Islamic Resistance Day in Iran Date in the current year: August 14, 2024

The term “Islamic resistance” typically refers to a union between Iran and radical Islamist groups and movements that consider Israel and the United States the main threat to the Middle East. Most of these groups and movements (including Hamas, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine and Hezbollah) have been labeled as terrorist organizations by the United States, the European Union and a number of other countries, but Iran provides them with financial and military support.

In Israel, the 2006 Lebanon War is referred as the Second Lebanon War to distinguish it from the 1982 Lebanon War, dubbed the First Lebanon War or Operation Peace for Galilee. On June 6, 1982, the IDF invaded Southern Lebanon to protect Israeli border settlements from Palestinian and Lebanese terrorists operating in the region. The resulting military conflict officially ended in 1985.

On July 12, 2006, Hezbolla fighters fired rockets at Israeli border towns and attacked an Israeli border patrol, killing three soldiers and abducting two. Five more Israeli soldiers were killed in Lebanon during a failed rescue attempt. Israel responded with artillery fire and airstrikes on targets in Lebanon, and then launched a ground invasion of Southern Lebanon and imposed a naval and air blockade.

The conflict ended on August 14, 2006, when a UN-brokered ceasefire went into effect. Due to unprecedented Iranian military support to Hezbollah it is sometimes regarded as one of the first events of the Iran-Israel proxy conflict. This viewpoint is supported by the fact that Iran celebrates the anniversary of the ceasefire as Islamic Resistance Day.