This book examines the local and international dynamics and strategies that have come to define the often violent relationship between Israel and Lebanon. This book focuses on the historical background of the conflict, while also considering the role that other external actors, most notably Syria, Iran and the United Nations, play in influencing the conduct and outcomes of the Israeli-Lebanese conflict. In addition, it also looks at Hizbollah's increasing sway in Lebanese domestic politics, its increased military cooperation with Iran and Syria and the implications of such developments.

Introduction / Clive Jones -- From benign to malign : Israeli-Lebanese relations, 1948-78 / Laurie Zittrain Eisenberg -- From the Litani to Beirut : Israel's invasions of Lebanon, 1978-85 : causes and consequences / Asher Kaufman -- The emergence of Hizbollah and the beginnings of resistance, 1982-85 / Hussain Sirriyeh -- Hizbollah : from terror to resistance : towards a national defence strategy / Daniel Sobelman -- Israeli counter-insurgency strategy and the quest for security in the Israeli-Lebanese conflict arena / Sergio Catignani -- 'A reach greater than the grasp' : Israeli intelligence and the conflict in south Lebanon, 1990-2000 / Clive Jones -- The pragmatic and the radical : Syria and Iran and war by proxy / Hassan A. Barari and Hani A. M. Akho-Rashida -- Forever at the crossroads : Hizbollah's combined strategies of accommodation and resistance / Mats Wärn -- The hubris of initial victory : the IDF and the second Lebanon War / Uri Bar-Joseph -- Conclusion / Sergio Catignani.