The government on Monday approved Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s proposal to give a campaign medal to IDF and South Lebanese Army (SLA) soldiers who fought in the buffer zone in southern Lebanon between September 1982 and May 2000. .
“As the last soldier to leave Lebanon, it feels like a great privilege to recognize thousands of fighting soldiers today, both those who have returned home and those who have not,” Gantz said. , who was the last head of the IDF ‘s Lebanese Link Division when Israel withdrew from the security zone in southern Lebanon in 2000.
“The award of this medal is also a symbolic message to the soldiers currently serving in the IDF, reaffirming the state’s pressure on their troops and their commitment, the risks they face and the work to protect the country, “he said.
Following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in June 1982, when the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was deployed to Tunis, the IDF returned to a line of fortifications several kilometers from the Israeli border, held in conjunction with the SLA. – Israeli militia armed and trained by Israel.
2 צפייה בגלריה
The IDF campaign medal was awarded to soldiers fighting in South Lebanon between 1982–2000
(Photo: IDF Speaker Unit)
The IDF and SLA maintained the line of consolidation from 1985 until Israel withdrew in May 2000.
The buffer zone, which spanned nearly 10% of Lebanon’s total land area, was home to more than 150,000 residents in 67 Shiite, Maronite and Druze cities – which had a de-facto daily life. run with Israel and the SLA.
During that time, 559 IDF soldiers and 660 SLAs were killed while serving on the fortification line.
After Israel was evacuated, nearly 6,000 SLA soldiers and their families fled to Israel to escape accusation and death.