The Kisrawan or Keserwan is a region between Mount Lebanon and the Mediterranean coast, north of the Lebanese capital Beirut and south of the Ibrahim River . It is administered by the eponymous Keserwan District , part of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate .
128-559: Keserwan may refer to the following: Kisrawan , a historical region in Mount Lebanon Keserwan District , the administrative district in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of modern Lebanon Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate , a governorate in modern Lebanon Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
256-871: A full-scale civil war mainly between the Druze and the Christians of Mount Lebanon. Despite a proclamation that he could raise a 50,000-strong army for the Christian side, Shahin's militia mainly guarded their home region of the Kisrawan, while the Druze advanced against their Christian opponents elsewhere in Mount Lebanon. Under pressure by the Maronite Church and the Ottomans, Shahin practically disbanded his peasants' republic. The following year, after an international intervention ended
384-452: A "horrific crime". Silk and wheat warehouses belonging to the sheikhs were plundered and the goods were redistributed among the peasants of the Kisrawan. By July, the Khazens had been routed and between 500 and 600 family members had fled to Beirut in an impoverished state. Shahin broadened the peasants' main demands of tax relief and refunds for the illegal payments they had previously paid to
512-642: A bomb explosion in the Kataeb headquarters in Achrafieh . The attack was carried out by Habib Shartouni , a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), believed by many to have acted on instructions of the Syrian government of President Hafez al-Assad . The next day, Israel moved to occupy the city, allowing Phalangist members under Elie Hobeika 's command to enter the centrally located Sabra and
640-446: A cease fire and Lebanese Police were sent to Zahle. The 92 Lebanese Forces heroes returned to Beirut on 1 July 1981. Christian East Beirut was ringed by heavily fortified Palestinian camps from which kidnappings and sniping against Lebanese civilians became a daily routine. Christian East Beirut became besieged by the PLO camps, with severe shortages of food and fuel. This unbearable situation
768-469: A cease fire and Lebanese Police were sent to Zahle. The 92 Lebanese Forces heroes returned to Beirut on 1 July 1981. In 1982, Bachir met with Hani Al-Hassan (representative of the PLO) and told him that Israel would enter and wipe them out. Bachir told him to leave Lebanon peacefully before it was too late. Hani left and no reply was given to Bachir. Israel invaded Lebanon , arguing that a military intervention
896-490: A failed operation revealed the identity of some persons of this group, one of which was a Lebanese Army Captain, Camille Yared. Some other names published in the newspapers then were: The Lebanese Forces was an active participant in the Cedar Revolution of 2005, when popular protests and international pressure following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri combined to force Syria out of Lebanon. In
1024-548: A group of peasants from the Kisrawan lodged a formal complaint against the Khazens to Khurshid Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Beirut. Later, in March 1858, the Khazens held a summit for the people of the Kisrawan to garner support for their nomination of a new qaimaqam . Instead, the peasants participating in the summit voiced their dissent against the Khazens and in October, several villages in
1152-573: A just electoral law, which would enable the Christian population to be represented fairly in local and parliamentary elections. The party has also stressed the idea of reaffirming the powers formerly endowed to the Lebanese president before being lessened in the Taef Agreement . After the 2020 Beirut explosion , on 6 August 2020 the Lebanese Forces Party's executive chairman Samir Geagea was
1280-568: A mainly Christian government and the other a government of Muslims and Lebanese Leftists. The Lebanese Forces initially supported the military Christian government led by General Michel Aoun , the commander of the Lebanese Army. However, clashes erupted between the Lebanese Forces and the Lebanese Army under the control of Michel Aoun on 14 February 1989. These clashes were stopped, and after
1408-653: A meeting in Bkerké , the Lebanese Forces handed the national ports which it controlled to Aoun's government under pressure from the Lebanese National army. The Lebanese Forces initially supported Aoun's " Liberation War " against the Syrian army, but then agreed to the Taif Agreement , which was signed by the Lebanese deputies on 24 October 1989 in Saudi Arabia and demanded an immediate ceasefire . Aoun's main objection to
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#17328448190851536-748: A new province was established, the Sidon Eyalet , and its governor Bustanji Pasha attempted to wrest control of the Kisrawan but was repulsed by the Sayfas. The Sayfas permanently lost the district in 1616, when Fakhr al-Din's son Ali and brother Yunus, with Ottoman backing, defeated the Sayfas' Druze allies and caused Hasan Sayfa (Yusuf's son) to flee for Akkar. In 1621, Fakhr al-Din, who had since returned to Mount Lebanon, compelled Sayfa to relinquish to him his remaining properties in Ghazir and Antelias to settle Sayfa's mounting debt. The Khazens of Ballouneh had relocated to
1664-624: A number of struggles with the Druze Ma'ns over control of the Kisrawan, the Sayfas permanently lost their hold over the region to them in 1616. Under the patronage of the Ma'nid emir Fakhr al-Din II , the Maronite Khazen family gradually came to dominate the area, purchasing large tracts of land from Shia Muslim villagers. Their activities fostered the overwhelming Maronite majority of the region that persists until
1792-574: A peace treaty with Israel as soon as he took office in return of Israel's earlier support of Lebanese Forces and he also told Bachir that the IDF will stay in South Lebanon if the Peace Treaty was not directly signed. Bachir was furious at Begin. The meeting ended in rage and both sides were not happy with each other. Begin was reportedly angry at Bachir for his public denial of Israel's support. Bachir refused
1920-476: A political force after the Cedar Revolution in early 2005, which resulted in a withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. Soon after, Geagea was subsequently released from prison and continues to lead the party today. The Lebanese Front was informally organized in January 1976 under the leadership of Bashir's father, Pierre Gemayel and Camille Chamoun . It began as a simple coordination or joint command between
2048-472: A protest organized by Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, against Judge Tarek Bitar , who was investigating the 2020 Beirut port explosion. The protest turned deadly when unidentified gunmen fired on the demonstrators, leading to armed confrontations that resulted in at least seven deaths and over 30 injuries. Geagea was summoned by military intelligence to testify about the events, as both Hezbollah and
