REPORT UPDATE ISSUED BY
The Committee of Support for the Lebanese in Enforced Exile in Israel
Coordinator: Claude Hajjar
January 2007
THE WAR AGAINST
“SOUTH LEBANON - SOUTH LEBANESE ARMY ”
BACKGROUND
From 1975 to 2005, Lebanon totally lost her Prosperity, Stability, Sovereignty, Independence and Freedom.
The pattern of harassment, kidnappings and assassinations by PLO operatives and Syrians in Palestinian uniforms had been ongoing since the mid-1960s, when the PLO was founded, long before the events of 1968-1969 and 1975.
Prior to the founding of the PLO, Syria's rejection of Lebanon's right to exist caused it to interfere in Lebanese affairs whenever it could: when on September 12, 1957 and May 3-8, 1958, a contingent of Internal Security Forces (ISF) was attacked and its members killed in Deir El Ashayer; when 200 Syrian soldiers attacked and occupied the village of Kfarchouba, in south Lebanon, killing the villagers and an officer; and when 5 customs officers were assassinated in cold blood at Masnaa, the crossing point at the Lebanese-Syrian border.
From June to December 1958, the Lebanese Army lost 35 soldiers.
Since that period, Palestinians/Syrians/ and later Syrian/Iranian organizations kidnapped, tortured, massacred, assassinated, slaughtered, raped and booby-trapped hundreds of innocent civilians, members of clergy, and Lebanese Army soldiers in the South, and all the areas of Lebanon.
In the South, they attacked the villages of Jezzine, Kfarfalouss, Naqura, Bint Jbeil, Marjaayoun, Qoleiaa, Hasbaya, Debil, Deir Mimass, Ain El Mir, Roum, Anan, Shuwaya, Labaa, Rmeish, Kfarhouna, Aramta, Rihane, Ain Ebel, Beit Lif, Tebnine, Bkassine, Aytoula, El Taybeh, Sabbah, Houla, and in other regions of the South. They burned down and razed to the ground houses, churches, schools, the only two available hospitals, and entire villages, to occupy the remaining (8%) of Lebanese territory that was still free in 2000 from the Syrian/Palestinian/Iranian occupation. The goal was to undermine the state of lull between Lebanon and Israel, forcing Lebanon to remain until this day the only active war front against Israel under their unique control - from Fatahland to Hezbolland.
An Officer of the South Lebanese Army reported to the media that between 1978 and 2000, 621 SLA soldiers and 200 southern civilians were killed and assassinated - a total of 821 fatalities - while 230 soldiers and 80 civilians, a combined figure of 310, were maimed. It was later confirmed that between the first attack and 2000, the overall number of victims was indeed 1630 persons.
1976:
The Lebanese Army units, known as the SLA (South Lebanese Army), were officially dispatched to the South in 1976 and were composed of a nucleus of 600 regular Lebanese Army soldiers. They were cut off from the central government of Beirut by the PLO and by renegade units of the Lebanese Army called "The Arab Army of Lebanon" under the command of the deserter Lieutenant Ahmed Al Khatib. However, the South Lebanese Army remained on the payroll of the Lebanese Army at Yarzé and of the government until May 2000.
When the Syrians completed the takeover of the country in 1990, the SLA remained loyal to the pledge of defending their country for decades, even after their own government that was under Syrian control branded them as the enemy.
The Beirut Government officially designated and included over the years the Commanding officers Saad Haddad, Sami Chidiac, and Antoine Lahad (unofficially designated-see below), and appointed the Officers Sharbel Barakat, Samir El Hajj, Eid Eid, Adnan El Homsi, George Zaatar, Rizkallah El Fehaily, Hanna El Hajj and others, to assist them in the South.
The number of soldiers was 3000 and even reached up to 5000, at the peak of their history. The inhabitants of the region joined the South Lebanese Army to defend their regions against Syro/Palestino/Iranian invasions, in the way that the inhabitants of Beirut in 1989 joined PM General Aoun and his Army in defending their regions in the War of Liberation.
In 1976, the South Lebanese Army was known by its first name as The Army of the Free Lebanon (Jeysh Lebnaan el Horr).
