Israel has fought many wars since its inception as a nation. Israel came into existence as a state in 1948 after the British terminated the Mandate on 14 May 1948. Upon its independence, Israel became almost immediately embroiled in conflicts with its five neighbouring Arab states. Here are some of the major wars fought by Israel in the past.
When the UN voted to partition the British mandate of Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state, clashes broke out between Jews and Arabs in Palestine which quickly escalated into a regular war. It ended with a set of agreements between Israel and Arab states.
This was a military attack on Egypt by Britain, France, and Israel, beginning on 29 October 1956, with the intention to occupy the Sinai Peninsula and take over the Suez Canal. Although the Israeli invasion of the Sinai was successful, the United States and USSR forced it to retreat.
It was fought between Israel and Arab neighbours Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. The nations of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Algeria also contributed troops and arms to the Arab forces. Following the war, the territory held by Israel expanded significantly (The Purple Line) - The West Bank (including East Jerusalem) from Jordan, the Golan Heights from Syria, and Sinai and Gaza from Egypt.
It was a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel as a way of recapturing part of the territories which they lost in the Six-Day War. The war began with a surprise joint attack by on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Both countries crossed the cease-fire lines in the Sinai and Golan Heights. Eventually, Arab forces were defeated by Israel and there were no significant territorial changes.
It began on 6 June 1982, when the IDF invaded southern Lebanon to expel the PLO from the territory. Israel's invasion was a response to the assassination attempt on Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argovand due to the constant terror attacks on northern Israel made by the Palestinian guerrilla organisations. The war resulted in the expulsion of the PLO from Lebanon and created an Israeli Security Zone in southern Lebanon.
It began as a military operation in response to the abduction of two Israeli reserve soldiers by Hezbollah. The operation gradually strengthened into a war. The conflict started on 12 July 2006 and continued until a UN-brokered ceasefire went into effect on 14 August 2006. It formally ended on 8 September 2006, when Israel lifted its naval blockade of Lebanon. The war resulted in a stalemate.
After the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Israel launched many operations into the Gaza Strip- Operation Cast Lead (2008-09), Operation Protective Edge (2014) and Operation Guardian of the Walls (2021), mainly to fight against the Hamas, a political and military organisation currently governing the Gaza Strip.