Ten Years Since Israel Left Lebanon

Ten years ago today, in May of 2000, Israel withdrew from its southern Lebanese "security zone," which it had occupied since the 1982 war in Lebanon. It's marked today as a Lebanese holiday, "Resistance and Liberation Day," and Hizbullah has been celebrating.

Sure, there are some lingering issues, such as the Shebaa Farms and Ghajar, and Hizbullah's arms buildup, and tensions are building yet again. But what was once an open-ended occupation did finally end, and during the 2006 war the Israelis actually waited some time after the war began before sending ground troops over the border. They were bled for years in Lebanon, and ultimately withdrew unilaterally.