The Syrians destroy the town of
Tripoli in Northern Lebanon. |
Tripoli had become a second
Beirut. |
The fighting between the
Sunnites of Tripoli and the Syrians started at the beginning
of December. |
The Syrians formed a militia
loyal to them, the Arab Democratic Party, whose general
secretary was Nassib Khatib
|
The Baal Mohsen quarter was held
by the Syrians and their allies while the Bab Tebbanne
quarter was controlled by the anti-Syrian Lebanese militia.
|
Tension was at its peak in
Tripoli. A shell storm hit the city making 20 deaths and
several wounded. The combats opposed the Popular Resistance
to the Arab Strike Force.
|
January 11, 1983 Bombs
fell on Hadeth and Baabda. For the first time since the
Israeli invasion in June 1982 and since the Multinational
Force arrived in Beirut, the guns came closer to the capital
as bombs fell on the suburbs of Hadeth, Baabda, Kfarchima
and Bsaba killing 2 and injuring 9.
January 28, 1983
39
persons were killed and tens of others were wounded
following a car bomb explosion parked in front of the 'Fateh'
headquarters in Chtaura.
March 4, 1983
A Lebanese
Army convoy was attacked near Baalbeck. 6 militaries were
killed and 13 injured. The assailants were pro-Iranians
fighters.
March 16, 1983 14
American Marines and Italian bersaglieri were wounded by
three attacks perpetrated in less than 12 hours. Washington
and Rome declared however that the Multinational Force would
continue its mission. The Lebanese Army launched a clean up
operation in the Southern suburbs
|
April 18, 1983 A
murderous attack was perpetrated against the United States
embassy in Beirut. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility
for the attack executed using a small truck loaded with
explosives driven by a Kamikaze.
|
American body guard
|
The embassy's building was
totally devastated, resulting in the death of 61 persons
including 17 Americans. Two hours after the attack,
President Gemayel arrived at the scene in order to supervise
the rescue operations.
|
June 14, 1983 While the
bombardments took a dangerous turn in the mountain as they
reached residential areas, the Chamber of Deputies approved
the ratification of the Mai 17 agreement with 62 votes
against 2 and 4 abstentions.
June 20, 1983 Lebanon
lost one of its major poets. Nadia Tueni left behind her
pages of pure beauty, eternal words, an immortal poetry, a
Lebanon on fire, a tearful family, and inconsolable friends.
|
June 27, 1983 Violent
combats were raging in the region of Mansouriet-Bhamdoun
between the Lebanese Forces and the PSP militia. The bombs
reached the Northern Metn.
July 21, 1983 The
President of the A.U.B, David Dodge who was kidnapped on the
19th of July 1982, was released. The White House expressed
its gratitude to Syria.
. |
August 28, 1983 Beirut
witnessed four days of madness and bombardments during which
the Army lost control of the situation in a matter of one
day, in favor of the militiamen.
|
September 1, 1983,
During the month of September, atrocious massacres
were perpetrated against Christian and Druze civilians in
the Chouf.
|
Taking the Lebanese authorities by surprise, the
Israeli
Army began its withdrawal from the Chouf and Aley leaving
face to face the militia of the PSP and the LF in a
merciless battle. |
The combats raged mainly around Bhamdoun,
Souk El Gharb and Kabr Chmoun. A dramatic situation unfolded
in the mountain where thousands of people were forced out of
their homes. 30 000 people found temporary shelter in Deir
El Kamar. The rehousing of the displaced persons caused a
complicated problem for the officials.
|
The militia after the defeat of the village Bhamdoun on
September '83
September 18, 1983
Emir Magid Arslane died at the age of 79. Hero of the
independence, deputy since 1931, and several times minister,
Emir Magid became very early a true national leader, a
perfect incarnation of the generation of men who have shaped
the coexistence aspect of Lebanon. |
September 19 1983,
US warships began shelling Druze, Syrian and Palestinian
positions in the Chouf Mountains outside Beirut. The battleship
New Jersey with
its 2,700 pound shells ("flying Volkswagens") participated
in the action. |
September 22, 1983 It was the turn of the French to react.
The super-standards bombarded the artillery positions in Dhour Choueir while a bomb shower fell on Greater Beirut. |
French troops in downtown Beirut
|
October 7, 1983
A first
exchange of hostages between the LF and the P.S.P was
possible under the aegis of the four-party military
commission. Furthermore, the commission succeeded in
assuring the entry of a Red Cross convoy in Deir El Kamar
where 25,000 refugees had found shelter.
October 12, 1983
Political confusion, frequent violations of the cease-fire,
alarming threats were as many elements that favored monetary
speculation in Beirut. The dollar registered a spectacular
increase against the Lebanese pound reaching 515 L.P.
October 18, 1983
Violent
artillery duels were taking place on the axis Aley-Souk El
Gharb-Dahr El Wahch and in the Iqlim. The situation became
uncontrollable.
|
On October 23, 1983, the US marine
barracks in Beirut, Lebanon was blown up by a suicide bomber
driving a truck loaded with explosives. 241 Marines died.
|
US Marines After Bombing of Beirut Base, |
US marine barracks |
The Marines closed the road infront of the US marine
barracks
|
US Marines After Bombing of Beirut Base, 1983 |
Twenty seconds after the barracks
bombing and four miles away another bomb exploded in a
building housing French Multi-National Force paratroopers.
58 soldiers were killed.
October 24, 1983
The
French President Mitterand made a quick visit to Beirut and
declared: ' We will stay'
November 4, 1983 A car bomb exploded next to the Israeli
headquarters in Tyr causing 29 deaths and 29 injured. The
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for this killing
attempt.
|
November 6, 1983
The situation was dramatic in Tripoli.
