Timeline: Israeli offensive

The latest developments from Israel's attacks in Gaza and Lebanon.

• Gulf News web report
• Published: 23:33 May 3, 2009
• 

Thursday 24 August: The UN launches a 60-day plan to tackle the humanitarian situation in Lebanon. UN emergency relief co-ordinator Jan Egeland says hundreds of thousands of Lebanese have returned home but have no proper sanitation or drinking water.

Wednesday 23 August: An Israeli soldier is killed and three others injured when their tank hits a landmine in southern Lebanon.

Tuesday 22 August: Italy says it is willing to lead the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, and that it could send up to 3,000 troops. Amnesty International accuses Israel of committing war crimes by deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in Lebanon.

Monday 21 August: US President George W Bush announces a $230m aid package to Lebanon to help rebuild homes and infrastructure.

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Sunday 20 August: Lebanon's Defence Minister Elias Murr warns that anyone firing rockets into Israel from the south will be considered a traitor, but expressed confidence that Hezbollah is committed to the UN-brokered truce.

Saturday 19 August: In what Beirut describes as a "naked violation" of the ceasefire, Israel launches an overnight raid deep inside Lebanese territory. One Israeli is killed with reports saying three Hezbollah fighters also died.

Friday 18 August: Italy announces it is prepared to send troops and might even take over leadership of the operation. Hezbollah hands out $12,000 each to people who have lost their flats to bombings in southern Beirut, residents say.

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Thursday 17 August: Lebanese troops cross the Litani river to take up positions as Israel's army pulls back. Displaced people continue to head home despite leaflets dropped by Israeli aircraft warning people to stay away from southern Lebanon.

Wednesday 16 August: France says it is ready to command an expanded international force working along with the Lebanese army, but only under certain conditions. Around 250,000 Lebanese people return to their homes.

Tuesday 15 August: On the second day of the fragile ceasefire, Israeli soldiers shoot five Hezbollah gunmen, killing at least three.

Monday 14 August: An official ceasefire comes into effect at 0500GMT (0800 Lebanese time and 0900 UAE time); Israeli troops begin to withdraw from the country although the government says some will remain there until the UN and Lebanese army soldiers arrive in the south;Thousands of displaced Lebanese citizens begin to head back to their homes causing lengthy traffic jams on the highways;

Sunday 13 August: UN Secretary General announces that fighting should stop at 0500GMT on Monday morning; Israeli cabinet agrees to ceasefire; Fierce fighting continues with Hezbollah firing more than 200 rockets into Israel and Israeli planes killing more than 20 in air strikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon; Lebanese government postpones talks on the next step in the process after disagreements; Some Israeli soldiers beging withdrawing ahead of the deadline.

Saturday 12 August: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah says he will abide by the UN resolution; Lebanese government endorses the ceasefire plan; Israel says it will vote on the plan on Sunday but broadens the ground offensive in the south of Lebanon, there are now as many as 30,000 soldiers in Lebanon; At least eight Israeli soldiers are killed in fierce fighting and five men are missing after Hezbollah shoots down an Israeli helicopter.

Friday 11 August: Israeli jets attack a convoy escorting 350 Lebanese soldiers from the town of Marjayoun; One Israeli soldier killed and as many as 20 injured in fighting in the south; The United Nations Security Council agrees and unanimously passes Resolution 1701 calling for a ceasefire in Lebanon; Hezbollah claims it has hit an Israeli gunboat.

Thursday 10 August: Israel drops leaflets on three southern suburbs of Beirut, telling residents to evacuate; Hezbollah rocket attacks kill two people in the Arab-Israeli town of Deir Al Assad; Israeli soldiers reach the christian town of Marjayoun in southern Lebanon.

Wednesday 9 August: Israeli cabinet gives approval for expansion of ground offensive in Lebanon but delays implementing it to 'give diplomacy a chance'; Heavy fighting sees 15 Israeli soldiers killed and up to 40 Hezbollah fighters; Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah says that he backs the Lebanese government's plan to send 15,000 soldiers into the south as part of a potential ceasefire; US and France continue negotiations over a draft UN resolution aimed at stopping the fighting; More than 40 bodies are pulled from the rubble of the Israeli attack on the district of Shiyya.