2176-562: A punitive campaign against them in 1292. It was led by Baydara , the viceroy of Egypt, the second highest-ranking official in the sultanate, after the commanders of Damascus expressed reticence fighting the experienced mountaineers in the region's narrow passes. Baydara was defeated and was able to withdraw his men only after bribing the Kisrawani chiefs. When the Mamluks were routed by the Mongols of
2304-484: Is done, the IDF would peacefully leave the Lebanese territory. Concerning the Peace Negotiation, Sharon agreed to give Bachir time to fix the internal conflicts before signing the negotiation. The next day, Begin's office issued a statement saying that the issues agreed upon between Bachir and Sharon were accepted. Nine days before he was to take office, on 14 September 1982, Bachir was killed along with 25 others in
2432-619: Is traditionally defined as the part of the Mount Lebanon region northeast of Beirut between the Ibrahim River in the north and the Kalb River in the south. It straddles the Mediterranean coast, extending eastward to the western slopes of the Mount Lebanon range. During the early Muslim period (630s–1099), the Kisrawan was part of Jund Dimashq (the military district of Damascus ) and
2560-620: The Assaf dynasty continued to rule the Kisrawan with the onset of Ottoman rule in 1517. In alliance with the Maronite Hubaysh family, whose members served as their stewards and agents, the Assafs patronized Maronite settlement and prosperity in the region. The last Assaf emir was killed in 1591 by Yusuf Sayfa , the governor of Tripoli, who proceeded to take over the Kisrawan and kill the Hubayshes. After
2688-555: The Druze -dominated Progressive Socialist Party in the Chouf , and the Lebanese Army loyal to General Michel Aoun . After the assassination of its leader, Bachir Gemayel, in 1982, political friction within the Lebanese Front resulted in growing distance between the Kataeb militants and the rest of the Lebanese Forces. In the end, the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb became two separate forces within
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#17328448190852816-599: The Ilkhanate at the Battle of Wadi al-Khaznadar near Homs in 1299, the mountaineers attacked and robbed Mamluk troops in their panicked flight through the Kisrawani coastal roads and the road between Beirut and Damascus. The Mamluks reasserted their position in the Levant in 1300 and took punitive action against the Kisrawan. Under the Damascus governor Aqqush al-Afram , the Mamluks routed
2944-745: The Kataeb Party had the largest share on the council. Despite its original creation from party militias, the Lebanese Forces accepted new recruits without any specific party allegiance. During the civil war, the Lebanese Forces fought different opponents at different times: the Palestinian Liberation Organization , the Lebanese National Movement , the Lebanese National Resistance Front , the Syrian Army ,
3072-691: The Lebanese Army 's 8th Mechanised Infantry Brigade commanded by then Colonel Michel Aoun . The attackers were fiercely pushed back as the American helped Aoun by bombing the PSP from their navy. After the death of Bachir, his brother Amine Gemayel replaced him as president, and his cousin, Fadi Frem as commander of the Lebanese Forces. The two had a frosty relationship, and in 1984, pressure from Amine led to Frem's replacement by Fouad Abou Nader . On 12 March 1985, Samir Geagea, Elie Hobeika and Karim Pakradouni rebelled against Abou Nader's command, ostensibly to take
3200-718: The Lebanese Civil War of 1975–1990, the Kisrawan was a stronghold of the Maronite-dominated Lebanese Forces militia. The name Kisrawan has Persian origins. According to the historian Kamal Salibi , "the very name Kisrawan must have originally been that of a Persian clan called the Kisra". "Kisra" is the Arabic form of the common Persian name Khosrow and "Kisrawan" is the Persian plural form of Kisra. The Kisrawan
3328-483: The Lebanese National Movement (LNM), an umbrella alliance of leftist parties/militias allied with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Rejectionist Front Palestinian guerrilla factions. Christian East Beirut was ringed by heavily fortified Palestinian camps from which kidnappings and sniping against Lebanese civilians became a daily routine. Christian East Beirut became besieged by
3456-732: The PLO and LNM militias at the Battle of the Hotels in central Beirut. The most important battle won by the Phalange for the control of the hotel district was the fighting over the possession of the Holiday Inn, due to its important strategic location. Before that battle, the Holiday Inn had been occupied by the PLO . Eventually the PLO ended up occupying the Holliday Inn once again, while the Kataeb forces retreated to
3584-739: The 12th–13th centuries it was a borderland between the Crusader states along the coast and the Muslim governments in Damascus . Its inhabitants at that time were Twelver Shia Muslims , Alawites , Druze and Maronite Christians . While the Kisrawanis acted independent of any outside authority, they often cooperated with the Crusader lords of Tripoli and Byblos . Soon after the Sunni Muslim Mamluks conquered
3712-524: The 1523 records, the Kisrawan had a population of 391 Muslim households, 37 Muslim bachelors, 7 imams, and 198 Christian households and 21 Christian bachelors. The Christian population had grown substantially by 1530, with 297 households and 5 bachelors, while the Muslim population grew to 404 households and 103 bachelors, the number of imams decreasing to 3. By 1543, the Muslim population decreased to 377 households, 65 bachelors and no imams, while Christian households and bachelors rose to 372 and 34. According to
3840-593: The 17th-century Maronite historian Istifan al-Duwayhi , Shia Muslims from Baalbek moved to Faraya , Bekataa and Harajil , Sunni Muslims from the southern Beqaa Valley settled in Fatqa , Sahel Alma , Faitroun , Fiqqay, Aramoun and Jdeideh , while Druze from the Matn settled in Brummana and smaller hamlets. Christians from northern Mount Lebanon continued to migrate to the Kisrawan, with Maronites from al-Majdal moving to Aramoun and
3968-437: The 1830s and 1840s and Khazen influence over the Maronite Church waned. To compensate for their economic, social and political stagnation, the Khazens increased their pressure on the peasants of Kisrawan in the late 1850s, while also spending extravagantly. The Khazens opposed the creation of the "Double Qaimaqmate" in Mount Lebanon in the 1840s, which divided Mount Lebanon into Druze and Christian-run sectors, and were incensed at
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4096-450: The 630s. Salibi holds that Mu'awiya also settled the Persians in the Kisrawan. Information about the Christians of the Kisrawan before the 12th century is scant, though the local, 19th-century chronicler Tannus al-Shidyaq held there was an organized Christian, likely Maronite , community governed by village headmen by the early 9th century. The modern historian William Harris asserts that
