After the war, 1991–2005 by year · by dates · timeline
Start from 1991 1997 1997 From the books
Sheikh Subhi Tufayli leads the 'revolt of the hungry' in Baalbek. Sheikh Sobhi Toufayli, a dissident from Hezbollah, led the 'revolt of the hungry' in Baalbek.
In the list of 1997 › 1997 year
What the books say
Mermier & Picard 1997 Mermier & Picard 2007, p. 171
Cites the 1997 'revolt of the hungry' in Baalbek, under the Hezbollah dissident Sheikh Sobhi Toufayli, as an example of the Bekaa's recurrent unrest.
August 1997 Monday, 4 August 1997 From the books
Patriarch Sfeir denounces the mass presence of Syrian workers. With Hariri's boom slowing from 1996, newspapers led by Al-Nahar spoke of a million or more Syrians exploiting Lebanon; Patriarch Sfeir echoed this, reckoning foreign workers at a quarter of residents.
In the list of 1997 › 4 Aug
What the books say
Picard Monday, 4 August 1997 (al-Nahar) Picard 2016, ch. V
Patriarch Sfeir took up the press's claim, current from 1996, that a million or more Syrians were exploiting Lebanon (Al-Nahar, 4 August 1997).
Picard 1990s Picard 2002, p. 195
The Maronite patriarch repeatedly demanded that the Lebanese be protected from foreign labour, which he put at one resident in four.
1998 1998 From the books
The first municipal elections since 1963 are held after a civic campaign. Newly formed associations drove the campaign and gathered a million signatures; Picard calls it post-war civil society's first major win.
In the list of 1998 › 1998 year
What the books say
Picard 1998 Picard 2002, p. 178
In 1998 the movement for municipal elections collected a million signatures.
Picard 1998 Picard 2016, ch. VI
In 1998 advocacy groups won their first notable success: municipal elections, promised since 1963, were finally held.
Mermier & Picard 1998 Mermier & Picard 2007, p. 53
Associations organised a campaign for municipal elections in 1998.
February 1998 February 1998 From the books
Two agreements open trade between Lebanon and Syria. Duties on agricultural goods were to fall by 50 percent a year from October 1999, and those on industrial goods by 25 percent a year from that January.
In the list of 1998 › Feb month
What the books say
Picard February 1998 Picard 2002, p. 193
Two agreements of February 1998 set out the step-by-step opening of industrial and farm trade up to 2004.
March 1998 March 1998 From the books
Israel's prime minister accepts Resolution 425. Netanyahu's unexpected acceptance of Resolution 425 exposed, in Picard's analysis, a paradox: Lebanon still demanded the resolution officially, but Syria's veto on separate Israeli-Lebanese talks meant it in fact opposed it.
In the list of 1998 › Mar month
What the books say
Picard March 1998 Picard 2002, p. 184
Netanyahu unexpectedly accepted Resolution 425 in March 1998.
November 1998 Tuesday, 24 November 1998 From the books
Army commander Emile Lahoud becomes president. Backed by Bashar al-Assad, who had taken charge of the Lebanese file, Lahoud promised to fight corruption. He soon broke with Hariri.
In the list of 1998 › 24 Nov
December 1998 December 1998 From the books
Hariri leaves office; Salim al-Hoss forms a government. Soon after Hariri left office, dozens of his administration's senior officials faced corruption inquiries. Hoss governed until October 2000.
In the list of 1998 › Dec month
1999 1999 From the books
Families of the disappeared widen their campaign. In 1999 the Committee of the Families of the Kidnapped and Disappeared, set up by Wadad Halwani in 1982, created a Friends group and brought in activist Paul Ashqar; a war memorial and a 13 April national day joined its calls for an inquiry and family aid. 'Right to Know' dates from 1999; SOLIDA, for Lebanese held in Syria, from 1997.
In the list of 1999 › 1999 year
What the books say
Haugbolle 1999 Haugbolle 2010, p. 199
Friends of the Committee was founded in 1999; the Committee then added a central Beirut monument and a 13 April day of the disappeared to its call for a public inquiry.
Picard 1997; 1999 Picard 2016, ch. VI (note 20)
Picard's list of new advocacy groups includes Solida, founded in 1997, and the 1999 'Right to Know' campaign on people who disappeared in the war.
de Clerck & Malsagne 1982 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 419
A committee for kidnapped and missing persons, set up in 1982, produced 17,415, the most widely quoted figure for the disappeared.
February 1999 February 1999 From the books
Students march into the occupied village of Arnoun. In February 1999 dozens of students led by Communists briefly 'liberated' the Israeli-held village; for Picard, proof that public opinion now carried real weight.