Tuesday 8 August: Arab ministers fly to New York to submit a proposed amendment to the UN draft resolution which would ask Israel to ceasefire and withdraw from Lebanon. Ehud Olmert describes Lebanon's troop proposal as 'interesting'; Israel drops leaflets in the south warning people that all vehicles near the Litani River will be destroyed; UN report says Qana killings may be part of a pattern of human rights violations;

Monday 7 August: Fighting continues between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops; Israeli war planes pounded Beirut's southern suburbs and border village of Houla in repeated air strikes at day break and cross border guerrilla rockets killed 15 Israelis; At least 10 people killed after Israeli missile hits the previously undamaged Shiyya district of Beirut. Arab foreign ministers arrive in Beirut to hold meeting and show solidarity. Lebanon's prime minister appeals to the Arab league ministers to help seek an immediate ceasefire and offers to send 15,000 troops to the south in the event of an Israeli ceasefire and withdrawal.

Sunday 6 August: Fighting continues in Lebanon, with fierce gun battles between Israeli troops and Hezbollah, including persistent air strikes just hours after the UN Security Council received a draft resolution to end the war.
As many as ten people – all believed to be reservist soldiers for the Israeli army died and at least another 10 people were wounded when Hezbollah hit a northern Israeli village, Kfar Giladi. Other rockets hit the Israeli border town Kiruat Shmona. The European Parliament president condemns the arrest of Palestinian parliamentary speaker Abdul-Aziz Duaik by Israel.

Saturday 5 August: Israeli planes continued to pound Lebanon with pre-dawn attacks for the third consecutive night, with strikes on Beirut's suburbs and a helicopter bombardment of the southern city of Tyre.
The United States and France agree on a UN draft resolution that favours Israel. The draft called for a "full cessation of hostilities" in Lebanon and gave Israel the right to respond to Hezbollah attacks while withholding that right from the Lebanese group.
US Assistant Secretary of State David Welch arrives in Beirut for talks with Lebanese on ways to reach a solution for the current crisis facing Lebanon.

Friday 4 August: Israeli aircraft began new air strikes on southern Beirut and bombed three bridges linking the capital to the north of the country. Air strikes killed at least 40 civilians in Lebanon and a Hezbollah rocket barrage into Israel killed three. One air strike hit a farm near Qaa, close to the Syrian border in the Bekaa Valley where workers, mostly Syrian Kurds, were loading plums and peaches on to trucks, local officials said. They said 33 people were killed and 20 wounded.

Thursday 3 August: Israel's defence minister orders the army to prepare for a seizure of south Lebanon up to the Litani river after a barrage of Hezbollah rockets killed eight Israelis and four soldiers died in intense ground fighting in the war's deadliest day for Israel. Nassrallah vows to hit Tel Aviv if central Beirut is hit.

Wednesday 2 August: Israeli commandos stage a raid near the eastern city of Baalbek, more than 100km from the Israeli border. Israel claims it captured three Hezbollah fighters, a claim denied by the organisation; 15 people killed in air strikes, including 11 civilians near Baalbek and three Lebanese army soldiers in the south of the country; Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says Israel will keep fighting until an international force is on the ground in the south.

Tuesday 1 August: Israeli cabinet gives the green light for a widening of the ground offensive; Syrian president Bashar Al Assad tells his army to prepare; Israeli soldiers make incursions into southern Lebanon; Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai condemns Israeli 'barbarism'; Qatari foreign minister claims some Arab states are supporting Israel's war on Lebanon.

Monday 31 July: UN stops short of condemning Israel for the Qana massacre, instead expressing it's shock at the incident; The UN postponed a meeting about the Lebanon crisis; Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says there will be no ceasefire in the next few days; Hezbollah attacks an Israeli warship off the coast in the south of Lebanon; Israel kills a Lebanese Army soldier in a bombing raid.

Sunday 30 July: More than 40 people are killed as Israel bombs the southern Lebanese town of Qanat, echoing an infamous massacre of more than 100 civilians in 1996 who were bombed by Israel while sheltering under UN protection in Qana; Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora tells US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to stay away from Lebanon; Rice cancels her visit to Beirut saying she needs to stay in Israel to stop the fighting; Hundreds of Lebanese protest at the UN headquarters in Beirut, with some storming the building.

