• 1947–1949 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine / 1948 Arab–Israeli War (November 1947 – July 1949)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Arab-Israeli-wars
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/arab-israeli-war
Started as civil war between Jewish and Arab militias during the final months of the British Mandate and became a regional war after Israel’s declaration of independence and the intervention of neighboring Arab states. The war ended with the 1949 Armistice Agreements, which established the armistice lines later known as the Green Line.
• Palestinian Fedayeen Insurgency (1950s–1960s)
https://www.britannica.com/topic/fedayee
https://www.gov.il/en/Departments/General/which-came-first-terrorism-or-occupation
Period of repeated infiltrations, raids, and attacks carried out by Palestinian fedayeen from neighboring territories into Israel, alongside Israeli reprisal operations intended to deter future attacks.
• Suez Crisis (October 1956)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Suez-Crisis
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1953-1960/suez
Military attack on Egypt by Britain, France, and Israel after Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal. Israel captured Sinai but later withdrew under heavy international pressure.
• Six-Day War (June 1967)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Six-Day-War
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/arab-israeli-war-1967
Short war in which Israel fought Egypt, Jordan, and Syria and captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, Sinai, and the Golan Heights.
• War of Attrition (1967–1970)
https://www.britannica.com/event/War-of-Attrition-1969-1970
https://www.britannica.com/place/Israel/Labour-rule-after-Ben-Gurion
Limited but intense war fought mainly along the Suez Canal after 1967, initiated largely by Egypt in an attempt to wear down Israel and recover lost territory. It ended with a ceasefire and no major territorial change.
• Yom Kippur War (October 1973)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Yom-Kippur-War
https://www.gov.il/en/pages/the-yom-kippur-war-october-1973
War launched by Egypt and Syria in a surprise attack on Yom Kippur in an effort to regain territory lost in 1967. Israel eventually repelled the offensive and the war ended without major permanent territorial changes.
• Palestinian Insurgency in South Lebanon (1971–1982)
https://www.britannica.com/place/Lebanon/Civil-war
https://www.britannica.com/place/Israel/The-beginning-of-the-peace-process
After the PLO relocated to Lebanon, Palestinian armed groups used South Lebanon as a base for cross-border attacks on northern Israel, leading to repeated Israeli retaliatory operations and escalation toward the 1982 war.
• Operation Litani / 1978 South Lebanon Conflict (March 1978)
https://www.britannica.com/place/Israel/The-beginning-of-the-peace-process
https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-Nations-Resolution-1701
Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon launched after repeated attacks from Palestinian armed groups operating from Lebanese territory, aimed at pushing those forces away from Israel’s northern border.
• 1982 Lebanon War / Operation Peace for Galilee (1982)
https://www.britannica.com/place/Israel/War-in-Lebanon
https://www.britannica.com/event/Arab-Israeli-wars
Began when Israel invaded Lebanon to drive out the PLO after continuing attacks from Lebanese territory and the attempted assassination of Israel’s ambassador in London. The war led to the expulsion of the PLO from Lebanon and the creation of an Israeli security zone in the south.
• South Lebanon Conflict (1982–2000)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Arab-Israeli-wars
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hezbollah
Long low-intensity conflict in southern Lebanon involving Israel, allied militias, Hezbollah, and other armed groups within and around Israel’s self-declared security zone.
• First Intifada (1987–1993)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Intifada
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-first-intifada
First large-scale Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
• Second Intifada (2000–2005)
https://www.palquest.org/en/highlight/33567/second-intifada-2000-2005
https://ecf.org.il/issues/issue/230
https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/second-intifada-2000
Second Palestinian uprising marked by intensified violence, including suicide bombings, shootings, Israeli raids, and major counterterror operations.
• Israel–Hezbollah War / Lebanon War (2006)
https://www.britannica.com/event/2006-Lebanon-War
https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/israellebanonhezbollah-conflict-2006
War triggered after Hezbollah abducted two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border attack, leading to a broad confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah that lasted from July to August 2006.
• Gaza War / Operation Cast Lead (December 2008 – January 2009)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Gaza-War
https://www.britannica.com/place/Gaza-Strip/Conflicts-with-Israel
Three-week war between Israel and Hamas after sustained rocket fire from Gaza, involving major Israeli air and ground operations.
• 2012 Gaza War / Operation Pillar of Defense (November 2012)
https://www.britannica.com/place/Gaza-Strip/Conflicts-with-Israel
Military escalation between Israel and Hamas centered on Israeli airstrikes and Palestinian rocket fire from Gaza.
• 2014 Gaza War / Operation Protective Edge (July–August 2014)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Gaza-War
https://www.britannica.com/place/Gaza-Strip/Conflicts-with-Israel
Major war between Israel and Hamas following escalating tensions, kidnappings, and increased rocket fire from Gaza into Israel.
• Syria Spillover / Iran–Israel Conflict During the Syrian Civil War
https://www.britannica.com/event/Syrian-Civil-War
https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/conflict-between-israel-and-hezbollah ]]]
Broader phase of repeated Israeli strikes in Syria against Iranian, Hezbollah, and allied military infrastructure during the Syrian civil war.
• 2021 Israel–Palestine Crisis / Operation Guardian of the Walls (May 2021)
https://www.britannica.com/place/Gaza-Strip/Conflicts-with-Israel
https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/israeli-palestinian-conflict
Escalation involving riots in mixed Jewish-Arab cities inside Israel, mass rocket fire from Gaza, and Israeli airstrikes against Hamas targets.
• Israel–Hamas War / Operation Iron Swords (October 2023–present)
https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/israeli-palestinian-conflict
War that began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, followed by large-scale Israeli military operations in Gaza and wider regional escalation.
• 2024 Lebanon Campaign / Operation Northern Arrows (September–November 2024)
https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/idf-press-releases-israel-at-war/the-northern-front/a-timeline-of-operation-northern-arrows/
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/apartment-building-beirut-hit-israel-widens-air-campaign-2024-09-29/
Major Israeli campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon after nearly a year of cross-border warfare following October 7, including intensive airstrikes and limited ground operations in southern Lebanon. Reuters reported Israel’s widening air campaign and imminent ground incursion, while the IDF identified the campaign as Operation Northern Arrows.
• Post-Assad Syria Incursion and Strike Campaign / Operation Arrow of Bashan (December 2024–present)
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-watching-syria-closely-after-historic-fall-assad-2024-12-08/
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-incursion-into-syria-reaches-25-km-southwest-damascus-security-sources-2024-12-10/
After the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, Israel moved forces into the buffer zone and carried out major strikes on Syrian military assets. Reuters documented both the incursion and the destruction of strategic Syrian weapons stockpiles. The operation name “Arrow of Bashan” is widely reported, but this entry is better framed as an intervention and strike campaign than as a classic standalone war.
• Israel–Iran War / Operation Rising Lion (June 2025)
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/world-reacts-israeli-strike-iran-over-nuclear-programme-2025-06-13/
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-takes-name-iran-operation-bible-verse-2025-06-13/
Major direct Israeli attack on Iran in June 2025. Reuters reported that Israel officially named the campaign “Operation Rising Lion.”
2026 Iran War / Operation Roaring Lion (February 28, 2026 – present) https://www.britannica.com/event/2026-Iran-war
Joint US-Israeli war against Iran that began on February 28, 2026 with coordinated surprise airstrikes targeting Iranian military sites, nuclear facilities, and senior leadership including the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The Israeli operation was named Operation Roaring Lion; the US operation was named Operation Epic Fury. Iran responded with mass missile and drone strikes across the region. A ceasefire was reached on approximately May 5, 2026, though fighting continued in Lebanon afterward.