The Command of the Lebanese Army in Yarzé under its Army Commander-in-Chief General Hanna Said and the Ministry of Defense issued a military communiqué in 1976, assigning Major Saad Haddad to the Command of the South Lebanon Army. They appointed him Commander of the Division of Al Qoleiaa (Qaed Qatibet al Qoleiaa) and the villages of Qoleiaa, Bourj El Moulouq, Qawqaba, Rmeich, Debil, Ain Ebel and Jdeidet Marjaayoun. The military missions assigned to that command included the command functions:
Major Saad Haddad was also the Government’s official representative regarding all diplomatic contacts with the United Nations’ envoys in the South.
Between 1979 and 1982, the Syrians pressured President Elias Sarkis and Prime Minister Selim Hoss to charge Major Saad Haddad and the SLA with high treason, starting by cutting off their pay. The pressure became even more intense with the attempt to replace the South Lebanon Army by a Lebanese Army division called Qawqaba, operating under Syrian control. Ever more so, Major Saad Haddad rejected any collaboration with the Syrian Regime.
Kurt Waldheim, Secretary General of the United Nations and General Erskin, Commander of the UNIFIL, who were asked by the Lebanese Government to keep official contacts ongoing with Major Saad Haddad, publicly criticized the Government for its contradictory and ambiguous position towards Major Saad Haddad’s legitimacy.
After General Hanna Said’s departure, the Army Commander-in-Chief General Victor Khoury signed and addressed an official military communiqué (Muzzaqaret El Khedme El Rasmiyeh) to Major Saad Haddad in order to validate and confirm the continuity of his functions in the South. All official correspondence between them was formulated as follows: “From the Army Commander-in-Chief General Victor Khoury to Commander of Al Sharqi Division, Major Saad Haddad…”
After the death of Major Saad Haddad in January 1984 the Command of the Lebanese Army of Yarzé, along with (former) President Camille Chamoun’s support, informally selected retired General Antoine Lahad as Commander of the South Lebanon Army. They assigned General Lahad to fill in the gap until United Nations’ Resolutions 425 and 520, related to the redeployment of the Lebanese Army in the South and all Lebanese territory, were implemented.
The Command of the Army paid the SLA’s salaries from 1976 to 2000, with the exception of the years 1979 to 1982 (the Hoss-Sarkis period), though the Commander of the ISF refused to block the payments.
Moreover, whenever the roads between Marjaayoun and Beirut were inaccessible and other means of transportation were quite impossible for allocating SLA’s wages and logistic supplies, the officer in charge, assigned by the Command of the Army of Yarzé, would reach Marjaayoun by sea through the port of Haifa in Israel.
Following Presidential advice, the South Lebanon Army opened the road to Israel for the sole purpose of survival and humanitarian needs (lack of hospitals, starvation, illnesses….) and in no case for purposes of collaboration.
President Sleiman Franjiyeh gave the instruction and the right to use the only open door to Israel. He had no other alternative: either to leave the Southerners to die and succumb to diseases, injuries, starvation…or to save them, allowing them to access Israel’s borders. President Franjiyeh based his conscious choice solely on a principled perspective.
President Camille Chamoun encouraged and publicly congratulated the bravery of the South Lebanon Army through its Commander: “Thanks to Major Saad Haddad and his Army, the South will not face the same destiny as other regions like Damour, Jiyyeh, Saaidiyet did…Genocide and total Exile…”
President Chamoun clarified to the press and corrected General Erskin’s distorted declaration of facts and said, “There is a deformation of the truth from sources coming from General Erskin. We do not have in the border region of the South militias from the Christian right-wing and Phalangists. There is very simply a strong unit of the Lebanese Army, which includes approximately 600 men commanded by two officers of value, Commanders Haddad and Chidiac. This unit was helped out in its efforts by volunteers from the region; it faced during many months several Palestinian assaults and saved from massacres and destruction entire villages, such as Marjaayoun, Qoleiaa, Ain Ebel, Rmeish, etc…”
In fact, the SLA included over time Lebanese soldiers from the various communities – Christians, Druzes, and Shiites – thereby reflecting the comprehensive character of the single Lebanese nationality.