Inter-Palestinian fights claimed 500 deaths and 875 injured.
|
November 17, 1983 The French aviation hit pro-Iranian bases
in Baalbeck.
November 24, 1983 Six Israeli prisoners were exchanged
against 4600 Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners.
December 4, 1983 The Syrian anti-air defense shut down two
American airplanes and a pilot was captured. The positions
of the Marines at the Beirut International Airport were
bombarded. Eight Marines were killed. The American President
was angry: 'We will retaliate if we are attacked again'.
|
December 5, 1983 150
kilos of hexogen exploded at Tarik Jdideh spreading terror,
killing 16 persons and injuring 100. |
December 14, 1983
The
American battleship New Jersey entered into action and
launched 11 bombs of 1500 kilos each against Syrian
positions in Dahr El Baydar. |
December 15, 1983
2500 Lebanese Forces
fighters were evacuated from Deir El Kamar.
December 20, 1983 Yasser Arafat and 4300
Palestinians left Tripoli aboard Greek ships.
December 21, 1983 A truck bomb attack
against the frigate post of the French contingent of the
Multinational Force in Berjaoui killed one paratrooper and
injured 16 others. Another 16 persons were killed and 84
were injured among the Lebanese civilians.
December 28, 1983 After three days marked by
violent combats in the capital, the Army announced that it
was controlling the camps of Sabra and Chatila.
|
January 9, 1984 An anti-French killing
attempt at the Résidence des Pins killed a paratrooper and
wounded two others. Attacks against US and French troops of
the Multinational Force continued until their departure in
March.
January 12, 1984 One person was killed and many others were
wounded in Achrafieh in a blind bombardment of residential
areas. These bombings continued until July 4, causing
thousands of deaths and injuries. Meanwhile, the dollar
broke a new record in Beirut, reaching 5.55 LP.
January 16, 1984 Saad Haddad, commander of
the Army of Free Lebanon, died from a generalized cancer. He
was 47 years old and was buried in his birthplace, Marjeyoun.
|
In
early February the Lebanese Army attempted to move into West
Beirut against Druze and Muslim militia forces supported by
Syria. Intense fighting broke out and lasted for weeks.
|
February 6, 1984 In a
matter of hours, Amal & PSP took control over West Beirut.
The capital was heavily bombed, while the Army gave up the
control of the Western sector of the Capital to Amal and to
the Islamic militias.
February 8, 1984
The ' New Jersey ', the
most powerful battleship in the world from the 6 US fleet,
bombed for several hours anti-governmental positions in the
mountain.
|
February 14, 1984 Amal and PSP met in
Khaldeh, while only Souk El Gharb was still controlled by
the Army in the mountain.
February 15, 1984 Mechref and Damour fell
under the control of the PSP, while violent combats raged
around Souk El Gharb, the last obstacle in the mountain.
|
At the end of February 1984
U.S.,
French, and Italian peacekeeping troops had departed West
Beirut.
March 22, 1984 The PSP, backed up by Amal,
forced the Mourabitun out of Beirut.
|
April 4, 1984 The retired General Antoine Lahd took his functions as head of the South Lebanon Army (SLA)
created and financed by Israel. This new militia replaced
Saad Haddad's Army of Free Lebanon.
|
May 5, 1984 A new round of murderous
violence killed 22 persons and wounded 107 others. The
bombardments reached the Baabda Palace, forcing the
organizers of a peace walk to express national
dissatisfaction, to cancel the event.
June 11, 1984 This is one of the most
violent days since 1976. No words are enough to describe the
ongoing butchery. 90 persons lost their lives and 353 were
wounded on this single day.
|
August 21, 1984 It was almost hell in
Tripoli, as combats continued between the Islamic
Unification Movement and the Arab Democratic Party. 54
deaths and 150 injuries were reported during the 48 hours of
fight. |
Kidnappings of American and European
citizens living in Lebanon filled the following months.
William Buckley, the CIA's
Beirut station chief who was kidnapped in 1984 and said to
have died after prolonged torture, reportedly was secretly
spirited through Syria by Iranian gunmen and delivered to
Iran for interrogation. Buckley was flown by from Damascus
to Tehran after his abduction.
Terry Anderson, chief Middle
East correspondent for the Associated Press, Terry Waite who
disappeared January 20, 1986, while on a negotiating mission
to free the other kidnap victims and many more other
hostages... |
August 29, 1984
Pierre Gemayel, head of the Phalange Party and Minister of
Posts and Telecommunications and Health died from a heart
attack. An official three-day mourning was announced, as
well as a general one-day closure.
September 20, 1984
A car bomb exploded next to the US embassy in
Aoukar. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the
attack that caused 11 dead and 96 injured. In Sohmor in the
West of the Bekaa, the Army of South Lebanon opened fire on
a crowd gathered on the place of the village, killing 24
persons and injuring 96.
October 9, 1984
Walid Joumblatt announced in Beirut the birth of a new
coalition, the 'National Democratic Front', grouping,
besides the PSP, the Communist Party, the Baas, the Syrian
Nationalist Party, and the Arab Socialist Union.
November 25, 1984
The Army took control of Beirut, where 6000 soldiers
deployed in the capital but without really controlling the
situation. |
Lebanese forces started shelling Druze,
and Syrian positions in the Chouf Mountains after the
attack of Syrians to control Behamdoun
|
Fierce
battles took place between the Lebanese Forces and the Syrian Army
attacking with heavy tanks and thousands of special forces in Behamdoun |
Bhamdoun
captured by the Syrians
|