On July 12, 2006, Hizballah militants crossed the Israeli border and killed three Israeli soldiers and abducted two others. The crisis turned into a war with the IDF 's decision to launch a military operation in South Lebanon. The war ended with the ceasefire that was declared on August 14, 2006, yet the problem is still far from being resolved. According to the UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the UNIFIL mission has been extended to 15 thousand peacekeeping forces. Turkey sent troops to South Lebanon in order to contribute to the UNIFIL effort. The problems that are being experienced in Lebanon are part of the transformations which have been experienced in the Middle East. It is very difficult to reach stability in the Middle East without reaching stability in Lebanon and what is happening in Lebanon is closely related to the developments in Palestine, Syria and Iran.