Later, the Ambassador of the United States, Mr. Parker, after his meeting with Sarkis-Hoss, approached the issue with President Chamoun of the government sending new Army units to the South. Chamoun replied with the same arguments:”The Government has decided to send Lebanese manpower at its risks and perils…for us, there already exists an Army unit that is purely Lebanese, commanded by Major Haddad. His presence saved the Christian villages of the frontier zones from massacre. Otherwise, they would have experienced the fate of Damour and Aishiyeh…”
BRIEF CHRONOLOGY OF THE SOUTH:
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Abu Samira, a 70-year-old man, and 65-year Ramez Boulos, from Qoleiaa, both died under torture and ill-treatment. Abu Samira died in Oberly’s Jail; Ramez Boulossuccumbed at home, after they released him agonizing from ill-treatment, in Roumieh’s prison.
The Foundation for Human and Humanitarian Rights-Lebanon (FHHRL) reported:
1. Mansour Khalil | 7. Abdel Hassan S. Hassan | 13. Awada Wafic |
2. Akanen Ali | 8. Fakih Mohammad | 14. Abbass Adel |
3. Alik Samih | 9. Hijazy Fouad | 15. Shour Salah |
4. Droubi Hassan | 10. Kassem Ali Hussein | 16. Farhat Hussein |
5. Marmar Ali | 11. Taoube Bahige | 17. Assayed Mohammad Mustafa |
6. Mustafa Yasser | 12. Mawwassi Abed |
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Hundred of Southerners, civilians, soldiers and entire families in Enforced Exile,
Today, the rest of the SLA soldiers are in enforced Exile, having to pay the price for their actions in discharging their duty - acts of loyalty, honor, dignity, patriotism and self-defense, and stand before the “Justice”!
Have been abandoned or forgotten…
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
I sincerely regret not having listed all the victims and martyrs’ names. All the names appearing in this compilation, were obtained from newspaper reports, archives, and witness accounts, friends or families sources.
Roadside Bombs detonated by Hezbollah killed most of the Victims, who fell between the 1980’s and 2000:
Akiki (PVT - Debil, January 31, 2000).
Fawzi El Saghir (PVT - September 28, 1999).
Milia Naaman Rashed (72 years old - Jezzine).
Maroun Neehme Neehme (67 years old Qoleiaa).
Salima Neehme (60 years old - Qoleiaa).
Youssef Massoud Rizk (Jezzine - August 20, 1976).
Tanios El Tenn (Rmeish - September 1976).
Hanne Michael El Haddad (Ain Ebel - July 1976).
Michael El Haddad (Ain Ebel - July 1976).
Joseph El Haddad (Ain Ebel - July 1976).
Mona Youssef Chbat (Ain Ebel - September 1975).
Youssef Tanios Salloum (Ain Ebel - June 1977).
Youssef Gerges Nassif (Debil - February 1977).
Boutros Michael El Akh (Ain Ebel - September 1975).
George Gerges (Jezzine, April 1998).
Tony Kfoury (Rashaya - March 6, 1985).
Mustafa Khalil (Zoghdraya-Sidon - June 6, 1985).
Abdel Raouf El Hajj (Sidon - June 30, 1985).
Mahmoud Hafouda (Sidon - June 30, 1985).
Sleiman El Asmar (Sidon - August 30, 1985).
Maroun Matar (January 22, 1986).
Wadih Moussa (Jabal Safi - February 14, 1986).
Philip Moussa (Jabal Safi - February 14, 1986).
Khalil Trabulsi (Ayneta - February 17, 1986).
Jihad Saykali (Rihane - June 20, 1986).
Antoine Abu Ghannam (Yater Road - June 15, 1986).
Assaad Moussa (Labaa-Kfarfalouss-Ain El Mir - June 19, 1986).
Edgard Hakim (Darb El Sim - June 20, 1986).
Dani Najm (Sabbah-Jezzine - July 5, 1986).
Lucien Estephan (Tallet Sejod - August 10, 1986).
Khalil El Jellad (Tallet Sejod - September 18, 1986).
Joseph Youssef (Tallet Sejod - September 18, 1986).
