ISRAEL’S invasion of Lebanon, a sovereign state, following a series of terror attacks and intensive bombing of civilian areas, is part of a long history of colonial aggression that dates back not just to the invasions of the later 20th century, but more than 100 years ago to the very establishment of the territorial “mandates” by the imperial powers of Britain and France.

At that time, so-called “zionist ideologues,” envisioning a time when the mandate of Palestine would become their new Israel, lobbied the British and French governments to include the water resources of the Litani river, in what had been part of a greater Syrian province, in the mandate of Palestine. Their application was rejected, but the aim to incorporate the Litani as Israeli territory has never gone away, as evidenced by the naming of its first invasion “Operation Litani” (1978).

Israel has invaded Lebanon three times before the current assault: in 1978, 1982 and 2006. Israel’s tactics now are not new and have been homed in on Lebanon as well as Gaza — each time, Israel has targeted civilian populations and infrastructure, killing thousands, driving hundreds of thousands from their homes, and using starvation as a weapon. Between the invasions, there have been constant Israeli air raids and incursions, along with the funding by Israel of far-right sectarian groups. Even prior to the first invasion in 1978, the aggression was constant, with more than 6,000 attacks just between 1968 and 1975.