4224-555: The Alam al-Dins. Abu Nadir consolidated Khazen control of the Kisrawan by purchasing large tracts of land there from the impoverished Twelver Shias of the district. His son Abu Nawfal continued his father's land acquisitions and, with his sons, was granted an extensive estate in the district by Sultan Mehmed IV in 1671. Moreover, Abu Nawfal gained the influential office of French vice-consul in Beirut in 1658 and again in 1662. His descendants held
4352-474: The Amal Movement accused his party of instigating the violence. Geagea denied these allegations, asserting that his supporters acted in self-defense against an attack by Hezbollah loyalists who had vandalized property in the area. On the day he was scheduled to appear, Geagea did not show up, and his supporters protested the summons, blocking roads in support. Former LF coordinator in Bint Jbeil, Elias Hasrouni ,
4480-612: The Arab countries, especially with Saudi Arabia, so that Lebanon can once again play its central role in the economy of the Middle East." In an attempt to fix the relations between Bachir and Begin, Ariel Sharon met secretly with Bachir in Bikfaya. In this meeting, they both agreed that, after 48 hours, the IDF will cooperate with the Lebanese Army to force the Syrian Army out of Lebanon. After that
4608-539: The Bay of Jounieh . The Turkmens were granted this territory as an iqta . Although iqta -holders in principal were only granted the right to an area's revenues as a salary and to provide for their troops, the Turkmens, like their Druze Buhturid neighbors to the south, held them on a practically inheritable basis. The Turkmens temporarily evacuated the Kisrawan for Ottoman -controlled Anatolia in 1366 to escape punishment by
4736-628: The Beqaa-based Hanash family. In 1541 Mansur had them both assassinated, effectively voiding the brewing opposition against Assaf–Hubaysh domination. The blow to the Hanash and Turkmens in the Kisrawan opened the door to further Maronite migration from the north. In 1545 Maronites from Jaj moved to the district, the ancestor of the Khazen family moved to Ballouneh , the Gemayel family moved to Bikfaya and
4864-413: The Christians of Lebanon . In addition to rebuilding their image, the Lebanese Forces have also been attempting to reclaim former privately funded facilities, which were seized by the Syrian backed government. Currently, the Lebanese Forces have also been striving to reclaim their rights to the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation , which was initiated by the party in the mid-1980s. Since the emancipation of
4992-420: The Crusader realms, they launched a series of punitive expeditions in 1292–1305 against the mountaineers of the Kisrawan. The assaults caused wide scale destruction and displacement, with Maronites from northern Mount Lebanon gradually migrating to depopulated villages in the region. The Mamluks established Turkmen settlements in the coastal part of the Kisrawan to keep guard over the region. Their chiefs from
5120-563: The Druze Mountain to its south (i.e. the districts of the Matn, Gharb, Jurd and Chouf) were characterized by chaos and punitive expeditions by the Ottoman government. The Assafs ruled over the area with mildness and the government collected taxes at a relatively low rate. These conditions spurred increased resettlement of the region. Ottoman tax records indicate there were 28 villages in the subdistrict in 1523, rising to 31 in 1543. The tax records did not distinguish different Muslim groups from each other, nor different Christian denominations. In
5248-469: The Holiday Inn had been occupied by the PLO. The Lebanese Forces militia was soon after established with an agreement that the direct military commander would be a Kataeb member and the vice-commander an Ahrar member. Bachir led his troops in the infamous "Hundred Days War" in Lebanon in 1978, in which the Lebanese Forces successfully resisted the Syrian shelling and attacking of Eastern Beirut for about three months before an Arab-brokered agreement forced
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5376-430: The Hubaysh family of Yanouh settling in Ghazir . Assaf moved his headquarters to Ghazir; previously he divided his time between estates at Aintoura and Ain Shaqif. His move away from his Turkmen tribesmen's abodes closer to the coast, namely Zouk Mikael , Zouk Kharab , Zouk Mosbeh and Zouk Amiriyya, contributed to the estrangement between them and Assaf and his household. In Ghazir the Assafs cultivated ties with
5504-448: The Khazen sheikhs to also include political and legal reforms. Shahin cited the Edict of Gülhane , which mandated equality for all Ottoman citizens. Shahin declared a republic in the Kisrawan and a government composed of a 100-member council of representatives of the Kisrawan's villages, mostly peasants but also landowners and clergymen, presided by Shahin was established to govern the region backed by his 1,000-man militia. The republic
5632-421: The Khazens to stir the peasants to revolt against him. The revolt against Bashir Ahmad soon turned against the Khazen sheikhs and their feudal allies. The peasant subjects of the Khazen sheikhs had long been wary of their rule due to the excessive taxes they imposed as well as the additional gifts the peasants were virtually obligated to give the sheikhs, which many peasants considered humiliating. In early 1858,
5760-412: The Kisrawan acted independently of the Kingdom of Jerusalem , which controlled Sidon and Beirut, and the County of Tripoli , as well as the Muslim rulers of Damascus, all of whom claimed control of the Kisrawan. The Maronite chiefs there likely cooperated with the Crusaders and were strongly allied with the Embriaci lords of Byblos , who were vassals of the count of Tripoli. The Islamic communities in
5888-439: The Kisrawan allied against the Khazen sheikhs. A muleteer and youths boss from Rayfoun , Tanyus Shahin , was chosen by this alliance of peasants as their leader in December, and was declared the wakil awwal (first delegate). In January 1859, Shahin intensified the armed revolt against the Khazen sheikhs and with 800 of his peasant fighters, he besieged the Khazens during a summit they were holding in Ghosta. The siege prompted
6016-433: The Kisrawan did not share the Sunni Muslim faith of the Damascene rulers and may not have been enthusiastic supporters of their cause against the Crusaders, possibly even cooperating with the latter, although there's no historical evidence or mention of such a cooperation in the chronicles of the time. The Mamluks conquered Crusader Tripoli in 1289 and Beirut in 1291. According to the geographer al-Dimashqi (d. 1327),
6144-410: The Kisrawan from his base in Beirut. Five years later Qaytbay died and Hasan's son Mansur, with the support of the Hubaysh family, took charge of the Kisrawan. In the late 1530s, Sunni Muslim opposition against Mansur and the Hubayshes was raised in the Kisrawan by the Turkmen chief of Zouk Mikael, who was resentful at the neglect by the Assafs in favor of the Maronites, and the Arab chief of Fatqa from