Elie Youssef (Anan Kfarfalouss - June 1986).
Charbel Kassouf (Jabal Safi - April 1987).
Jad Morkos (Anan-Kfarfalouss - September 1987).
Youssef Matta (Jabal Safi - October 1991).
Tony Hourani (Ain Majdalain-Jezzine - May 1992).
Tony Bakhos (Kroum el Arz-Jezzine - October 1995).
Assaad Nammour (Sabbah-Bkassine - September 1996).
Hussein El Fkih (Sabbah-Bkassine - September 1996).
Selim Risha (Roum-Bessry - December 1996).
Samir Youssef Roumiyeh (Kfarhouna - March 1997).
George Gerges (Jezzine- April 1998).
Roukoz Roukoz (Ain Majdalain-Jezzine - September 1998).
Joseph Chamoun (Ain Majdalain-Jezzine - September 1998).
Two students (Anan-Roum Road - 1988).
Two students (Kfarhouna-Jezzine - 1997).
Ezzat Elias Julien, his mother, wife and three (3) children (Qoleiaa).
Akl Hashem Ali Marmar Ali Qassem Ali mahmoud AbdEl Nabi bazzi Antoun salloum Adel Abbass Akl melhem Ali zein el din Antoine Abu ghanem Abboud hammoud Abbas koussan Abdel hassan mwassi Ahmad Salame Abdallah Atweh Ali Qassem AbdEl Rahim Abu Eid Asaad Nasser Ali Zaher Antoine Hobeika Adel Madi Abdel wahab Daher |
Abdallah miyasseh Abdallah mahmoud Abbas abbas Ali loubwani Abbas tourmos Ali Ghodban Ali qassem Ahmad Saad Aniess Assaf Abdallah Mustafa Assass Khiami Ali Hamade Abbas Hammoud Ali Beydoun Ahmad Nassrallah Aline Elham Assaad Nohra Ali Salame Ali Abu Qassem Assaf El fhayli Ali Hammoud Ali Joumaa |
Albert Agnatis Ahmad El daaboul Ali Younes Ayoub El haddad Ahmad Madani Assad Harfouch Attef Chedid Assad Alloud Ashraf El qader Ayman Abdallah Afif El chuffi Aziz Khalili Antoine Frem Ali Ramadan Anwar Hamad Antoine Dia Abed Abu samra Ange El hajj Antoine Julien Abdallah Chahin Ali Soueid |
Bahij Touba Bassam Saad Bachir Hanna Bachir El alam Boutros El akh |
Boulous Attieh Bassam Hanna Bahiya El hajj Boutros Louka Bassam Nohra |
Boulos Nehme Boutros Rizk Bassam Chamoun Barakat Keyrouz |
Chabib El naddaf Charbel El Amil Charbel Younes Chedid Ghaleb clovis Attieh |
Chafik Eid Charbel El haddad Charles Rizk Chawki Abu mrad |
Charbel El chaar Chafik El assfour Chady Abu ghayda Chebli Abu chahla |
Dany Al sheikh Dany Fares |
Dib Nassif Daoud Chahine |
Daher Salame Daoud Kamel |
Eid Chehad Elias El hassrouni Elias Hanna Elias jubran Elias Nassif Elias Mansour Elias Ajka Elias Hanoun |
Elias Farah Elias Julien Elias Matar Elias Chedid Elie Abu qassem Edward Boutros Elias Toubia Elias m. Fares |
Emile Aoun Elias Markos Elias El haj Elias keserwani Elie Abdo Emile Amin |
Faraj Kalash Fayez Younes Fadel Jaafar Fayssal Fneich Fady Saade Fayez Julien Fares Abu samra Fares Toubia |
Fouad Rizk Fares Jabbour Fouad Abu zeid Fares N. Fares Fady El zaybak Fouaz Fouaz Farid Abu diab Fayez Abu hamadi |
Fahed El harfouch Fady Barakat Fady Saraya Fouad Younes FAWZI EL sajir Fares Fares Fouad Hijazi Farid Saaid |
jaoudat Deghman Joseph Abu arraj George El hajj Jihad Harb George Massaad Jamal Dakik George Geadaa Jihad louka George Habboub Jamal El sayyed Geryiss Abboud Jean Hatoum George Sakr Ghassan Abu mrad Geryes Azar George Abu elia Gaby kaabour Gaby Abu farhat |
