployment
Ceasefire negotiation
Regional stability efforts
Conflict resolution attempts

Lebanese Civil War Impact

National conflict escalation:

Sectarian violence increase
Foreign intervention
State authority collapse
Regional proxy competition

Iranian Revolutionary Guards

IRGC deployment to Lebanon:

Bekaa Valley presence
Shia militia training
Ideological education
Military infrastructure

Long-term Consequences

Strategic implications:

Hezbollah emergence
Iranian regional presence
Israeli security challenge
Regional transformation

Operation Peace for Galilee achieved its immediate objective of PLO expulsion but created the unintended consequence of Iranian-backed Hezbollah emergence, fundamentally altering regional dynamics.