Eyewitnesses and survivors speak publicly of the massacre for the first time, and there is new testimony about the role of Israeli forces under Sharon’s command. As Defense Minister in 1982, Sharon turned a 72-hour operation to remove Palestinian guerrillas from south Lebanon into a three-month invasion. It claimed 20,000 Arab lives and climaxed with the massacre of unarmed Palestinian civilians in the Sabra and Shatila camps. Previously unseen archive of the massacre shows Israeli forces besieging the camps. 18 years ago an official Israeli inquiry deemed Sharon unfit for government because of his actions in Lebanon. Today he wants to reassert Israel’s “deterrent power”. On Israel’s border with Lebanon the pro-Iranian Hezbollah party is deeply entrenched. Secretary general of Hezbollah, Sheikh Nasrallah, tells us that Israel’s withdrawal from south Lebanon has not put an end to their struggle. Where is Sharon’s leadership going and could Lebanon be the flash-point for a new Middle East war?

Produced by Flint