This list
currently covers Middle Eastern wars and conflicts
from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War to the Present, along
with other conflicts involving Middle Eastern nations
For the purposes of this list, the Middle East
comprises Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria,
Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain,
the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, and Saudi
Arabia.
Israeli
War of Independence (1948-1949)--Upon
Israel's declaration of independence, Egypt,
Transjordan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia
join the local Palestinian militias in attacking
Israel.
Suez
War
(1956)-Israel,
France, and Britain invade Egypt. U.S. and Soviet
pressure force a cease-fire and allied withdrawal from
Egyptian territory.
Iraqi
Army Revolt/Coup-
(July
14, 1958)--Brigadier
General Abdul Karim el Qassim overthrows the royal
government of King Faisal II. Both the king and Prime
Minister Nouri al Said are killed. Qassim soon
withdrew Iraq from the pro-Western Baghdad Pact and
established friendly relations with the Soviet
Union.
Lebanese
Civil War (1958)-Lebanon's
Christian and Muslim communities engaged in civil
conflict. The United States landed troops in the
country to halt the fighting.
Mosul
(Iraq) Revolt--(March,
1959)--Pro-Qassim
communist militia , called the People's Resistance
Force, violently suppressed an anti-Qassim Sunni Army
faction made up mostly of junior officers.
Kirkuk
(Iraq) Violence -(1959)--Pro-Qassim(pro-Communist)
Kurds and People's Resistance Force killed ethnic
Turkomen in Kirkuk .
Iraqi
Kurdish Revolt—(1961-1970)
–After a period of relative calm, Iraqi
government promises of Kurdish autonomy, or self-rule,
went unfulfilled, sparking discontent and eventual
rebellion among the Kurds in 1961.
North
Yemen Civil War (1966-1968)-Royalist
rebels fought to overthrow the "Republican"
government. Egypt sent troops to help the government,
while Saudi Arabia aided the rebels.
Dhofar
Rebellion in Oman (1960's-1970's)-Marxist
rebels, aided by South Yemen, fought against the
conservative, pro-western Omani government. The Shah
of Iran sent troops to help fight the rebels, and
Britain supplied officers for the the Omani army. The
rebels were defeated in the early 1970s.\
Six-Day
War (1967)--Israel
launched a pre-emptive attack on Egypt, Jordan, and
Syria. The Iraqi air force was also attacked by
Israel.
The
War of Attrition (1968-1970)--Border
war between Egypt and Israel. Basically an extension
of their fighting in the Six-Day War.
Jordanian
Civil War (1970)-The
Jordanian government expelled the Palestine Liberation
Orgaination, partly to end Israels's excuse for
continual raids and invasions of Jordan to fight the
PLO. Syria sent troops to aid the PLO. Despite that
aid, the PLO was forced to move to Lebanon.
Yom
Kippur [or Ramadan] War
(1973)--Egypt
and Syria launch a surprise attack on Israel on the
Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. The attack is also on
the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. Iraq sent troops to aid
the Syrians.
Iraqi
Kurdish Revolt -(March,
1974)
-–In March, 1974, Kurdish rebels led by
Mullah Mustafa Barzani (having survived an
assassination attempt) rebelled against the
government. The Kurds felt that the government
was not living up to the agreement which ended the
previous revolt.
Lebanese
Civil War (1975-1990)-When
the PLO moved to Lebanon, it helped upset the balance
between the Christian and Muslim communities in
Lebanon. When civil war broke out, the PLO sided with
the several Muslim militias, and Israel aided the
Christians. Syria sent troops as part of an Arab
League force to stop the fighting. Syrian forces
finally withdrew from Lebanon in April of
2005.
Egyptian-Libyan
Border War (June
21-24, 1977)-Border
conflict between Egypt and Libya.
Intra-Iraqi
Kurdish warfare
(1978-1979)
--In 1975, Jalal
Talabani formed the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
(PUK)-urban-based and leftist) in opposition the
Barzani-led Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP).
Iraqi
Shia unrest in Karbala -(February,
1979)--Suppressed
by the Saddam regime. Under Saddam Hussein, the
Shiites (Shia) were a persecuted religious group, both
despite the fact, and because of, their numerical
majority in the country.
Yemeni
War (1979)--A
border war between Saudi-allied North Yemen and
Soviet-allied South Yemen turned into a superpower
confrontation as Saudi Arabia's ally, the United
States, sought to end a war which quickly favored the
Marxist South Yemanis. Both sides agreed to a
cease-fire.
