4F-Lebanon Civil War (1982-83)

Although I was aware of the conflicts in Lebanon among Syria, Israel, and various Christian and Palestinian paramilitary forces, it felt like a distant conflict with little direct consequence for the US. News reports mostly focused on clashes between the PLO and Israel along Lebanon's southern border and Israel’s eventual invasion of Lebanon in 1982. The involvement of a UN-backed multinational peacekeeping force, aimed at supporting the withdrawal of Israeli, Syrian, and PLO forces from Lebanon, was covered but not heavily emphasized.

This changed when Iran established an IRGC base in Lebanon, training and equipping Hezbollah. In 1983, Hezbollah carried out suicide bombings on the US Embassy and UN barracks, killing 63 US civilians, 243 US Marines, and 58 French soldiers. Following these attacks, Syrian air defenses in Lebanon fired on US reconnaissance planes supporting UN ground forces. In response, the US Navy launched airstrikes on Syrian anti-aircraft positions, though two American aircraft were lost. France later conducted a solo airstrike on the IRGC base in Lebanon, while the US refrained, wary of escalating the conflict. By 1984, the US decided to withdraw from the region, though attacks on American citizens continued throughout the decade.

UNITED STATES
- A-6E Intruder (US Navy)
* A-7E Corsair II (US Navy)

FRANCE
• F-8E Crusader (French Naval Aviation)
• Super Etendard (French Naval Aviation)

In 1982, Israel launched a large-scale air campaign to neutralize Syrian air defenses in Lebanon and ensure control over southern Lebanon. The following equipment represents key Israeli and Syrian assets used during the conflict:

ISRAEL
* A-4N Ayit (Israeli Air Force)
* F-4E Kurnass (Israeli Air Force)
* F-15A Baz (Israeli Air Force)
* F-16A Netz (Israeli Air Force)
* Kfir C2 (Israeli Air Force)

SYRIA
Air Defense Systems
• SA-2 Guideline / Low Blow (Syrian Air Defence Forces)
• SA-3 Goa / Fan Song (Syrian Air Defence Forces)
• SA-6 Gainful / Straight Flush (Syrian Air Defence Forces)

Strike-Fighter Aircraft
* MiG-21bis Fishbed-L (Syrian Arab Air Force)
* MiG-23B Flogger-F (Syrian Arab Air Force)
* MiG-25RB Foxbat-B (Syrian Arab Air Force)
• Su-22M3 Fitter-H (Syrian Arab Air Force)

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