Middle East Wars and Conflicts

The Middle East has been the most volatile part of the world since the mid-20th century, with multiple conflicts among disparate rivals. Some erupted over domestic disputes, others over regional competition, with spillover drawing in major world powers. Israel fought four major wars with Arab neighbors, including Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, between 1948 and 1973. But since the creation of the Palestine Liberation Organization in the mid-1960s, it has increasingly faced challenges from militias or non-state actors, eventually also including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Palestinian territories, and the Houthis in Yemen. The militias became major military players in the 1980s, then evolved into influential political parties in the 1990s and 2000s. Israel and Hezbollah Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982 forced thousands of PLO fighters to flee to other countries. Its ongoing occupation sparked fury among Lebanon’s Shiites and the creation of Hezbollah, a militia armed, trained, and aided by Iran. It was underground for a decade, then emerged to run for parliament in 1992. Hezbollah attacked Israeli forces throughout their eighteen-year occupation of Lebanon