9.5 | June 2006 to 27 June 2007

On 11 August, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1701 which provided a basis

for ending the conflict.85

The BBC put the numbers killed during the conflict at:

• 1,109 Lebanese civilians and 28 soldiers; and

• 43 Israeli civilians and 116 soldiers.86

An unknown number of Hizballah fighters (estimated to be between 250 and 530) were

also killed.

In a press conference with President Bush on 28 July, Mr Blair blamed Hizballah for

provoking the crisis.87

In his memoir, Mr Blair described the war as part of the “wider struggle between the strain

of religious extremism in Islam and the rest of us”.88 For that reason, he said, “If I had

condemned Israel, it would have been more than dishonest; it would have undermined the

world view I had come to hold passionately.”

122. On 6 August, Lt Gen Fry suggested that Israeli military action in Lebanon was

having an impact in Iraq:

“… particularly in terms of a collective Shia identity and the hardening of

confessional boundaries … What is clear, though, is that moderation is a difficult

position to defend in an increasingly febrile atmosphere … If the US can be labelled

with a vicarious responsibility for Israeli action, the position of the radical Shia will be

strengthened, with clear implications for both tolerance of a coalition presence and

the process of reconciliation.”89

123. Lt Gen Fry also suggested that the security situation might be improving – or at

least giving the superficial appearance of improvement, with the further implementation

of the Baghdad Security Plan “but it is a crisis deferred rather than defused and it has

the potential to return again after Ramadan in a more virulent form”.

124. Maj Gen Shirreff advised the Governor of Maysan of the UK’s re‑posturing plans

on 9 August.90

125. The Governor was:

“… genuinely surprised, but understood the opportunities it offers. He is clear that

it is not a withdrawal and that I will retain a presence with a particular focus on

the Border.”

85 UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006).

86 BBC News, 31 August 2006, Middle East Crisis: Facts and Figures.

87 The White House, 28 July 2006, President Bush and Prime Minister Blair of the United Kingdom

Participate in Press Availability.

88 Blair T. A Journey. Hutchinson, 2010.

89 Minute Fry to PSO/CDS, 6 August 2006, ‘SBMR‑I Weekly Report (221): 6 August 2006’.

90 Minute Shirreff, 10 August 2006, ‘GOC MND(SE) – Southern Iraq Update – 10 August 2006’.

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