Throughout the 1990s discontent had been growing in Israel about the occupation of parts of Lebanon . Discontent increased as a result of a 1997 helicopter crash that killed 73 Israeli soldiers bound for Lebanon . Ehud Barak campaigned for prime minister on a platform of withdrawing from Lebanon . On June 28 , 1999 Farid Abboud , the Lebanese ambassador to the USA , addressed the Los Angeles World Affairs Council to give an update on the peace process . Finally , on May 23 , 2000 , the Israeli military carried out a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the south and the Bekaa valley , effectively ending 22 years of occupation . The SLA collapsed and about 6,000 SLA members and their families fled the country , although more than 2,200 had returned by December 2001 . With the withdrawal of Israeli forces , many in Lebanon began calling for a review of the continued presence of Syrian troops , estimated in late 2001 at approximately 25,000
1997 helicopter crash
1997 Israeli helicopter disaster
Israel–Lebanon relations