Jihad Haydar Geryis Khalil Jean Chalhoub George T. Abboud Jamil Chaoul Geryis Bassar Joseph Daher George Hanoun Jihad Abu samra Ghazi Awad Jean Fouwaz George Maroun Jihad Saykali Gilbert Jabbour Geryis Estefan George Jabbour Galeb Khreis George Saade |
George El haddad |
Hussen Abdel nabi Hussen Farhat Hussen Mlakh Hassan Droubi Hasssan Dabja Haydar El haddad Hassan Saleh Hassan Ewila Hassan El s. hassan Hassan Saab Hussein Nakhle |
Hussein Chahla Hassan Ashur Hanna El naddaf Hassan Bassal Hanna Sakr Habib Nassif Hayssam Oulayan Hanna El khoury Halim El hourany Hamzah Serhan Hassan Zaarour |
Hussein Yehya Hassan Fares Hassan Serhan Hussein Sleiman Habib El halel Hanna Tannous Hanna Rizk Hassan Chehade Hassan Abu rafeh Hussein Snan Habib El hajj |
Ibrahim El haddad |
Ibrahim Saaid |
Ismaeil Kamra Ibrahim Abu kheir Ibrahim El hayek Ismaeil Abbas Issam Krasen Ibrahim Chehade |
Khalil El hourani Khodr El hendi Khaled El naddaf Khalil Mansouri Kamel Fayad Khalil El jalad Kamel El shartouni |
Kamel Hussein Khalil Hanna Kassem El daaboul Khaled Fneich Khodr Al tawil Khalil Rizk Khristo Nistrof |
Khairallah Salame Khadiji Nour el din Khalil Naamtallah Khalil Gharibe Khalil El rajraj Khaled Betdini Kamel Damouri |
Loubnen Wanna |
Maroun El alam Mustafa Al sayyed Mohammad Fakih Maroun Al karout Massoud Bazzi Maroun Matar Mahmoud Ayoub Mohammad Abd el Meneem Mohammad Shit Mosbah El attrash Mohammad Yaacoub Mahmoud Raslan Mohammad Hussein Mustafa Bedran Miled Ghanouy Mohammad Halawa Maroun ATTIEH Mahdi Mahdi Maroun Nassif Mohammad El kaderi Maher Ammach Mounir Daaybes |
Mohammad Nassar Mohammad Fakih Moussa Abu elias Maroun Fares Malek Nassif MIKHAIL El hajj Miled Ghnatis Maroun El hajj Mufdi Abu sari Mahmoud El yann Mohammad Wahid Mahmoud Srour Mohammad Okayl MARGUERITE El khoury Mikhael El haddad Monah Touma Michel Fares Mikhael El zaybak Mikhael Ncoula Maroun Nohra MAHMOUD WAZIR Majid Ghachem Michel Fares |
Maroun Khleis Mohammad Sleiman Maroun Wehbeh Mohssen Ibrahim Maroun Milan Maroun Hanna Maroun Rizk Mouhib El ghazel Miled El hassbani Mohammad Ghaleb El abdallah Morkos M. Rizk Moussa Abdallah Maroun Nasser Miled Saade Mohammad Ramadan Mohammad El anz Merhej Chahin Mustafa Al shufi Mohammad Yassin Mustafa El khawli Mikhael khoury Mohssen ibrahim |
Naiim Hanna Nasri El hourani Nassrat Khreish Nabil andraos Nabil Al joundi Nasri Abu elias |
Nabil Nassif Naim Fares Nazih El miligi Nadim Kaboura Nassib El hamra Nohad El hajj |
Nehme Faour Nader El chufi Nabih Abed el hay Nabil Nasser Nohad Saade Nohra Nohra |
Ossama Yassin | Pierre Attieh | Pierre Bowab |
Rafik Mtanios Rony Haddad Rabah Abdallah Raef El keserwani Roufayel Roufayel |
Rafik Tomeh Raymond Mezher Rafik Abu el ali Rabih Nammour Ramy El choufi |
Rafik Abu hamad Riyad Zrekta Raymond el khoury Roukouz Roukoz Raji Ghanoum |
Saad Haddad Said El alam Samih El eik Saleh Chour Salman Kashmer Sami Kotaysh Salem Aayoub Said Felfeleh Simon Antounian |
