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[^] Syrian Black Book : 1973-1990
August 26,
1973:
As a prelude to igniting the war Syrian President Hafez Assad announces
that Lebanon and Syria are one country and one people but with two
governments.
September 11, 1975: The Saaka forces and forces from the
Syrian Baath Party attacked the village of Beit Mallat killing seven of
its residents and kidnapping 10 others.
September 26, 1975: Egyptian newspaper El Ahram accused
Syria of meddling in Lebanon and of attempting to impose the Syrian
Baath Party on Lebanon by force.
October 9, 1975: Saaka forces traveling across the Syrian
border attacked the village of Tal Abbas in Akkar killing 15 people and
injuring many others. The local church was set on fire with the hope of
igniting religious strife between the Lebanese.
November 2, 1975: A whole Syrian battalion of Syrian
Special Forces entered Lebanon through the Bekaa Valley.
January 7, 1976: In a statement published by a Kuwaiti
newspaper Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam announced that
Lebanon is part of Syria and that it will be returned to it adding that
this concept should be very clear to everyone.
January 15, 1976: A battalion from the Palestine
Liberation Army, the Yarmouck division, which is under Syrian command,
entered the Bekaa and had confrontations with Lebanese Army in the
area.
January 19, 1976: More forces from the Yarmouck division
along with some other forces from the Saaka entered Northern Lebanon
and proceeded to attack Lebanese police and internal security forces
positions; they were helped by local armed Palestinian militias.
January 21, 1976: The Yarmouck and the Saaka forces, under
the command of Syria, attacked the Christian town of Damour in the
Shouf uprooting its residents, killing a large number of people and
reducing the town to rubbles. Druze leader Kamal Jumblatt tried in vain
to stop the attack and prevent the massacres but all his efforts were
useless in the face of the Syrian plan to ignite religious strife among
the Lebanese.
March 5, 1976: Saaka forces encircled the towns of Kobeyat
and Anduct in Akkar in Northern Lebanon and proceeded to bombard the
area with heavy artillery and mortar fire. Meanwhile falsified or
imaginary statements were being distributed supposedly from the
residents of the two towns asking for the Syrian forces to intervene
and help them… April 4, 1976: Druze leader Kamal Jumblatt expressed his
astonishment about the fact that Syrian forces were deploying in areas
of Lebanon where there was absolutely no legal justification for their
presence.
April 5, 1976: Bashir Gemayel, the leader of the Lebanese
Forces announced that the different parties in Lebanon were on the
verge of reaching an agreement when Syria intervened and disrupted all
agreements.
May 31, 1976: Syrian tanks under the command of the Syrian
army entered the Akkar area in Northern Lebanon for the first time
ever.
June 1, 1976: The Syrian army advanced into the Bekaa
Valley and started taking over all strategic and vital positions.
July 20, 1976: Syrian president Hafez Assad gave his
famous speech on the stairs of the University of Damascus in which he
stated that he did not ask anyone's permission to send his forces into
Lebanon.
November 11, 1976: The Syrian Saaka Forces attempted to
assassinate the leader of the National Bloc Party, Mr. Raymond Edde.
December 15, 1976: Forces from the Syrian army and from
the Syrian intelligence services attacked the offices of the El
Moharrar, Beirut and El Doustour newspapers, kicked out their editors
and took over their offices and their printing facilities.
December 17, 1976: Syrian forces attacked the offices of
the El Safir newspaper and occupied the premises.
December 19, 1976: Syrian Forces occupied the offices of
the El Nahar and L'Orient-Le Jour newspapers.
December 20, 1976: Syrian defense minister General Nagi
Jamil justified all these attacks against the press by saying that
these newspapers are being used for Zionist propaganda.
March 16, 1977: The Syrian Secret services assassinated
Druze leader Kamal Jumblatt in the Shouf region a few meters away from
a Syrian checkpoint, then proceeded to commit revenge killings against
the Christians of the Chouf which left 250 civilians dead.
