Lebanese Front victory
31-417: [REDACTED] Lebanese Front [REDACTED] Hafez al-Assad [REDACTED] Mustafa Tlass The Hundred Days War ( Arabic : حرب المئة يوم , Harb Al-Mia'at Yaoum, French : La Guerre des Cent Jours) was a subconflict within the 1977–82 phase of the Lebanese Civil War which occurred in the Lebanese capital Beirut . It was fought between the allied Christian Lebanese Front militias, under
62-519: A documentary about the massacre in which Youssef Frangieh revealed that he was the one who shot Samir Geagea . On 17 September 2008 Youssef Frangieh was killed in a conflict between Lebanese Front and Marada in Bsarma . The travel writer and historian William Dalrymple reaches the conclusion that the Ehden massacre was remarkable and revealed more clearly than anything the medieval feudal reality behind
93-411: A force of 500 commandos to Ehden ; however what Gemayel did not know was that Tony Frangieh hadn't left Ehden as his car wasn't running. As soon as the squadron arrived, bullets were flying over their heads and the squadron returned fire indiscriminately. Tony Frangieh, his wife Vera Frangieh (née el Kordahi), their three-year-old daughter Jihane, and thirty other Marada bodyguards and aides who were at
124-519: A joint military command (a.k.a. the "Command Council") whose new collective name was the "Lebanese Forces" (LF). From the very beginning, it became clear that the Lebanese Front's Command Council was dominated by the Phalange and its KRF militia under the charismatic leadership of Bachir Gemayel , who sought to unify the various Christian militias. From 1977 onwards, Bachir began implementing
155-580: A loose coalition, the Lebanese Front , designed to act as a political counterweight to the predominantly Muslim Lebanese National Movement (LNM) – Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) alliance. In order to deal with the Syrian military intervention of June 1976 and better coordinate the military operations of their respective militias, Christian militia leaders agreed to form in August that year
186-503: A massive collapse in Syrian moral and its leadership started to question the ability of the army to take Lebanon. Following this, the USSR rushed to defend Syria by calling a meeting to UN security council on 7th October 1978. The meeting lasted for only 4 minutes and issued resolution 436, forcing an end to the fightings, an end to Syrian so called "de-zionification" operation and recognising
217-626: A short period only. Dany Chamoun , son of deceased Camille Chamoun, formed a new Lebanese Front, but a week after the end of the Lebanese Civil War in October 1990, Dany was assassinated and the Lebanese Front came to an end. Ehden massacre Second phase: 1977–1982 Third phase: 1982–1984 Fourth phase: 1984–1990 Cantons and puppet states The Ehden massacre ( Arabic : مجزرة إهدن , romanized : Majzarat Ehden ) took place on 13 June 1978, during
248-681: The United Nations General Assembly in 1958, and Fouad Frem al-Boustani, the president of the Lebanese University . The front also included religious figures such as Father Charbel Qassis, who was later replaced by Father Bulus Naaman the "head of the permanent congress of the Lebanese monastic orders". For a brief while the poet Said Aql was a member. As soon as the war erupted in Lebanon, and before
279-584: The 1975–1990 Lebanese Civil War . It was an inter-Christian attack between Maronite clans. A Kateab militia attacked the summer house of the Frangieh family in Ehden leading to the death of over 40 people including Tony Frangieh and his family. Tony Frangieh was the eldest son of Sulaiman Frangieh, leader of the Maranda Brigade and scion of one of the most powerful northern Maronite clans. He
310-475: The Christians than the Syrian forces. The settlement was welcomed by the Lebanese Front parties and marked the end of the clashes. Lebanese Front The Lebanese Front ( Arabic : الجبهة اللبنانية , romanized : al-Jabha al-Lubnaniyya ) was a coalition of mainly right-wing Lebanese Nationalist parties formed in 1976 by majority Christian groups during the Lebanese Civil War . It
341-702: The Frangiehs' close ties to Syria , along with their bitter political squabbling with the Gemayel clan – leaders of the Kataeb Party or 'Phalange' – and their disagreements with the other Christian leaders over their tactical alliance with Israel , prompted Frangieh to break from the Lebanese Front in 1977. In 1978, tensions were high in Northern Lebanon between the Kataeb and Marada parties when