In the list of 1999 › Feb month
What the books say
Picard February 1999 Picard 2002, p. 183
In February 1999 Communist militants led several dozen students on a march to 'liberate' Israeli-occupied Arnoun.
Picard 1999 Picard 2002, p. 178
The student march and fleeting liberation of Arnoun (1999).
February 1999 From the books
The state recovers the Beiteddine palace from Walid Jumblatt. Under Syrian pressure Jumblatt let the palace resume its role as presidential summer residence. Lahoud had Kamal Jumblatt's statue and the PSP martyrs' monument removed; Kamal's museum was emptied in 2004.
In the list of 1999 › Feb month
What the books say
Confluences February 1999; 2004 Confluences 2020, Dima de Clerck, 'Kamal et Walid Joumblatt, architectes et entrepreneurs d'une mémoire druze libanaise'
The state recovered Beiteddine in February 1999 and removed the PSP memorials; in 2004 the Kamal Jumblatt museum moved to Mukhtara.
February 1999 From the books
Lahoud and Hoss stay away from King Hussein's funeral, following Syria. Assad, whose announced boycott had kept Lahoud and Hoss away from the funeral, went after all, and the two Lebanese leaders were humiliated before their foreign counterparts.
In the list of 1999 › Feb month
What the books say
Picard February 1999 Picard 2002, p. 197
Expecting a Syrian boycott, President Lahoud and Prime Minister Hoss did not attend King Hussein's funeral in February 1999, but Assad did.
May 1999 late May 1999 From the books
Israel withdraws from the Jezzine region. The pull-out was the first concrete step of the 'Lebanon first' option.
In the list of 1999 › May month
What the books say
Picard late May 1999 Picard 2002, p. 184
The Israeli army's pull-out from the Jezzine area in late May 1999 was the first practical application of the 'Lebanon first' option.
June 1999 June 1999 From the books
Israeli night raids strike Lebanon's infrastructure. Roads and power stations were bombed and civilians killed, as in the raids of 1997, 1998 and February 2000.
In the list of 1999 › Jun month
What the books say
Picard June 1999 Picard 2002, p. 187
Israel bombed Lebanon at night in June 1999 and again in February 2000, Picard recalls.
de Clerck & Malsagne 1997-2000 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 467
In 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 Israeli raids hit many regions, roads and power installations, and killed dozens of civilians.
Quéméner 1999 Quéméner 2017, Calendar
In 1999 Israel heavily bombed the South, and the new Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, pledged to quit the 'security zone' within a year.
2000 January 2000 January 2000 From the books
The army crushes an Islamist uprising in Denniyeh. Special forces moved against Sunni Islamist rebels of Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian origin in deprived Denniyeh, helped by Syrian intelligence and equipment.
In the list of 2000 › Jan month
What the books say
Picard January 2000 Picard 2002, p. 162
Special army units tried, with little result, to crush an uprising of Sunni Islamists in Denniyé in January 2000.
Picard January 2000 Picard 2016, ch. V
The officer commanding the January 2000 operation against jihadist fighters in Denniyeh received Syrian intelligence and equipment.
February 2000 February 2000 From the books
Israeli night raids hit Lebanon again. The raids came as Hezbollah's pressure on the occupied zone was tied to the stalled Syrian-Israeli talks.
In the list of 2000 › Feb month
What the books say
Picard February 2000 Picard 2002, p. 187
Nighttime Israeli bombing raids in February 2000.
Mermier & Picard February 2000 Mermier & Picard 2007, p. 87
Damascus revived fighting on Hezbollah's front with Israel each time its own talks with Israel stalled, as in March–April 1996 and February 2000.
Thursday, 10 February 2000 From the books
A former Lebanese Forces intelligence officer apologises publicly to his victims. Assaad Shaftari, once Hobeika's fellow LF leader, apologised in al-Nahar to all his victims, 'living or dead'. Haugbolle sees a radical break in ex-leaders' silence; few noticed it at first.
Art and memory book Robert 'Cobra' Hatem's memoir From Israel to Damascus (1999), banned in Lebanon, accused Elie Hobeika and may have set off his political decline.In the list of 2000 › 10 Feb
What the books say
Haugbolle Thursday, 10 February 2000 Haugbolle 2010, p. 148
On 10 February 2000 Assaad Shaftari apologised in al-Nahar; Haugbolle sees this as a radical departure from former Christian leaders' silence about war crimes.
Haugbolle 2000 Haugbolle 2010, p. 149
The letter went largely unnoticed.
March 2000 March 2000 From the books
The Clinton-Assad summit in Geneva fails. After the Geneva summit failed, Barak announced that Israel would leave the south entirely, with or without an agreement. Mermier sees the Syrian–Lebanese track of talks with Israel ending there; Picard argues that Damascus lost the international latitude it had enjoyed over Lebanon.