November 5, 1977: The Saaka Syrian forces attacked the
village of Aishiyeh killing 41 of its residents and displacing most of
the others.
February 4, 1978: The Syrian army attempted to occupy the
army headquarters at Fiyadiyyeh. Resistance from the Lebanese Army left
30 Syrian soldiers dead. Officer Abdallah Hadchity was killed during
this operation.
June 14, 1978: The Syrian forces bombarded the village of
Deir El Ahmar in the Bekaa with heavy artillery.
June 28, 1978: Armed gunmen affiliated with the Syrian
intelligence services attacked the villages of Ka'a, Ras Baalbeck and
Jdeidet El Fakaha, kidnapping a large number of people. Many of them
were found dead while a good number of them remain missing.
June 30, 1978: The Syrian army, using ground and air
forces, attacked regions of Northern Lebanon, and invaded Bcharre and
the heights of Batroun after fierce battles with the residents and the
Lebanese Forces.
September 30, 1978: Fierce battles took place between the
Syrian army and the residents of East Beirut when the Syrian forces
tried to advance into the area. The Syrian forces retaliated with heavy
artillery, which left hundreds of innocent civilians dead and many more
injured.
February 2, 1980: The Syrian special forces attacked the
village of Kanat. The villagers resisted for six days but, after heavy
bombardment, with tanks and canons, the Syrian forces were able to take
over the village.
February 23, 1980: Syrian agents killed Maya Gemayel, the
little daughter of Bashir Gemayel.
February 24, 1980: Lebanese journalist Selim Lowzi was
found dead in the forests of Aramoun, near a checkpoint for the Syrian
Special Forces. He has been missing for nine days, having been
kidnapped on his way to the International airport of Beirut. Lowzi was
known for his articles opposing the Syrian regime.
March 13, 1980: Syrian agent Hussein Mostapha Tliss tries
to assassinate previous president of the republic Kamil Chamoun.
July 22, 1980: The Syrian intelligence services killed
Riad Taha, the head of the union of editors.
August 27, 1980: Syrian agents attempt to assassinate John
Gunther Dean, the American Ambassador to Lebanon.
November 10, 1980: Syrian agents detonated two car bombs
in Achrafieh in east Beirut killing tens of people and injuring many.
December 23, 1980: Syrian artillery bombarded the town of
Zahle in the Bekaa on Christmas Eve, killing and injuring many.
February 20, 1981: In an attempt to reignite religious
strife in the country, the Syrians attempt to assassinate the Greek
Catholic Patriarch, Maximos the fifth Hakim in the town of Bhamdoun a
few meters away from a Syrian checkpoint.
April 2, 1981: Syrian artillery stationed in Aramoun
suddenly and furiously bombarded East Beirut at a time when students
were leaving schools to head home. Casualties and injuries were in the
Hundreds.
April 3, 1981: The Syrian army and its agents mounted a
full-scale attack against the town of Zahle in the Bekaa in an attempt
to control it. It was reported that thousands of Syrian soldiers
participated in the attack and that they were met with resistance from
the residents, which lasted about four months.
September 3, 1981: Syrian agents assassinated French
Ambassador Louis DeLamare. December 15, 1981: Iraq accused the Syrian
intelligence services of blowing up the Iraqi embassy building in
Beirut, a crime which left 30 people dead and 120 injured.
April 27, 1982: Syrian agents killed Sheikh Ahmad Assaf
for his patriotic stands.
May 1, 1982: Syrian agents, to create religious strife
between the various factions in Lebanon, killed Father Phillipe Abou
Sleiman, a priest in Aley.
May 24, 1982: An explosion in front of the French embassy
in Beirut lead to 9 deaths and 26 injuries. The operation was the work
of Syrian agent Hussein Tliss.
May 25, 1982: French newspaper "Le Matin" accused the
Syrians of blowing up the French embassy and presented a report
complete with names and motives.
July 11, 1982: Heavy Syrian artillery shelled the Eastern
sections of Beirut leaving dozens of people dead and many more injured.
