Lebanon has long been a safe harbor for terrorist groups such as the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Hezbollah. The PLO was created in 1964 with the alleged purpose of the "liberation of Palestine." In reality, their main objective was the destruction of the nation of Israel through acts of terror.

​

In 1978, PLO terrorists penetrated the northern border of Israel and murdered 39 innocent victims, 13 of which were children. Israeli forces responded and pushed the terrorist back from the border, but to no avail - terrorism continued.

​

Even after the United States helped broker a cease-fire agreement in 1981, the PLO repeatedly violated the truce and continued to build their forces and increase their arsenal - killing Israelies along the way. In June 1982, Israeli soldiers moved to Lebanon to drive out the Palestinian terrorist through "Operation Peace for Galilee." Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, under President Ronal Reagan, defended the Israeli operation.

​

The war in Lebanon was fought on two fronts - on the ground and in the media. Unfortunately, the world press chose to accept the PLO's spin and blamed Israel - rather than the provocateurs - for the violence. For the first time since Israel's rebirth as a nation there was a civil debate regarding Israel's military initiatives, and as a result, Israel pulled most of its troops out of Lebanon in 1985. Despite Israel's voluntary withdrawal, civilians continued to suffer terror attacks along the Lebanese border.

​

During the clashes between Israel and the PLO in the early '80s, Hezbollah ("The Party of God") gained strength and took root in southern Lebanon. They did this mainly with the financial and military backing of Iran. Hezbollah published an "open letter" that called for the "obliteration" of Israel.

​

Terrorist activities against Israel operate out of Lebanon to this day.