Tony Frangieh

Antoine "Tony" Frangieh ( Arabic طوني فرنجيه Tuni Farandschiya ; * September 1, 1939 ; † June 13, 1978 in Ehden ) was a politician in Lebanon . In the early years of the Lebanese civil war , he led the Marada Brigade , a Christian militia . He was the son of President Suleiman Frangieh .

School education and early political career

Frangieh attended College Des Freres, first in Tripoli and later (from 1958 to 1960) in Beirut . He continued his studies before his death.

On October 25, 1970, he succeeded his father Suleiman Frangieh as a member of the Lebanese National Assembly for the constituency of Zgharta , after the latter had been elected president. He was also appointed Minister of Post and Telecommunications.

Civil war

During the early 1970s, when the various groups in Lebanon began to form militias, the Frangieh clan formed the Marada Brigade , also known as the Zgharta Liberation Army . It was under the command of Tony Frangieh and operated primarily from Tripoli in northern Lebanon.

The Lebanese civil war brought a variety of changing political alliances with it, with today's allies becoming tomorrow's enemies and vice versa. This also happened between the two leading Maronite family clans, the Frangiehs and the Gemayels. The Frangiehs were close to Syria and were critical of Bachir Gemayel's Kata'ib party , which allied itself more and more with Israel . Phalange and Marada also clashed over protection money.

This conflict led to the murder of Tony Frangieh by the Phalange militia . Bachir Gemayel is still suspected to have given the order to kill himself, although this rumor has never been proven. At 4:00 a.m. on the morning of June 13, 1978, a Phalangist unit led by Samir Geagea and Elie Hobeika entered Tony Frangieh's manor, killing 35 residents, including the elderly, women and children. About 10 Phalangists were killed in the action. According to his father, the Phalangist gunmen forced Tony Frangieh and his young wife to watch their young daughter Jihane being shot and then murdered his wife in front of Tony Frangieh before killing him themselves. The LF stated that they had not killed anyone. The operation was a failed attempt to take over the Marada Brigade .

Suleiman Frangieh vowed retaliation and subsequently sought an alliance with some of his past enemies, including Druze leader Walid Jumblat and former Prime Minister Rashid Karami . The three formed the pro-Syrian National Salvation Front . A few months later, Bashir Germayel's daughter and his bodyguards were killed, and in September 1982 Bashir himself was killed in an explosion.

The assassination of Tony Frangieh is, according to many commentators, one of the reasons for the longevity of the civil war and the beginning of a deep division between Christians.

Personal life

Antoine Frangieh had two children with Vera el-Kordahi, whom he married in 1962, Suleiman Frangieh II and Jihane .

Web links

• Antoine (Tony) Frangieh (PIWP database)