September 14, 1982: Syrian agents assassinated
President-elect Bashir Gemayel. April 19, 1983: Syrian agents blew up
the American embassy in Beirut killing and injuring many.
April 20, 1983: The media in Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the
United States revealed that the Islamic Jihad organization, that
claimed responsibility for the bombing of the American Embassy in
Beirut, is nothing but a front for the Syrian intelligence services.
September 2, 1983: Various Palestinian organizations
controlled by Syria attacked many positions of the Lebanese Army in
Souk El Gharb with the intent of occupying the area and reaching the
presidential palace in Baabda.
September 9, 1983: The Lebanese government, then headed by
Chafic Wazzan, notified the United States and the governments of Europe
that Syrian and Palestinian forces were the major forces participating
in the onslaught on the Lebanese mountain with the intent of bringing
down the legal government of Lebanon.
September 8, 1983: A spokesman for the Syrian regime
stated that Syria is ready to enter the war in the mountains of Lebanon
if its "allies" asked her to.
September 8, 1983: Alan Romberg, a spokesman for the US
State department, announced that Syria bears the bulk of the
responsibility for what is going on in Lebanon and that it is the main
source of weapons used by the various militias that it controls, in
addition to the role of its 40 thousand soldiers who are in Lebanon.
September 9, 1983: A French source noted that Damascus is
working hard to take advantage of the talks between the various
Lebanese factions, confirming that the French embassy in Beirut was
bombarded from positions under Syrian control.
December 27, 1985: Syria tried to impose what was called
the tripartite agreement on the Lebanese but was met with an armed
rebellion in the Eastern section of Beirut which brought down the
agreement-conspiracy which aimed to make the Syrian hegemony over
Lebanon constitutional. This was later achieved with the Taief Accords.
September 18, 1986: French military Attaché Christian
Gauthier was shot in front of the French embassy with a revolver
equipped with a silencer by Hussein Mostapha Tliss who now resides in
Syria.
October 7, 1986: Syrian agents murdered the head of the
Islamic Shiite Higher Council, Sheikh Soubhi Saleh, who was shot in
broad daylight.
November 22, 1986: The Syrian army kidnapped hundreds of
civilians from the town of Tripoli in Northern Lebanon in retaliation
for attacks against Syrian military and intelligence positions. The
bodies of many who were kidnapped were found in the streets of Tripoli
and its suburbs.
November 30, 1986: The Syrian Special forces liquidated 34
residents of Tripoli on charges of "opposition to the Syrians."
August 2, 1987: Syrian agents assassinated Dr. Mohammad
Choucair, an advisor to President Amine Gemayel. He was killed inside
his home in West Beirut.
March 14, 1989: Heavy Syrian artillery, specifically the
52nd brigade controlled by the Syrian special Forces, equipped with 240
and 160 millimeters canons, positioned in the hills of Aramoun, pounded
both the East and the West side of Beirut, especially targeting the
Unesco area. Tens of Lebanese were killed in the onslaught. Following
these attacks, and in complete coordination with Israel, the Syrian
forces using various heavy weapons surrounded the areas controlled by
the constitutional regime.
May 9, 1989: The Syrian Intelligence Services assassinated
the Sunni Mufti of the republic, Sheikh Hassan Khaled after he notified
the Kuwaiti ambassador that the Syrian artillery is the one responsible
for shelling both the Christian and the Moslem sides of the city, and
that the Syrians, from their positions in Aramoun, are responsible for
the massacres at Unesco.
November 22, 1989: The Syrians assassinated
president-elect Rene Moawad due to disputes he had with the Syrian
leaders and his refusal to obey their orders.
August 1, 1990: The Syrian forces surrounded the area
controlled by the legitimate Lebanese government to bring down the
transitional government.