6272-456: The Kisrawan village of Ajaltoun in 1606. The prominence they soon acquired in the region stemmed from their close alliance with Fakhr al-Din. The head of the Khazens, Abu Nadir (d. 1647), was Fakhr al-Din's aide and held the tax farm of Kisrawan in 1616–1618 and 1621. The Khazens lost control of the district to the Alam al-Dins after Fakhr al-Din's downfall in 1633, but regained it four years later when Fakhr al-Din's nephew Mulhim Ma'n defeated
6400-425: The Kisrawan were particularly hard hit in the 1305 campaign and thereafter disappeared from the historical record. Many Shia Muslim families were relocated to Tripoli and were permanently displaced from the coastal area. They remained the majority population in the Kisrawan, but their numbers never recovered. The Maronites also suffered significantly, but the displacement of Shia and Alawite communities eventually paved
6528-416: The Kisrawan, Sayfa antagonized the Druze chief and district governor of Sidon-Beirut Sanjak , Fakhr al-Din Ma'n , whose jurisdiction bordered the Kisrawan. In 1598 Fakhr al-Din and the governor of Baalbek, Musa al-Harfush, with Damascene backing, routed the Sayfas in a battle at the Kalb River. Fakhr al-Din captured the Kisrawan but returned it to Sayfa a year later as part of an agreement with him. During
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#17328448190856656-399: The Kisrawani warriors and imposed heavy penalties on the inhabitants and their leaders. Kisrawani rebel activity resumed within a few years and Aqqush led a final, large-scale campaign against the mountaineers in 1305. Hundreds of fighters were slain and the Mamluks destroyed numerous villages, churches and vineyards, while massacring and displacing many of the inhabitants. The Alawites of
6784-403: The Kumayd family moved to the Ghazir area. Assaf dominance over northern Lebanon, including the Kisrawan persisted through Mansur's death in 1580 and the first five years under his son and successor Muhammad. In 1585 the Ottomans launched a punitive expedition against the rural chieftains of Mount Lebanon. Muhammad was arrested and imprisoned in the imperial capital Constantinople but returned
6912-497: The LF intelligence apparatus, including a woman. Also detained were a man and a woman from the Guardians of the Cedars . On 21 April 1994, Geagea was arrested on charges of setting a bomb in the church in Zouk which killed eleven people, of instigating acts of violence, and of committing assassinations during the Lebanese Civil War. Although he was acquitted of the first charge, Geagea was subsequently arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment on several different counts, including
7040-409: The LF the largest Christian-based party in parliament and the Strong republic the largest bloc in parliament with an additional 3 from Ashraf Rifi's Bloc and Camille Dory Chamoun of the National Liberal Party . After securing the most seats in parliament after the 2022 elections, Samir Geagea emphasized his pledge not to vote for 30-year incumbent speaker Nabih Berri , citing corruption in
7168-462: The Lebanese Forces and on 15 January 1986, attacked Hobeika's headquarters in Karantina . Hobeika surrendered and fled, first to Paris and subsequently to Damascus , Syria . He then moved to Zahlé with tens of his fighters where he prepared for an attack against East Beirut. On 27 September 1986, Hobeika's forces tried to take over the Achrafieh neighborhood of Beirut but the Lebanese Forces of Geagea's command held them back. In May 1985, during
7296-425: The Lebanese Forces and the Druze militias who had now taken over the districts. The main Druze militiamen came from the Progressive Socialist Party , led by Walid Jumblatt , in alliance with the Syrian Army and Palestinian militants. For months, the two fought what would later be known as the " Mountain War ", resulting in a large PSP victory. At the same time, the Lebanese Forces troops also fought battles against
7424-414: The Lebanese Forces back to its original path. The relationship between Geagea and Hobeika soon broke down, however, and Hobeika began secret negotiations with the Syrians. On 28 December 1985, he signed the Tripartite Accord , against the wishes of Geagea and most of the other leading Christian figures. Claiming that the Tripartite Accord gave Syria unlimited power in Lebanon, Geagea mobilized factions inside
7552-413: The Lebanese Forces were arrested and brutally tortured in the period of 1993–1994. At least one died in Syrian custody and many others were severely injured. In 1998, a group of ex-military persons in the Lebanese Forces, was alleged to have conducted military operation against the Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon. The group was mainly formed of elites Lebanese Forces called SADEM, On 19 June 1998,
7680-400: The Lebanese Forces. He also instituted a social welfare program in areas controlled by Geagea's party. The Lebanese Forces also cut its relations with Israel and emphasized relations with the Arab states, mainly Iraq but also Saudi Arabia , Jordan , and Egypt . Two rival governments contended for recognition following Amine Gemayel's departure from the Presidency in September 1988, one
7808-441: The Lebanese Front. A few uprisings led to Lebanese Forces commander-in-chief Samir Geagea taking over and dissolving the Lebanese Front in the late 1980s. After the civil war ended, Geagea created the Lebanese Forces Party . In 1994, while Lebanon was under Syrian occupation , the party was banned, Geagea imprisoned and the activities of its militants repressed by the Lebanese services in Lebanon. The Lebanese Forces returned as
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#17328448190857936-417: The Mamluks for failing to heed unspecified government orders. When the Circassian sultan Barquq was overthrown by the Turkish Mamluks who had previously ruled the sultanate in 1289, the Turkmens supported the Turks, while their Buhturid rivals backed Barquq. The Turkmens assaulted the Buhturid domains, killing 130 Buhturids and sacking their lands and houses in the Gharb area southeast of Beirut. Barquq retook
8064-417: The Maronite population of the Kisrawan combined with rural northern Mount Lebanon to be 50,000 in 1690 and 115,000 in 1783. Lebanese Forces The Lebanese Forces ( Arabic : القوات اللبنانية al-Quwwāt al-Libnānīyah ) is a Lebanese Christian -based political party and former militia during the Lebanese Civil War . It currently holds 19 of the 128 seats in Lebanon's parliament , being
8192-415: The Maronites, particularly the Hubaysh family, with Assaf and his sons Hasan and Husayn recruiting the Hubaysh brothers as their stewards and agents. The Hubayshes also acted as intermediaries between the Assafs and their Maronite subjects in the mostly Maronite Bilad al-Jubayl (the Byblos region). After Assaf died in 1518 his youngest son Qaytbay killed Hasan and Husayn, drove out the Hubayshes, and took over
