Why did Israel's war with Hezbollah in 2006 matter so much?

Lebanon, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees, has been invaded by Israel repeatedly since its southern neighbour was established in 1948.

Now, after a week of bombardment which has killed more than 650 people, the Israeli government and military are suggesting that a ground invasion of Lebanon is imminent.

Hezbollah, which was formed during Israel's 18-year occupation of Lebanon's south from 1982 until 2000, has repeatedly fired rockets into northern Israel since October 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians being bombarded in the Gaza Strip.

During the past few weeks, Israel has stepped up its operations against Hezbollah and Lebanon, including the widely reported detonation of thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used in the country on 17 and 18 September that left at least 42 dead and thousands injured.

On Wednesday, Israel's General Herzi Halevi told soldiers that Israel’s air strikes on Lebanon were being conducted “to prepare the ground for your possible entry”.

Read more: Why did Israel's war with Hezbollah in 2006 matter so much?