October 12, 1990: Syrian agent Francois Halal makes an
attempt to assassinate Prime Minister General Michel Aoun at the
presidential palace. The head of the Syrian Baath party proclaimed that
he was responsible for the failed attempt. October 13, 1990: The Syrian Forces invaded the Eastern areas which support the Lebanese Army under heavy air strikes (the only instance where Syria was able to fly its airforce over Lebanese space without drawing the Israelis), artillery shelling and rocket launching. Both the people and the army attempted to resist this onslaught but the Syrians were able to take over the area committing massacres in Dahr El Wahsh, Souk El Gharb, Bsous, Hadeth and Beit Mery, massacres that left hundreds of people dead and many more injured. Large numbers of soldiers and officers from the Lebanese Army were executed with a shot in the back of the head, or were captured and taken to Syrian jails where they are still being held to this day. An estimated 700 people were killed by the Syrian invaders that day. For three days the Syrians proceeded to steal what they could find inside the defense ministry, such as archives, equipment, computers, maps, and strategic historic information, which they transported to Syria. The Syrian invasion was "legitimized" by the collaboration of one Emile Lahoud, a privileged and largely ineffectual Navy officer serving as the "legitimate" front for the Syrians. In his bid as a traitor and collaborator, General Lahoud became the Général Pétain of Lebanon who was rewarded by the Syrians with the "Presidency" of Lebanon. As the ultimate puppet, Lahoud will never challenge his puppeteers in Damascus, lest he loses his career if not his life. Regarding the circumstances, the Mission is of the view that the explosion was caused by a trinitrotoluene (TNT) charge of about 1,000 kilograms placed most likely above the ground. The review of the investigation indicates that there was a distinct lack of commitment on the part of the Lebanese authorities to investigate the crime effectively, and that this investigation was not carried out in accordance with acceptable international standards. The Mission is also of the view that the Lebanese investigation lacks the confidence of the population necessary for its results to be accepted. The consequences of the assassination could be far-reaching, the Mission says. It seems to have "unlocked the gates of political upheavals" that were simmering throughout the last year. After gathering the available facts, the Mission concluded that the Lebanese security services and the Syrian Military Intelligence "bear the primary responsibility" for the lack of security, protection, and law and order in Lebanon. The Lebanese security services have demonstrated serious and systematic negligence in carrying out the duties usually performed by a professional national security apparatus. In doing so, they have "severely failed" to provide the citizens of Lebanon with an acceptable level of security and have, therefore, contributed to the propagation of a culture of intimidation and impunity. The Syrian Military Intelligence shares this responsibility to the extent of its involvement in running the security services in Lebanon. The Mission also concludes that the Syrian Government "bears primary responsibility for the political tension" that preceded the assassination. The Government clearly exerted influence that went "beyond the reasonable exercise of cooperative or neighbourly relations. It interfered with the details of governance in Lebanon in a heavy-handed and inflexible manner that was the primary reason for the ensuing political polarization. Without prejudice to the results of the investigation, it is obvious that this atmosphere provided the backdrop for the assassination of Mr. Hariri. It became clear to the Mission that the Lebanese investigation process suffers from "serious flaws" and has neither the capacity nor the commitment to reach a satisfactory and credible conclusion, the report states further. To uncover the truth, it would be necessary to entrust the investigation to an international independent commission, comprising the different fields of expertise that are usually involved in carrying out similarly large investigations in national systems, with the necessary executive authority to carry out interrogations, searches and other relevant tasks. It is also more than doubtful that such an international commission could carry out its tasks satisfactorily -- and receive the necessary active cooperation from local authorities -- while the current leadership of the Lebanese security services remains in office. The Mission concludes, therefore, that the restoration of the integrity and credibility of the Lebanese security apparatus is of vital importance to the country's security and stability. A sustained effort to restructure, reform and retrain the Lebanese security services will be necessary to achieve this end, and will certainly require assistance and active engagement on the part of the international community. International and regional political support will also be necessary to safeguard Lebanon's national unity and to shield its fragile polity from unwarranted pressure. Improving the prospects of peace and security in the region would offer a more solid ground for restoring normalcy in Lebanon. |
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