8320-557: The Mountain. Regardless of the very bad weather and heavy bombing, convoys were sent in the snow to Zahle. Two Lebanese Forces soldiers died on a hill due to bad weather, they were found later holding each other... till they died. The battle of Zahle gave the Lebanese Cause a new perspective in the International Communities, and the victory was both military and diplomatic. It made the Leadership of President Bashir Gemayel much stronger because of his leadership and important role in this battle. The battle started on 2 April 1981, and finished with
8448-413: The PLO camps, with severe shortages of food and fuel. This unbearable situation was remedied by the Kataeb Regulatory Forces (most notably the BG Squad that was led by Bachir) and their allied Christian militias as they besieged the Palestinian camps embedded in Christian East Beirut one at a time and brought them down. The first was on 18 January 1976 when the heavily fortified Karantina camp , located near
8576-408: The Palestinian and Druze militias and the Syrian troop east of the southern city of Sidon . The outcome was also a Progressive Socialist Party victory and a contiguous Druze Chouf district with access to Lebanese sea ports. Later in 1984, the PSP won decisive battles against the Lebanese Army in the Chahar region in the Aley District. The PSP then attacked further into Souk El Gharb , a village held by
8704-408: The Phalange had 5000 fighters of whom 2000 were full-time. After the PLO had been expelled from the country to Tunisia, in a negotiated agreement, Bachir Gemayel became the youngest man to ever be elected as president of Lebanon . He was elected by the parliament in August; most Muslim members of parliament boycotted the vote. On 3 September 1982, during the meeting, Begin demanded that Bachir sign
8832-459: The Shatila refugee camp ; a massacre followed, in which Phalangists killed between 762 and 3,500 (number is disputed) civilians, mostly Palestinians and Lebanese Shiites , causing great international uproar. After the Israeli invasion, the IDF troops settled in the Chouf and Aley from party militias, the Lebanese Forces returned to the villages which had been occupied by the PSP for seven years. However, soon after, clashes broke out between
8960-492: The Syrians to end the siege. Syrians took high buildings such as Burj Rizk Achrafieh and Burj El Murr using snipers and heavy weapons against civilians. The soldiers stayed for 90 days. Another major clash took place near the Sodeco area in Achrafieh where the Lebanese Forces fought ferociously and led the Syrian army out of the Rizk Building. At this time, Israel was the primary backer of the Lebanese Front's militia. In July 1980, following months of intra-Christian clashes between
9088-491: The Syrians to end the siege. Syrians took high buildings such as Burj Rizk Achrafieh and Burj El Murr using snipers and heavy weapons against civilians. The soldiers stayed for 90 days. Another major clash took place near the Sodeco area in Achrafieh where the Lebanese Forces fought ferociously and led the Syrian army out of the Rizk Building. At this time, Israel was the primary backer of the Lebanese Front's militia. In July 1980, following months of intra-Christian clashes between
9216-566: The Taif Agreement was its vagueness as to Syrian withdrawal from the country. He rejected it vowing that he "would not sign over the country". Fierce fighting in East Beirut broke out between the Lebanese Forces and the Lebanese Army under Michel Aoun after the Lebanese Army, under orders of Michel Aoun, began stopping and arresting members of the Lebanese Forces. These events led to the "Elimination War" on 31 January 1990. The war continued until
9344-650: The Tigers, the militia of Dany , and the Phalangists, who by now were under the complete leadership of Bachir Gemayel , the Phalangists launched an operation in an attempt to stop the clashes within the Christian areas, and to unite all the Christian militias under Gemayel's command. This operation resulted in a massacre of tens of Tigers' members at the Marine beach resort in Safra , 25 km north of Beirut . Camille Chamoun's silence
9472-449: The Tigers, the militia of Dany , and the Phalangists, who by now were under the complete leadership of Bachir Gemayel , the Phalangists launched an operation in an attempt to stop the clashes within the Christian areas, and to unite all the Christian militias under Gemayel's command. This operation resulted in a massacre of tens of Tigers' members at the Marine beach resort in Safra , 25 km north of Beirut . Camille Chamoun's silence
9600-712: The Twelvers of Kisrawan were likely remnants of the Shias of Tripoli who relocated to the Kisrawan during or after the Crusader siege of Tripoli in the early 12th century. During Crusader rule in Tripoli and Beirut ( c. 1099 –1291), the Kisrawan was a rural borderland between the Crusader dominions along the Mediterranean coast and the Muslim states in the interior regions of the Levant. Its inhabitants were Twelver Shia, Alawite , Druze and Maronite tribesmen. The mountaineers of
9728-534: The anti-Syrian March 14 Alliance , which stood opposed to the March 8 Coalition backed by Hizbullah, Amal and the Free Patriotic Movement led by General Michel Aoun who had returned to Lebanon. The Lebanese Forces were able to win 6 out of the 8 MPs that were nominated throughout the various regions of the country. Nevertheless, the elections proved to be very significant because for the first time, supporters of
9856-561: The appointment of a sheikh from the mixed Druze-Christian Abu'l-Lama family as the qaimaqam (deputy governor) of the Maronite section of the Qaimaqamate. The Khazens feared that such an appointment would formally subordinate them to the Abu'l-Lama sheikhs. Following the Abu'l-Lama sheikh's death in 1854, his successor Bashir Ahmad Abu'l-Lama attempted to further reduce the Khazens' influence, prompting
9984-475: The area in protest of the kidnapped and many politicians called for investigations and harsh punishments for the assailants. The party called for people to close their shops in the area in condemnation of the kidnapping. Lebanese intelligence arrested multiple Syrians to reveal Suleiman’s whereabouts. The next day he was reported dead by the Lebanese Army and that his body was taken to Syria by Syrian gangs. The party blamed Hezbollah for his killing and said that it
10112-521: The assassination of former Prime Minister Rashid Karami in 1987. He was incarcerated in solitary confinement, with his access to the outside world severely restricted. Amnesty International criticized the conduct of the trials and demanded Geagea's release, and Geagea's supporters argued that the Syrian-controlled Lebanese government had used the alleged crimes as a pretext for jailing Geagea and banning an anti-Syrian party. Many members of
10240-469: The battle of 1981. This victory was due to the bravery of the inhabitants and 92 Lebanese Forces soldiers (L.F Special Forces: The Maghaweer) sent from Beirut. The Syrian occupying forces used all kind of weapons (heavy artillery, tanks, war planes...) against a peaceful town, and they cut all kind of backup that may come from the Mountain. Regardless of the very bad weather and heavy bombing, convoys were sent in