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#1732775868323372-696: The Front. In 1982, the Lebanese Front promoted Bachir Gemayel for the presidency. He was elected as president by the Lebanese parliament by 58 out of 62 votes from both Christians and Muslims, only to be assassinated three weeks later. During the second half of the 1980s, most of the prominent leaders of the Lebanese Front died (Pierre Gemayel in 1984, both Chamoun and Charles Malik in 1987) and were replaced by other leaders like George Saadeh , Amin Gemayel and Karim Pakradouni . The Lebanese Front then lived for
403-594: The Kataeb tried to expand their power in the patriarchal seat of power of the Frangieh family. Following the killing of many Phalangist members, it was the killing of senior Phalangist member Joud El Bayeh that triggered the subsequent events. Joud El Bayeh was killed on 7 June 1978 by armed men sent by Tony Franjieh when he tried to open a political office in Zgharta. Lebanese Forces had to retaliate. The initial plan
434-762: The LNM-PLO alliance militias in west Beirut altogether or allow the Christian militias to do so. On this day, Syrian army started a military offensive destined to dislodge the anti-Syrian Lebanese Front leadership from Beirut and the Front's strongholds. This move not only began the Lebanese Hundred's Days War but a series of confrontation between Lebanese nationalists and Syrian regime and pro-Syrian factions, that continue to this day. In this opening act, Syria gathered 15,000 troops around Beirut supported by heavy weaponry, which bombed Lebanese residential areas in
465-404: The Lebanese Front was formed, many of the future leaders of the Lebanese Front organized their political parties into militias, most notably Camille Chamoun's National Liberal Party , Pierre Gemayel's influential longstanding Kataeb Party, and Suleiman Frangieh's Marada Brigade . The number of men totalled around 18,000, which was a relatively large number given that the total population of Lebanon
496-617: The Phalange members in the area were displaced and nearly 100 of them were killed. On 28 June 1978, Marada allies responded with another massacre known as the Qaa massacre which resulted in the death of 26 Phalangists. The Marada Movement, headed by Suleiman Frangieh Jr. in 1982, accused the Lebanese Forces of carrying out the Ehden massacre. Bashir Gemayel argued that the massacre was a "social revolt against feudalism." In addition,
527-587: The Phalangist Party declared that its forces carried out the attack since the Marada forces did not surrender the killers of the Phalangist leader Joud El Bayeh. Samir Geagea who allegedly headed the Phalangist force responsible for the Ehden massacre admitted that he was among the "military squad" that was in charge of the Ehden "operation", but he denied taking part in the massacre, claiming that he
558-540: The city at a heavy rate reaching sometimes 100 shells per minute. On the other hand, the Lebanese Front united its leadership under Bachir Gemayel and started successive counter operations against Syrian brigades, which Syria responded with further savage bombings determined to seize control of Lebanon at all costs. The final stage of the war culminated with the humiliating surrender of brigades of Syrian special forces in Beirut after only days of encirclement. This event caused
589-495: The command of the Kataeb Party 's President Bachir Gemayel , and the Syrian troops of the Arab Deterrent Force (ADF). Second phase: 1977–1982 Third phase: 1982–1984 Fourth phase: 1984–1990 Cantons and puppet states In January 1976, the Phalange joined the main Christian parties – National Liberal Party (NLP), Lebanese Renewal Party (LRP), Marada Brigade , Al-Tanzim , and others – in
620-511: The controversial "unification of the rifle" policy, using the LF to build a new power base for himself, distinct from that of the Phalange or any of the other traditional rightist parties. However, Bachir's actions soon put him on a direct collision course with Syria. Relations between the LF command and Damascus had already become frosty as a consequence of the ADF's growing unwillingness to either suppress
651-558: The file was reopened in 2002, Suleiman Frangieh Jr., son of Tony Frangieh, criticised the move, arguing that its aim was to show him manipulation of his slain family's blood for political ends. He further stated "the affair is a bygone for me, buried in the past." On 3 October 2008 reconciliation talks between Lebanese Front and Marada started. After a decade on 14 November 2018 Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi reconciled Lebanese Front and Marada in Bkirki . On 13 June 2008 OTV made