First
Persian Gulf War (1980-1988)-Iran
vs. Iraq-also involved U.S. and Kuwait.
"The
Tanker War" (1987-1988)-This
is the component of the First Persian Gulf War that
involved the U.S. and Kuwait. In an attempt to halt
Kuwaiti aid for Iraq, as well as Iraqi oil sales
and deliveries, Iran attacked oil tankers in the
Gulf. The U.S. stepped in to protect the Kuwaiti
ships and came engaged in combat with Iran's Navy
and Revolutionary Guards. Also known by the U.S.
code-name "Operation Earnest Will."
Osiraq
Reactor Raid—(June
7, 1981)
–Israeli war planes bomb the Osiraq nuclear
reactor under construction in Iraq.
Israeli
Invasion of Lebanon (1982-1984)-Also
involved Syria and the PLO.
Israeli-Lebanese
Border War (1984-2000)-Also
involved Syria , the PLO and Lebanese militia's such
as Hezbollah.
South
Yemen Civil War (1986)--Civil
War in Marxist South Yemen between different factions
in the ruling Marxist government. More than 10,000
died in a week of fighting.
The
First Intifada (Dec.
1987-1993)-An
uprising by the Palestinians in the territories
occupied by Israel in the 1967 War. This conflict
concluded with the Oslo Accords, which set up a
timetable for Palestinian nationhood and called for
the establishment of the Palestinian Authority, with
PLO Chairman Yassir Arafat as President.
Second
Persian Gulf War
(1990-1991)
Kuwait, United
States, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Britain, France,
Oman, Qatar, UAE vs. Iraq
Iraqi
Kurdish Revolt—(1991)
–Encouraged
by the sudden defeat of Saddam’s forces in Kuwait
and spurred by appeals by President George H. W. Bush
of the U.S., Kurds rose up against the Iraqi
government With the bulk of his elite forces
having escaped from the fighting in Kuwait and
southern Iraq, Saddam was able to smash the revolt,
causing hundreds of thousands of Kurdish refugees to
flee into neighboring Turkey and Iran to
escape.
Iraqi
Shiite Revolt—(1991)
– Encouraged by the stunning defeat of
Saddam’s forces in Kuwait and spurred by appeals
by President George H. W. Bush of the U.S., the
Shiites of southern Iraq rose up against the Iraqi
government, only to be crushed by Saddam’s
forces. Sporadic guerrilla resistance continued, with
the bulk of the Shiite fighting forces seeking refuge
in neighboring Shiite Iran.
The
"No-Fly Zone War "
(1991-2003)
Yemeni
Civil War (1994)
Yemen-Eritrea
Border Conflict (1996?)
Intra-Iraqi
Kurdish warfare
--(1996)
– Combat
between various Kurdish militias.
Yemeni
Tribal Uprising
(1998)
Saudi-Yemen
Border Conflict
(1998)
bin
Laden's War (1998-Present)
-Terrorist
conflict between the United States and irregular
forces led by Osama bin Laden. The violence has also
involved Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Yemen and
Afghanistan.
The
Second Intifada (Sept.
2000-Present)-An
urban guerrilla/terrorist conflict between the
Palestinians and Israel. Marked by suicide bombings,
recurring Israeli invasions of Palestinian cities and
Palestinian guerrilla attacks on Isreaeli settlements
and military targets.
Third
Persian Gulf War
(2003-Present)-The
second major war between the United States-led
coalition and the Middle Eastern nation of Iraq.
Military members of the initial invasion coalition
also include the United Kingdom, Poland, and
Australia.
Sa'dah
Insurgency
(June,
2004-Present)-A
rebellion by the Shiite Zaidiyyah sect in northern
Yemen against the governement of Yemen. See
also:
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2368399
Saudi-Yemen
War
(2009)--Saudi Arabia intervened in the
Sa'dah War in Yemen.
Israeli
Invasion of Lebanon (2006)
Gaza
War
(2008-2009)--Israel invades Hamas-ruled Gaza in an
attempt to stop frequent missile attacks on Israel by
Hamas.
Lee, R. "The History Guy:
War List
of Middle Eastern
Conflicts"
http://www.historyguy.com/list_of_middle_east_wars.html
Copyright ©
1998-2009 Roger A. Lee and History Guy Media; Last
Modified: 11.16.09
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