10368-563: The civil war, a rival Maronite leader, Youssef Karam , defeated Shahin at a battle between Rayfoun and Ashqout. They reconciled soon afterward and Shahin formally relinquished the republic. During the 1975-1990 civil war the Kisrawan became a stronghold of Samir Geagea ’s Lebanese Forces (LF). In 1990 the LF retained control of the area, as well as East Beirut, despite a month long offensive by Lebanese Army troops loyal to General Michel Aoun which caused extensive damage and many casualties. At
10496-545: The committee distributed more than 150 scholarships for Beirut schools' students. Ground-0 Relief Committee launched a petition for an international investigation. The petition was signed by the relatives of the victims and the missing, by the injured as well as by those whose homes, businesses or establishments have been damaged. The document was sent to the UN Secretary General , Antonio Guterres , through his special coordinator for Lebanon, Ján Kubiš , in order to take
10624-518: The defeat and exile of Aoun to France in August 1990. During the war, the Lebanese Forces made major strides and victories including the capture of many of the army's encampments, barracks, and units. After Aoun surrendered on 13 October 1990 to the rival Syrian-backed President Hrawi, Geagea was offered ministerial posts in the new government. He refused several times, because he was opposed to Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs, and his relationship with
10752-565: The elections geared towards the professional bodies of engineers, doctors, lawyers, and even teachers. The Lebanese Forces held 8 out of the 128 seats of the Lebanese Parliament after the general elections of 2009, and were represented in the Siniora government , formed in July 2005, by the minister of tourism Joseph Sarkis , and then in the second Siniora government , formed in July 2008, by
10880-529: The facing Hilton Hotel in what was known as the "Hotel War". The Lebanese Forces was soon after established with an agreement that the direct military commander would be a Kataeb member and the vice-commander an Ahrar member. Bashir led his troops in the infamous "Hundred Days War" in Lebanon in 1978, in which the Lebanese Forces successfully resisted the Syrian shelling and attacking of Eastern Beirut for about three months before an Arab-brokered agreement forced
11008-419: The first politician to visit Beirut and launched from there a relief committee, Ground-0, under the leadership of the former minister Dr. May Chidiac to support in rebuilding Beirut. In December 2020, the committee achieved repairing 709 houses, assisted 5300 individuals and 2300 families, distributed 14000 food rations, made 2540 medical consultations, and provided 2030 individuals with medicine. In addition,
11136-469: The immediate peace arguing that time is needed to reach consensus with Lebanese Muslims and the Arab nations. Bachir was quoted telling David Kimche, the director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, few days earlier, "Please tell your people to be patient. I am committed to make peace with Israel, and I shall do it. But I need time – nine months, maximum one year. I need to mend my fences with
11264-561: The inheritable lordship of the Kisrawan, as well as the neighboring Bilad Jubayl (the mountains of Byblos) to the north of Nahr al-Mu'amalatayn, in return for annual payment. Administratively, the Kisrawan became a nahiya (subdistrict) of the Sidon-Beirut Sanjak (Sidon-Beirut District) of the Damascus Eyalet (Damascus Province). Through the following several years the Kisrawan experienced peace and prosperity while conditions in
11392-482: The invasion of the largest and strongest Palestinian refugee camp, Tel al-Zaatar that same year. Bachir, with his KRF militia units, also fought against the PLO and LNM militias at the Battle of the Hotels in central Beirut. The most important battle won by the Phalange for the control of the hotel district was the fighting over the possession of the Holiday Inn, due to its important strategic location. Before that battle,
11520-478: The investigations. The Members of Parliament Georges Okais , Imad Wakim , Eddy Abillammaa and Fady Saad , presented a petition to this effect to the United Nations Special Coordinator in Lebanon, Najat Rochdi. In October 2021, Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces party, was embroiled in controversy following violent clashes in Beirut on October 14. These clashes erupted during
11648-481: The isolated defenseless Christian town of Damour about 20 miles south of Beirut on the coast, during the Damour massacre in which 1,000 Christian civilians were killed and 5,000 were sent fleeing north by boat, since all roads were blocked off. The Maronites retaliated with the invasion of the largest and strongest Palestinian refugee camp, Tel al-Zaatar that same year. Bachir, with his KRF militia units, also fought against
11776-625: The killing. The residents of Ain Ebel , one of the few Christian villages in Hezbollah-controlled Bint Jbeil, are largely supportive of Hezbollah's largest political rival, the Lebanese Forces, and the murder of Hasrouni deepened sectarian tensions. In April 2024 Lebanese Forces coordinator in the Byblos District , Pascal Suleiman was kidnapped by armed assailants while traveling in the area of Byblos. Party supporters blocked roads in
11904-481: The largest party of the country. The organization was created in 1976 by Pierre and Bachir Gemayel , Camille Chamoun , and other party leaders during the Lebanese Civil War . It was initially an umbrella organization coordinating all the right-wing party militias of the Lebanese Front and served as the main resistance force of the front. The Kataeb Regulatory Forces provided the largest share of fighters, and
12032-512: The minister of justice Ibrahim Najjar and the minister of environment Antoine Karam . They are a Christian party within the 14 March Bloc , an anti-Syrian movement. The Lebanese Forces and its main political representatives strive to re-establish the many Christian rights, which were significantly lessened during Syria's occupation of Lebanon, specifically from 1990 to 2005. Some of the Lebanese Force's other main objectives include formulating
12160-633: The necessary steps to appoint an international commission of inquiry. The Lebanese Forces Party MPs called for an international investigation into the causes of the double explosion at the port of Beirut on 4 August 2020. They asked the Secretary-General of the United Nations , António Guterres , on 22 February 2021 for the creation of an international commission to be established under the United Nations , which would be responsible for carrying out
12288-431: The new government deteriorated. On 23 March 1994, the Lebanese government headed by Rafic Hariri ordered the dissolution of the Lebanese Forces, Ministers Sleiman Frangieh , Michel Samaha , Nicholas Fattoush and Mikhael Daher voted against the dissolution of LF. On 19 March, the offices of the Lebanese Forces (LF) were raided and six people arrested, including Fouad Malik, LF secretary general, and three members of