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#1732775868323682-562: The legitimacy of the Lebanese Front as representative of Lebanese Free Zones on international stages. However, the LF attack on the pro-Syrian Marada Brigade militia of the Frangieh Clan that summer, which culminated in the infamous Ehden massacre , provoked another round of fighting in June–July. President Elias Sarkis threatened to resign in protest over the Syrian bombardment of East Beirut, but later withdrew his resignation when
713-435: The mansion were killed in the raid. More than ten Phalangist gunmen were also killed in the attack. "Even the family dog did not escape the carnage of that day". Suleiman Frangieh claimed that the Phalangist gunmen forced Tony and his young wife Vera to watch the shooting of their infant daughter Jihane, then made him watch the murder of his wife before killing him. Tony Frangieh's son, Suleiman Frangieh, Jr. , escaped
744-466: The massacre. He was not with his family in Ehden, but with his grandfather at that time. On 14 June 1978, a funeral ceremony was organized for the victims in Zagharta. Syrian troops stormed a village, Deir el Ahmar , nearly 15.5 miles southeast of Ehden to search for the perpetrators on the same day. Marada forces also carried out a series of revenge killings and kidnappings. In the following period
775-455: The role of the ADF and a strong condemnation of those dealing with Israel . This meeting, and subsequent discussions between Syria and Saudi Arabia led to the lifting of the siege of Achrafieh by the Syrians and the withdrawal of all Syrian troops from East Beirut, being replaced by Saudi and Sudanese ADF troops, whom the Lebanese Front leaders viewed as more impartial and less hostile towards
806-585: The shelling stopped. More fighting erupted in the fall, again followed by a ceasefire. In October 1978, the Foreign Ministers of Lebanon and those Arab League states contributing to the ADF – Syria , Saudi Arabia , Kuwait , Sudan , Qatar and the UAE – met at the town of Beiteddine , in the Chouf District south-east of Beirut. The outcome of the meeting was essentially a reaffirmation of
837-502: Was 36 years old when he was killed. Before the Lebanese Front was formed, many of the future leaders of the Lebanese Front organized their political parties into militias, most notably Camille Chamoun 's 'Tigers' , Pierre Gemayel 's ' Kataeb Militia' , and Suleiman Frangieh 's ' Marada Brigade '. Despite having joined in January 1976 the Lebanese Front alliance that gathered the main rightist Christian parties and their militias,
868-678: Was intended to act as a reaction force to the Lebanese National Movement (LNM) of Kamal Jumblatt and other left-wing allies. The Lebanese Front was presided by the former president of Lebanon, Camille Chamoun , and its main participants were Pierre Gemayel , the founder and leader of the then-largest political party in Lebanon, the Kataeb Party , president Suleiman Frangieh , who had just finished his presidential years in office. It also included first class intellectuals, such as distinguished professor of philosophy and eminent diplomat Charles Malik who had been president of
899-452: Was less than three million. However, the relations among the participants became tense mainly due to Frangieh's pro-Syrian approach. In addition, in 1978, Suleiman Frangieh's son Tony and his family were killed by armed Kataeb militiamen trying to kidnap him acting on orders from Bashir Gemayel , the son of Pierre Gemayel. The incident is known as the Ehden massacre . It was this turning point that prompted Suleiman Frangieh to resign from
930-416: Was shot before the incident. Hanna Shallita was arrested during a 1994 government crackdown on Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces, who was accused of staging the Ehden massacre. Shallita was set free after paying an LL5 million bail in August 2002. However, no official investigation ever opened to find out who killed the Frangieh family and others. To date the killers have not been officially indicted. When
961-508: Was to capture Tony Frangieh and force him to surrender the members of the Marada militia that killed the Phalangists. However, there was concern about the consequences of this move. Instead it was decided that the goal of the operation would be to capture the supposed members of the Marada militia that killed the Phalangists. The operation would be done on a Tuesday to assure Tony Frangieh would have left Ehden. On 13 June 1978, Gemayel sent