Liberation Day, also known as South Liberation Day or Liberation and Resistance Day, is observed in Lebanon every May 25. This holiday commemorates the withdrawal of the Israeli army from South Lebanon in 2000, marking the end of the South Lebanon conflict that began in 1985. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had initially invaded Lebanon in 1978 and later during the 1982 Lebanon War, leading to a security zone established in 1985 controlled by the IDF and the South Lebanon Army (SLA). The withdrawal was promised by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in 1999 and was completed by May 25, 2000. Although Liberation Day is not a nationwide public holiday, it is a significant commemoration, with banks and government offices observing a non-working day.