12416-622: The next year. At that point his authority was expanded to include the tax farms for all the districts of northern Mount Lebanon, excluding the city of Tripoli. The governor of Tripoli and a former dependent of the Assafs, Yusuf Sayfa , was also the chieftain of Akkar and thus a fiscal subordinate of Muhammad. He resolved to eliminate the Assaf emir and take over his territory. He refused to pay his tax arrears and when Muhammad moved against him in 1591, Sayfa had him assassinated. Afterward Sayfa married his widow and took over Assaf properties in Ghazir and gained
12544-466: The office for considerable periods through the late 17th and early 18th centuries. During this period, Abu Nawfal divided his estate in the Kisrawan among his eight sons. The sons and their descendants mainly based themselves in the villages of Ghosta , Ajaltoun and Zouk Mikael, and to a lesser extent Daraoun and Sahel Alma. Khazen domination of the Kisrawan facilitated its demographic transition into an overwhelmingly Maronite-populated region. Besides
12672-560: The origins of the Kisrawan Shia community in the 12th–13th centuries "are shrouded in mystery, with no clues in Arabic chronicles". Twelver Shia Muslim communities may have been established in the Kisrawan and the bordering Byblos area to the north during the 10th century when Shia Islam was in the ascendant in Tripoli and the Islamic world at large. According to the historian Jaafar al-Muhajir,
12800-475: The party were freely able to participate in the election process. Following the party's new political gains, Samir Geagea was freed on 18 July 2005, after parliament decided to amend all the charges he formerly faced. Since Geagea's release from prison, the Lebanese Forces have been rebuilding much of their former image. Some of these works include reorganizing its members and their families, reopening political facilities, and reestablishing their main presence among
12928-411: The party's main leader, Samir Geagea , the party has gained new popularity among the Christian population throughout all of Lebanon . In addition, the Lebanese Forces have also been able to attain a great deal of popularity amongst the younger generation, as evidenced by the annual student elections in Lebanese colleges. The Lebanese Forces, along with their other 14 March allies, made additional gains in
13056-480: The patronage of the Khazen chiefs, Maronite migration made the community the majority group in the Kisrawan. Likely during the 18th century, a proportion of the remaining Twelver Shias there converted to Maronite Christianity. Unlike in the parts of Mount Lebanon south of the Kisrawan where Druze landlords held sway, many of the Maronite peasants in the Kisrawan owned their agricultural property. Western travelers estimated
13184-475: The period of Hobeika's leadership, the Lebanese Forces closed their office in Jerusalem . The office was headed by Pierre Yazbeck. This failed attempt by Hobeika was the last episode of internal struggles in East Beirut during Amine Gemayel's mandate. As a result, the Lebanese Forces led by Geagea were the only major force on ground. During two years of frail peace, Geagea launched a drive to re-equip and reorganize
13312-451: The predominantly Christian Kataeb Party / Kataeb Regulatory Forces (KRF), Tyous Team of Commandos (TTC), Ahrar / Tigers Militia , Al-Tanzim , Marada Brigade and Lebanese Renewal Party / Guardians of the Cedars (GoC) parties and their respective military wings. The main reason behind the formation of the Lebanese Front was to strengthen the Christian side against the challenge presented by
13440-430: The present day. The Khazens lost their grip over the region during a peasants' revolt led by Tanyus Shahin , who declared a republic over the Kisrawan in 1859. Although the Kisrawani militia played a key role sparking the 1860 Mount Lebanon civil war , the area largely avoided the bloodshed and destruction of that conflict. Shahin was defeated and disbanded the republic after his defeat by Youssef Karam in 1861. During
13568-440: The rebellion of Ali Janbulad of Aleppo, Fakhr al-Din allied with the rebels and took over the Kisrawan in 1606, following the flight of Sayfa from Tripoli. He installed Yusuf al-Muslimani as his deputy over the subdistrict. When Fakhr al-Din fled Mount Lebanon for Tuscany during an Ottoman punitive expedition in 1613, the Kisrawan was restored to the Sayfas by the commander of the expedition, Hafiz Ahmed Pasha . The following year
13696-478: The region was part of the amal (subdistrict) of Baalbek, which was part of the al-Safaqa al-Shamaliyya (Northern Region) of Mamlakat Dimashq (Damascus Province). According to Salibi, it was part of the amal of Beirut, part of the same region and province. In the aftermath of the Crusader withdrawal from the Levant, the mountaineers of the Kisrawan frequently blocked the coastal road between Tripoli and Beirut and harassed passing Mamluk troops. The Mamluks launched
13824-420: The rule of Emir Bashir Shihab II , general economic hardship, and the decreasing availability of land. Khazen power had been significantly diminished under Bashir. To meet the latter's increased tax demands and finance their attempt to consolidate their control over Kisrawan's silk production, the Khazens took loans from Beirut lenders and accumulated significant debts. Several family members became destitute in
13952-488: The sheikhs to flee the village, and the peasants under Shahin subsequently plundered the Khazens' estates. Shahin and his men proceeded to attack the Khazens in other villages with little blood spilled in the process, with the exception of the wife and daughter of a Khazen sheikh who were killed in Ajaltoun in July during a raid on their home by the peasants. The Maronite patriarch, Paul Peter Massad , condemned their killing as
14080-626: The snow to Zahle. Two Lebanese Forces soldiers died on a hill due to bad weather and were found later holding each other. The battle of Zahle gave the Lebanese Cause a new perspective in the International Communities, and the victory was both military and diplomatic. It made the Leadership of President Bashir Gemayel much stronger because of his leadership and important role in this battle. The battle started on 2 April 1981, and finished with
14208-411: The start of Ottoman rule, the Kisrawan was sparsely populated. Maronites from the north increasingly moved into the region through the 16th century, such that they nearly equaled the number of Twelver Shia there by the 1569 census. It showed Muslims, presumably Twelver Shias, and Christians, presumably Maronites, comprising 43% and 38% of the Kisrawan's 892 households. By around the mid-17th century, under
