History of Lebanon
Occupied Lebanon (1982 AD - 1990 AD)
Israeli Invation of 1982
In June 1982, the Israeli forces invaded Lebanon
reaching into Beirut. A Multinational force made up of US and West European
troops were deployed in Beirut after an international mediation.
The agreement
called for PLO, Syrian and Israeli forces to pull of Beirut. Thousands of PLO
militiamen were deported from Lebanon while the Syrian and Israeli army were
withdrawing from Beirut.
In September 1982, the Lebanese president-elect Bashir Gemayel was assassinated
which disrupted the agreement. In the following year, Syrian-sponsored groups
launched suicide bombing attacks against the peace-keeping US and French forces
barracks killing 300 of them.
The multinational forces were forced to leave
Lebanon while the Syrian troops advanced in Beirut and launched several attempts
to occupy the Lebanese ministry of defense and presidential palace.
In 1985 Israel withdrew most of its forces from Lebanon keeping a strip along
its borders controlled by Israeli troops and proxy guerillas.
Syria continued its policy of spreading its homogony on Lebanon with violence
against Lebanese people, and through hostage-taking threatening American and
West-European countries encouraging communist and radical groups.
(1988-1990)
In 1998, Syrian
troops and their allies worked on preventing the election of a new Lebanese
president in order to completely paralyze the Lebanese authorities.
The Lebanese
president then, used his constitutional prerogative and appointed the Lebanese
Army Commander, General Michel Aoun, as a Prime Minister of interim government before ending his term.
The Syrians opposed the Lebanese Government and shelled the Lebanese civilian
areas with heavy bombs. Meanwhile, the Lebanese Primer managed to gain popularity
by; enforcing the role of the Lebanese army over the militia, activating the
governmental departments and working for political and economical reforms.
The
Lebanese Government launched a war of liberation against the Syrian army demanding
the scheduling of a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon.
The Syrian occupation troops
pressured Lebanese politician in the areas it occupies to oppose the Lebanese
government; they have even assassinated the highest Sunni Muslim clerk, mufti
of Lebanon Hassan Khaled, because of his rejection of the Syrian fight against Lebanese.
(1990)Complete Occupation
In August of 1990 Iraq invaded its neighboring
country of Kuwait, and drew the international community’s attention to
the Iraqi occupation of the small oil-country and the threats to the world-largest
oil reserve of Saudi Arabia.
The Syrian regime gained the opportunity and promised
not to side with Iraq in return of controlling Lebanon. On October 1990, the
Syrian troops launched aerial and ground attacks and occupied the Lebanese presidential
palace and the ministry of defense defeating the reminder of the Lebanese army.
The Syrian regime appointed a proxy government and president in occupied Lebanon
and started a large scale persecution operation against Lebanese people: arresting,
abducting, torturing and killing whoever opposes its occupation.
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