On 11 March 1978 , eleven PLO militants made a sea landing in Haifa , Israel , where they hijacked a bus , full of people , killing those on board in what is known as the Coastal Road massacre . By the end of the day , nine hijackers and 37 Israeli civilians were killed . In response , on 14 March 1978 , Israel launched Operation Litani occupying southern Lebanon , except for the city of Tyre , with 25,000 troops . The objective was to push the PLO away from the border and bolster a Lebanese Christian militia allied with Israel , the South Lebanese Army ( SLA )
Coastal Road massacre
Coastal Road massacre
Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon