Israel–Lebanon relations

Israel–Lebanon relations have experienced ups and downs since their establishment in the 1940s.

Lebanon did take part in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War against Israel, but Lebanon was the first Arab League nation to signal a desire for an armistice treaty with Israel in 1949. Lebanon did not participate in the Six-Day War in 1967, nor the Yom Kippur War in 1973 in any significant way, and until the early 1970s, Lebanon's border with Israel was the calmest frontier between Israel and any of the other adjacent Arab League states.

The most turbulent period in binational relations was during the 1970s and 1980s, upon the Lebanese Civil War. During the first stages of the war, Israel allied with major Christian Lebanese militias which led the Lebanese government during the early 1980s. The countries effectively reached normalization of relations with U.S.-brokered May 17 Agreement in 1983, but it had been annulled by Lebanon after power takeover by Druze and Shiite militias in early 1984. Israel also supported the secessionist Free Lebanon State during 1979–1984 and its successor South Lebanon Army.

Israeli law enforcement treats Lebanon as an "enemy state". Israeli citizens or any other person who holds any passport bearing stamps, visas, or seals issued by Israel are strictly prohibited from entry to Lebanon and may be subject to arrest or detention for further inspection. In 2008, a Pew Research Center survey found that negative views concerning Jews were most common in Lebanon, with 97% of Lebanese having unfavorable opinion of Jews. In a 2011 survey again by the Pew Research Center on the Muslim-majority Middle Eastern countries polled held strongly negative views of Jews. only 3% of Lebanese reported having a positive view of Jews.