1975 - Start of civil war. Fighting erupts after Christian Phalangist gunmen ambush bus carrying Palestinians and Muslims in southern Beirut. Phalangists claim guerrillas had previously attacked church in same district. Army paralysed and "Green Line" separates Beirut into Christian East and Muslim West

1976

May-Jun - Six-thousand Syrian troops enter Lebanon to save Christian militias from defeat by Muslim and leftist militias and Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO)

Oct-Nov - Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt set up 30,000-strong Arab Deterrent Force (ADF) to restore peace. Mainly Syrian ADF deploys across Lebanon, except for south due to Israeli opposition

1978 - Israel invades south Lebanon and sets up occupation zone

1982 - Israel captures Beirut. Hundreds of civilians in Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila killed by Christian militiamen allowed in by Israeli troops

1983

May - Israel and Lebanon sign peace agreement under U.S. patronage. Syria opposes and it is never ratified

Oct - Shi'ite Muslim suicide bombers kill 241 U.S. Marines and 58 French paratroopers. Multinational force withdraws in following months

1984

Feb - Muslim militiamen seize West Beirut. 30,000-strong Lebanese army splits along religious lines

March - Peace agreement with Israel is cancelled and Lebanese President Amin Gemayel breaks with Israel under Syrian pressure. Hezbollah, Shi'ite Muslim "Party of God", makes first public appearance

1985 - Israel pulls back to self-declared border security zone in Lebanon controlled by Israeli forces and their Lebanese militia allies

1988 - Parliament fails to elect successor to Gemayel, who appoints Christian army commander General Michel Aoun to head military cabinet. Muslim officers quit

1990 - Aoun and Lebanese Forces militia battle for months to control Christian enclave. Vatican arranges ceasefire in May

Aug - Parliament enacts Taif Accord, which becomes Lebanon's new constitution

Oct- Syrian air force attacks Presidential Palace at B'abda and Aoun takes refuge in French embassy. This date regarded as end of civil war

Nov- Muslim and Christian militias agree to leave Beirut

Dec - Army takes control of reunited capital

1992 - Lebanon holds first postwar elections. Hariri becomes prime minister

1996 - Hariri remains Lebanon's premier after polls

1998 - Lebanon's parliament elects army commander Emile Lahoud as president, succeeding Elias Hrawi. Hariri loses power struggle with Lahoud and resigns. Selim al-Hoss becomes prime minister

2000

May - Israel ends 22-year occupation of south Lebanon

Oct - Hariri chosen prime minister after popular discontent with economic slide

2001 - Syria completes surprise pullout of troops from Beirut and surrounding areas, ending decades of controversial military presence

2004

Sep - U.N. Security Council narrowly adopts resolution telling Syria to withdraw forces from Lebanon. Lebanon's parliament votes to extend term of Syrian-backed Lahoud, despite resolution

Oct - Hariri submits cabinet's resignation after sharp differences with Lahoud and says will not form new government. Pro-Syrian Omar Karami appointed prime minister

2005

Feb- Hariri killed by bomb in Beirut. Syrian-backed Prime Minister Karami announces his government is resigning

Mar - Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese hold pro- and anti-Sryian rallies

Apr - Omar Karami resigns and is succeeded by moderate pro-Syrian MP Najib Mikati. Syria withdraws forces from Lebanon

2006

Jul - Israel strikes Beirut airport and blockades Lebanese ports after Hezbollah fighters seize two Israeli soldiers and kill eight

Aug - Ceasefire declared and Israeli forces begin withdrawing from territory captured during war. At least 1,200 people in Lebanon and 157 Israelis were killed during fighting. U.N. peacekeeping force begins to deploy along southern border

Sep - Lebanese forces deploy along Israeli border for first time in decades

Oct - Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah vows to stage peaceful protests demanding fresh elections unless his opponents agree to national unity government by mid-November

Nov - Leading Christian politician and government minister Pierre Gemayel becomes fifth anti-Syrian politician to be killed in 2 years. Syria denies involvement. Six pro-Syrian Shi'ite ministers resign from cabinet. President Emile Lahoud declares cabinet unconstitutional. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah says it will bring down government unless national unity formula restored

Dec - Opposition supporters hold mass protests to demand early elections. Cabinet rejects opposition demands. Arab League tries to mediate dispute

2007

Jan - Hezbollah-led opposition holds general strike, which shuts down much of Lebanon and sparks worst unrest since 1975-1990 civil war. Donors pledge more than $7.6 billion in grants and soft loans to help country cope with debt mountain and recover from war

May - Clashes between Lebanese army and militant group Fatah al-Islam in and around Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr-al-Bared in north Lebanon turn into three-month battle. Most of camp's 40,000 residents displaced before army finally gains control

May - U.N. Security Council agrees to create international tribunal to investigate killing of Hariri

June - Killing of parliamentary deputy Walid Eido, in spate of bombs that accompanied Nahr al-Bared conflict, marks latest in series of political assassinations of anti-Syrian politicians

Six U.N. peacekeepers die in bomb attack in south Lebanon - first deadly attack against UNIFIL since 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah

Nov - President Emile Lahoud leaves office amid continuing disagreement between Lebanon's pro and anti-Syrian camps about who should succeed him

Dec - General Francois Hajj, tipped to replace army commander General Michel Suleiman who emerged as consensus candidate for presidency, is killed in car bomb

2008

Jan - Bomb blast apparently aimed at U.S. diplomatic vehicle in Beirut kills four

Feb - Lebanese government reveals initial master plan for the rebuilding Nahr al Bared

March - Arab League summit in Damascus fails to agree measures to help solve presidential crisis

May - General strike called by unions to push for higher wages leads to worst violence since civil war. Tens of people killed, including many civilians

Hezbollah takes over government-controlled areas, and hands them over to Lebanese army, the only institution widely considered to be neutral

Deal between government and opposition leaders brokered by Arab mediators in Qatar leads to the election of army commander General Michel Suleiman as president

July - Politicians form a national unity government

Aug - U.N. Security Council extends the mandate of peacekeeping force UNIFIL in south Lebanon for a year

Oct - Formal diplomatic ties between Lebanon and Syria are re-established