Syrian presence in Lebanon
Syrian presence in Lebanon is a paraphrase for the stationing of Syrian armed forces in Lebanon between 1976 and 2005.
The Lebanese President Émile Lahoud described the presence of Syrian troops in Lebanon, which was based on a decision by the Arab League , as the presence of a friendly army from a friendly country . Former US President George W. Bush, however, rated it as an occupation .
development
During the Lebanese civil war , Lebanon asked for Syrian aid in the form of an Arab peacekeeping force . The Arab League agreed to send an Inter-Arab Security Force , composed mainly of Syrian forces. Initially, Syria's mission was to protect the Maronites , but two years later (1978) Syria modified its position to that of the PLO .
In 1988 General Michel Aoun was named Prime Minister by President Amine Gemayel . This was a controversial move as Aoun was a Maronite Christian and according to the 1943 National Pact (which is not mandatory under the Lebanese Constitution) this post was traditionally reserved for a Sunni Muslim . Muslim ministers refused to participate in Aoun's government, which was not recognized by Syria either . Two rival governments were formed; the military administration under Aoun was based in East Beirut and the civil administration under Selim al-Hoss , which won Syrian support, was based in West Beirut. Aoun was against the Syrian presence in Lebanon and invoked Resolution 520 of the UN Security Council (from 1982 ). The Syrian army stayed in Lebanon.
After a successful campaign against the Forces Libanaises , which had controlled the port of Beirut , Aoun declared the "war of liberation" against the Syrian armed forces in view of his current popularity in East Beirut . Fighting began on March 14, 1989. Casualties of unspecified artillery fire among civilians on both sides were common. Aoun initially received broader international support than el-Hoss, but this ended abruptly when the United States made its preparations for the Gulf War with Iraq over Kuwait . Aoun had received considerable support from the Iraqi government, which saw an opportunity to weaken the rival Ba'ath system in Damascus . In return for Syrian support in the Gulf War, the United States and Israel allowed Syria to oust Aoun. In October 1990, Syrian troops took the presidential palace in Baabda by storm. Aoun sought refuge in the French embassy , where he later went into exile.
The Syrian armed forces remained in Lebanon until 2005 and exercised significant influence over the Lebanese government.
Withdrawal of the troops
After the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the death of Syrian President Hafiz al-Assad in 2000, the Syrian presence faced severe criticism and resistance from the Lebanese people. Syria withdrew all its troops on April 26, 2005, following the Cedar Revolution in response to the attack on the convoy of vehicles by former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri on February 14, 2005.
Involved entities
Between 1976 and 2005, Syria was represented in Lebanon with around 20,000 and 40,000 soldiers. The main formations were the 47th Brigade, the 62nd Brigade, most of the 10th Panzer Division (76th and 91st Panzer Brigade and one artillery and one mechanized infantry brigade each), plus five regiments of special forces stationed at strategically important positions. An air defense brigade was also stationed in Lebanon. Before 1984, brigade-strength army units were stationed in Beirut, Sidon and Tripoli . The Syrian politicians and generals Ghazi Kanaan and Rustum Ghazaleh , as heads of the intelligence service, were de facto responsible for leading the troops.
Individual evidence
- ↑ UN website: UN Resolution 520 , accessed on August 28, 2006 (English).
- ↑ [1] / Article in the Middle East Forum (English).
- ↑ Article in the news magazine Der Spiegel.