Saturday 29 July: Hezbollah leader Shaikh Hassan Nasrallah has said that the US is pushing to prolong the Lebanon war and that Rice is serving Israel; Israel rejects a UN call for a temporary ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered; Israel bombs the main border crossing with Syria at Masnaal; Condoleezza Rice lands back in Tel Aviv for more talks; Aid planes from the UAE arrive in Lebanon; Oil spills from a power station hit by Israeli bombs are leaking oil into the sea.

Friday 28 July: A Dubai telethon raises millions of dirhams for Lebanon; Muslims in Bangaladesh protest Israeli attack on Lebanon; The United Nations expressses shock over the death of peace keepers in Lebanon but does not fo further and condemn Israel.

Thursday 27 July: Al Qaida deputy Ayman Al Zawahiri urges Muslims worldwide to join a holy war against Israel; Hezbollah fighters kill nine Israeli soldiers.

Wednesday 26 July: Israel kills seven Palestinian onlookers in Gaza; Israel shell unarmed UN post; Condoleeza Rice wants a "new Middle East," peace talks start in Rome.

Tuesday 25 July: The UN launched a $150 million aid appeal for victims of Israel's strike on Lebanon; US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice meets with Olmert to discuss a possible ceasefire; Bush's administration faces a lawsuit for failing to protect American citizens trapped in Lebanon; Israeli air strike kills a family of seven in southern Lebanon; Fierce fighting escalates in southern Lebanon; Fifteen-thousand tribesmen in Pakistan demonstrate against the war in Lebanon, in the country's largest rally to date.

Monday 24 July: Israeli continues assault on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

Sunday 23 July: Israeli bombing raids continue in south Beirut; Israel claims to have taken control of the southern Lebanese village of Maroun Al Ras; Hezbollah leader Shaikh Hassan Nasrallah says he will consider it a victory if his group survives the Israeli onslaught; Lebanese foreign minister says the two captured Israeli soldiers are 'healthy' and calls for talks; Israel says it hasn't decided on whether to broaden the ground offensive in Lebanon.

Saturday 22 July: Condeleezza Rice dismisses calls for an immediate ceasefire, saying they would be a 'false promise'; Israeli tanks enter Lebanon as part of 'limited incursions' against Hezbollah; Cyprus asks for EU aid; Thousands protest the Israeli attacks across the world; One member of the LBC television network is killed Israeli bombing raids target TV and media.

Friday 21 July: Muslims across Asia protest against attacks; Filipinos stuck in Lebanon prepare to be evacuated as several countries - including the US and Britain - transport thousands of people out of Beirut; Israel continues bombing raids across the country; Hezbollah leader Shaikh Hassan Nasrallah warns Israel of 'surprises' to come; Israel says it will allow humanitarian aid into Lebanon; Thousands of Lebanese civilians flee the south of the country; Israel calls up reservists as thousands of troops mass along the border.

Thursday 20 July: US Marines land in Beirut for the first time in 23 years to help with evacuation; Hezbollah fighters and Israeli soliders clash again; Israel drops 23 tonnes of explosives on a 'bunker' in Beirut, Hezbollah says it was a mosque under construction and that none of their leaders were hurt.

Wednesday 19 July: More than 60 Lebanese civilians are killed in Israeli air strikes on Wednesday; Two Israeli arabs are killed after Hezbollah rockets hit the city of Nazareth; Israeli ground forces and Hezbollah fighters clash on the border; Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora appeals to the international community to step in; France calls for humanitarian corridors to be established so that aid can be delivered and people can be evacuated; Six people are killed in overnight raids in Gaza.

Tuesday 18 July: At least seven members of the same family killed in an air strike in the south; 23 people in total killed during Israeli attacks; Moshe Kaplinsky, deputy chief of staff in the Israeli army says it won't rule out a ground invasion but later Public Security Minister Avi Dichter says Israel may have to negotiate to get prisoners back; six rockets hit the Israeli city of Haifa; Russia to send deputy foreign minister to Middle East.

Monday 17 July: At least 14 people killed after Israel launches air strikes on the northern cities of Tripoli and Baalbek as well as bombing Beirut's port; A family of seven from Canada are killed in an attack on the south; Eight Lebanese soldiers killed in missile attack in Tyre; Hezbollah fires rockets into northern Israel; Special team from the UN in Beirut to begin talks on de-escalating the crisis; More than 160 Lebanese now killed in Israel's offensive.