14336-505: The strategic Beirut Harbor, was invaded: About 1,000 PLO fighters and civilians were killed. The Palestinian PLO and al-Saiqa forces retaliated by attacking the isolated defenseless Christian town of Damour about 20 miles south of Beirut on the coast, during the Damour massacre in which an estimated 150 to 500 Christian civilians were killed and 5,000 were sent fleeing north by boat, since all roads were blocked off. The Maronites retaliated with
14464-627: The subsequent parliamentary election held in May and June, the Lebanese Forces formed part of the Rafik Hariri Martyr List , which also included the Future Movement , Popular Socialist Party , the reformed Phalange party, and other anti-Syrian political groups, as well as a brief tactical alliance with Amal and Hezbollah . The tactical alliance with Hizbollah and Amal would soon end; these majority parties and movements would subsequently form
14592-625: The sultanate in 1390 and dispatched Arab tribesmen from the Beqaa Valley to attack the Turkmens, killing their leader Ali ibn al-A'ma. The Mamluks captured and soon after freed Ali's brother Umar, probably to not afford the Buhturids too much advantage from the Turkmens' losses. The Ottomans conquered the Mamluk Sultanate in 1516–1517 and the Ottoman sultan Selim conferred on the Turkmen emir Assaf
14720-416: The tax collection rights the family obtained on a practically inheritable basis, the Khazens monopolized the silk trade in Kisrawan, fostering sericulture there and the migration of Maronite peasants from northern Mount Lebanon. Frustration had been mounting among the peasants of the Kisrawan from the mid-19th century, due to the burdens of corvée (unpaid labor for a landlord) that had been imposed during
14848-489: The tax farm of the Kisrawan. Hubaysh influence took a decisive blow, with Sulayman Hubaysh and his nephews Mansur and Muhanna arrested and executed by Sayfa. The Shia Hamade clan gained influence in their place under Sayfa rule. The takeover of the Kisrawan by Sayfa caused consternation with the provincial government in Damascus. It viewed the district's control by the governor of Tripoli (Sayfa) as effectively separating it from Damascene administration. Further, by controlling
14976-446: The title Keserwan . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Keserwan&oldid=1198471276 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Kisrawan In
15104-432: The traditional Maronite elites. In response to complaints of harassment of Shia Muslim villagers by local Christians in the region, Shahin assaulted and looted Shia villages in the Kisrawan and Byblos hills in late 1859. In May 1860, Shahin's militiamen intervened on the side of Christian villagers in the neighboring Matn region to the south during clashes with their Druze counterparts. The tit-for-tat clashes spiraled into
15232-405: The way for Maronites from northern Mount Lebanon to settle in their place. The Mamluks settled Sunni Muslim Turkmens in the coastal villages of the Kisrawan in 1306 to serve as a permanent direct guard for the government over the region and the road to Beirut. Their territory extended along the coastal region of the Kisrawan between Antelias in the south and Nahr al-Mu'amalatayn, just north of
15360-411: Was a big mismatch in military capabilities and was able to reverse the result of the battle of 1981. This victory was due to the bravery of the inhabitants and 92 Lebanese Forces soldiers (L.F Special Forces: The Maghaweer) sent from Beirut. The Syrian occupying forces used all kind of weapons (heavy artillery, tanks, war planes...) against a peaceful town, and they cut all kind of backup that may come from
15488-780: Was a political murder until proven otherwise. The Lebanese Forces presented 18 direct members along with many other allies in every electoral district, with the exception South III , during the elections with a large anti-Hezbollah sentiment. The Lebanese Forces saw some withdrawal of candidates specifically in Shia dominated areas which was blamed at Hezbollah and the Amal Movement for placing pressure on Shia March 14 candidates. LF formed an electoral alliance with Qassem Daoud (brother of Amal Martyr Daoud Daoud) in Tyre/Zahrani-East Saida (South II). Lebanese Forces secured 19 seats, making
15616-684: Was administered from Baalbek . Mu'awiya I , the governor of the Levant in 639–661 and first Umayyad caliph ( r. 661–680 ), settled Persian civilians and soldiers from other parts of the Levant in Baalbek and Tripoli . These Persian settlers had remained in the Levant after the Byzantines reconquered the region from the Persian Sasanian Empire and converted to Islam after the Muslim conquest in
15744-469: Was found in an apparent crash sight on 6 August 2023, but an autopsy later revealed that he was killed and many believed the murder was politically motivated. Samir Geagea declared Hasrouni's death an assassination, pointing the finger at the Iran-backed Hezbollah as the crime occurred deep within areas controlled by them. Politician Samy Gemayel also hinted that Hezbollah might have been behind
15872-496: Was interpreted as acceptance of Gemayel's controls, because he felt that the Tigers led by his son were getting out of his control. In 1981 at Zahlé in the Beqaa, the largest Christian town in the East, confronted one of the biggest battles – both military and political – between the Lebanese Forces and the Syrian occupying forces. The Lebanese Forces was able to confront them even though there
16000-403: Was interpreted as acceptance of Gemayel's controls. In 1981 at Zahlé in the Beqaa, the largest Christian town in the East, confronted one of the biggest battles – both military and political – between the Lebanese Forces and the Syrian occupying forces. The Lebanese Forces was able to confront them even though there was a big mismatch in military capabilities and was able to reverse the result of
16128-472: Was mainly supported by the villages of Rayfoun, Ajaltoun, Ashqout , Qleiat and Mazraat Kfardebian, and the headquarters was originally in Zouk Mikael before being relocated to Rayfoun. Opposition to the government was strongest in the villages of Ghosta, Aramoun, Ghazir and Ftuh. Shahin's star rose among the Christians of Mount Lebanon in general, who saw in him their defender against the Druze landlords and
16256-459: Was necessary to root out PLO guerrillas from the southern part of the country. Israeli forces eventually moved towards Beirut and laid siege to the city, aiming to reshape the Lebanese political landscape and force the PLO out of Lebanon. By 1982, Israel had been the main supplier to the Lebanese Forces, giving them assistance in weapons, clothing, and training. An official Israeli inquiry into events in Beirut estimated that when fully mobilized
16384-726: Was remedied by the Kataeb Regulatory Forces (most notably the BG Squad that was led by Bachir) and their allied Christian militias as they besieged the Palestinian camps embedded in Christian East Beirut one at a time and brought them down. The first was on 18 January 1976 when the heavily fortified Karantina camp, located near the strategic Beirut Harbor, was invaded: About 1,000 PLO fighters and civilians were killed. The Palestinian PLO and al-Saiqa forces retaliated by attacking
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