A war between Israel and Hezbollah that took place on 12 July–14 August 2006. The immediate cause of the war was a Hezbollah operation against an IDF patrol that left three soldiers dead and two missing, followed by widespread retaliation ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Initially conceived as a limited operation to end low-intensity Hezbollah attacks occurring since the 2000 Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, it eventually became a full-scale invasion that led to extensive damage and civilian casualties in Lebanon. Most combat operations occurred in southern Lebanon, with extensive Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut and commando operations in the Beqaa Valley. During the war, Hezbollah, under the leadership of Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, fired thousands of rockets and missiles on localities in northern Israel. The war ended with a ceasefire mandated by UNSC Resolution 1701, including a reinforced UNIFIL mandate and the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the south. Israel completed its withdrawal from Lebanese territory in October 2006.