Samir Khnafer Salim Sakr Said El naddaf Sakr Sakr Sami Abu samra Said El khoumesi Simon Tanios Sami El nashash Salame Salame |
Souheil Abbas Salam El saadi Salim Ahmad Simon Anid Salim El Chuffi Simon Tanios Sara Ghanoum |
Tanios Felfeleh TANnOUS GERYIS Tarif Taleb Tannous Saad Tanios Semaan |
Tanios Karam Tanios Abu hamad Tanos Abu zeid Tanios Elias Tanios Zraet |
Tanios Aoun Tony Nohra Tony Majid Nammour |
Wafik Awada Wissam Naiim |
Wihab Faraj Walid Kassab |
Wissam Taha |
Youssef Hanna Youssef Younes Yasser Mustafa Youssef Salloum Youssef Atweh Youssef M. Al raai Youssef Manssour Yasser El jamal Youssef k. Nassif Youssef J. El raai Youssef Hanna |
Youssef Fares Youssef Younes Youssef El naddaf Youssef Saaid Younes Younes Yehya Semaat Youssef Younes Youssef El sayed Youssef Semaan Youssef Nassif Youssef Felfeleh |
Yaacoub El hajj Youssef Karam Youhanna Kiyo Youssef Boulos Yaacoub Diab Youssef Semaan Youssef Roumieh Youssef Mezher Youssef Hamdan Youssef Charaf el din |
Ziad Ridan | Ziad Abu dehen | Zaynab Monder |
==========================
Military CommuniquÉ: (Translation of the Official Document-Last page)
« Ministry of National Defense – Army Command – Yarzé”
Number: 3860 /1 T
Classification: 323-1
Date of Bill: 22/ 3/ 1976
Resolution: Creation of a military regrouping section
Distributed and Implemented: 14/ 8/ 1976
Signed: « General Hanna Said, Army Commander-in-Chief »
1- THE STATUS:
After the dissolution of the section established in the South and the distribution of the soldiers in their villages or their refuge to safer regions, a number of soldiers joined the District of Bent Jbeil and a few villages for security matters.
2- THE RESOLUTION:
21 – Create a regrouping quarter in the District of Bent Jbeil.
The Affiliation: Will be affiliated to the district of Qoleiaa
The Location: Town of Rmeish
Person in charge: Sergeant Commando, Samir el Hajj assisted by Sergeant Hanna El Hajj.
The Members: - The Soldiers present in Bent Jbeil District, the neighboring Districts
and those who did not join any assembly quarter yet.
- The soldiers from other quarters who wish to join it.22 - The Administrative Control Directorate undertakes to facilitate the salary phase and food provision similar to those soldiers under Qoleiaa regrouping command.
3- The Implementation :
Will take effect at the publication of this communiqué.
Al Yarzé, 14 / 8 / 1976
General Hanna Said, Army Commander-in-Chief.
ADDRESSEE:
Section, Barracks and Regrouping Quarters;
All Services located in the building of the Army Command;
(Unreadable) ??: “3”.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Personal Interviews:
REPORTS – COMMUNIQUES - ARTICLES:
Lebanese Newspapers:
Books:
Websites :
Photos courtesy of Books:
WOMEN-CHILDREN GENOCIDE BY PLO-FATAH-SAIKA IN AISHIYEH-SOUTH LEBANON
ELDERLY GENOCIDE BY PLO-FATAH-SAIKA IN AISHIYEH-SOUTH LEBANON
PLO-FATAH- CELEBRATING THEIR MASSACRES IN AISHIYEH-SOUTH LEBANON
Pic 1
AISHIYEH_DAMOUR_EXODUS BY SEA IN UNSAFE OLD BARGES_Pic 1-2