Sunday 16, July: Israeli jets pound Hezbollah dominated areas in the south of Beirut; Three Hamas militants are killed as Israeli troops re-enter northern Gaza; Hezbollah denies Israeli claims that their leader Shaikh Hassan Nasrallah was injured in an overnight attack; Eight people are killed and 20 injured after Hezbollah rocket attack on the Israeli city of Haifa.

Saturday 15 July: Israeli jets target roads and bridges in the north, east and south of Lebanon as they try to seal borders; An overnight raid in Gaza targets Hamas MP's offices in Gaza; UAE nationals begin arriving back in the country after escaping from Lebanon; 15 civilians are killed in Israeli bombing bringing the total number of Lebanese civilians killed to more than 85; Four Israeli civilians have died so far in rocket attacks launched by Hezbollah; Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora makes a passionate plea for a ceasefire but the UN Security Council fails to agree on a statement.

Friday 14 July: Overnight raids in Lebanon kill three civilians and injure more than 50; The main Beirut to Damascus highway is bombed as well as power stations and a fuel depot at Beirut airport; A draft UN resolution demanding an end to the strikes ends with no action being taken; Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declares "open war" against Israel after his Beirut office is bombed and Israel confirms that four sailors are missing after a navy vessel was hit; Israel pulls out of central Gaza.

Thursday 13 July: Israel is attacking on two fronts - with missiles hitting the Palestinian Foreign Ministry in central Gaza and jets pounding southern Lebanon; Beirut international airport is closed after the runway is hit by Israeli air strikes and the navy has blockaded the port; Hezbollah fires several rockets into Israel; More than 25 people reported to have been killed in the past two days.

Wednesday 12 July: Six people are killed in an air strike in Gaza aimed at Mohammad Deif, leader of the governing Hamas movement's armed wing and Israel's most wanted man; Lebanese based militant group Hezbollah announces it has abducted two Israeli soldiers in a cross border raid; Israel responds by launching air strikes in southern Lebanon and moving onto Lebanese soil for the first time in six years; The Hezbollah leader Shaikh Hassan Nasrallah said that his group was ready to fight Israel and that the only way for the prisoners to be released would be as part of a swap. Israel rejected the deal.

Tuesday 11 July: A doctor at a Palestinian hospital accuses Israel of using a type of chemical ammunition which causes burns and injuries in soft tissue; Israel continues air strikes on Gaza.

Monday 10 July: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert calls Hamas' prisoner swap proposal a "major mistake" and defends Israeli army attack on Gaza; Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal says the prisoner swap is the only option for peace.

Thursday 6 July: Israeli tanks and soldiers enter northern Gaza and take control of three former colonies (Nissanit, Dugit and Elei Sinai) following the second rocket attack; Fierce fighting breaks out between Palestinian fighters and Israeli troops.

Wednesday 5 July: Switzerland criticises Israel's actions in Gaza, accusing them of violating international law; The Israeli cabinet authorised the military to go deeper into Gaza after a second rocket attack on the Israeli city of Ashkelon.

Tuesday 4 July: Israel fails to comply with deadline and continues to pound Gaza throughout the night; Groups holding Corporal Shalit Gilad say that they will release no further information about him, but confirm that they will not kill him; Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warns that the campaign to free the soldier could turn into a 'long war'.

Monday 3 July: Palestinian militants from a group calling itself the Army of Islam set a 0300GMT deadline for their demands to be met.

Sunday 2 July: Israel launches a round of air strikes on Gaza hitting Palestinian Prime Minister Esmail Haniyeh's office.

Saturday 1 July: New statement demanding the release of 1,000 prisoners currently being held in the in exchange for Shalit is issued.

Thursday 29 June: Israeli forces make incursions into Gaza, arresting dozens of Hamas government ministers and MPs.

Tuesday 27 June: Israel attacks the Gaza Strip. Air strikes and a ground offensive involving hundreds of tanks are launched.

Monday 26 June: Palestinian Popular Resistance Committees issue statement demanding the release of hundreds of women and children who are being held in Israeli jails, in exchange for captured soldier.

Sunday 25 June: Corporal Shalit Gilad captured is captured by Palestinian militants during a cross-border attack.

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