In the list of 2000 › Mar month
Sunday, 5 March 2000 From the books
Israel's cabinet decides on a unilateral withdrawal from the south. Barak's plan set 7 July 2000 for leaving the 'security zone'. Beirut, deferring to a stalled Damascus, prepared nothing.
In the list of 2000 › 5 Mar
Thursday, 23 March 2000 From the books
Gebran Tueni's open letter asks Bashar al-Assad to withdraw Syria's troops. Gebran Tueni printed it on al-Nahar's front page, demanding a withdrawal timetable; Haugbolle links it to a new openness in criticising Syria's presence.
In the list of 2000 › 23 Mar
What the books say
Haugbolle Thursday, 23 March 2000 (March 2000) Haugbolle 2010, p. 77
An open letter to Bashar al-Asad filled al-Nahar's front page in March 2000 (23 March, per the note); its author was the paper's editor, Jibran Tueni.
Picard Thursday, 23 March 2000 Picard 2016, ch. VI (note 22)
Gebran Tueni's open letter to Bashar al-Assad in Al-Nahar on 23 March 2000 called for a timetable for Syria's troop withdrawal.
April 2000 Saturday, 29 April 2000 From the books
A Syrian dissident writes that Lebanon no longer needs Syria's army. Riyad al-Turk opened a dossier in al-Nahar's supplement with 'Lebanon no longer needs the Syrian presence': the occupation served Israeli intransigence, and the Geneva failure did not justify it.
In the list of 2000 › 29 Apr
What the books say
Picard Saturday, 29 April 2000 Picard 2016, ch. VI
Riyad al-Turk's article 'Lebanon no longer needs the Syrian presence' opened a Mulhaq al-Nahar special file on 29 April 2000.
May 2000 May 2000 From the books
Raymond Eddé dies in exile in Paris. Picard names the National Bloc leader, who died in Paris, among the real opposition chiefs who remained in exile.
In the list of 2000 › May month
What the books say
Picard May 2000 Picard 2002, p. 176
Raymond Eddé died in Paris in May 2000.
Wednesday, 24 May 2000 From the books
Israel ends its occupation of southern Lebanon. Israel pulled out overnight on 23–24 May as the South Lebanon Army, deserting since early May, collapsed. Villagers streamed home, crowds forced open the Khiam jail and several thousand SLA men and relatives left for Israel. The Shebaa Farms, the Kfarshuba hills and Lebanon's part of Ghajar stayed occupied.
In the list of 2000 › 24 May
The books disagree
24 May (Abirached, Tarraf; Picard: night of 23–24) or 25 May (de Clerck and Malsagne, book and article). Occupation lasted 18 years (from 1982, de Clerck and Malsagne) or 22 years (from 1978, Abirached).
Mermier & Picard Wednesday, 24 May 2000 Mermier & Picard 2007, p. 241
Abirached: on 24 May the Israeli army left the south ahead of schedule, ending twenty-two years of occupation.
Mermier & Picard Wednesday, 24 May 2000 Mermier & Picard 2007, p. 162
Souha Tarraf dates Israel's withdrawal from the south it had occupied, except the Shebaa Farms, to 24 May 2000.
Picard night of 23-24 May 2000 Picard 2002, p. 184
Israeli troops left South Lebanon overnight on 23-24 May 2000, and the SLA fell apart at once.
de Clerck & Malsagne Thursday, 25 May 2000 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 460
Israel quit South Lebanon on 25 May 2000 after eighteen years, keeping the Shebaa Farms, the Kfarshuba hills and the Lebanese part of Ghajar.
Confluences Thursday, 25 May 2000 Confluences 2020, Dima de Clerck and Stéphane Malsagne, 'Le Hezbollah dans le rétroviseur de la guerre civile'
Israeli troops evacuated the border strip on 25 May 2000.
Fisk May 2000 Fisk 2002
Israel's withdrawal in May 2000 took a week; SLA men abandoned their positions, and thousands of villagers walked back to their homes.
Fisk May 2000 Fisk 2002
Crowds entered the abandoned Khiam prison and freed inmates, some of whom had been detained without trial for more than ten years.
Quéméner May 2000 Quéméner 2017, ch. 6
Quéméner: leaving the South in May 2000, the Israeli army took a few thousand SLA militiamen and their families.
June 2000 June 2000 From the books
Hafez al-Assad dies; his son Bashar succeeds him. Hafez al-Assad's death in June 2000, a month after Israel quit the south, briefly allowed freer criticism of Syria's presence in Lebanon.
In the list of 2000 › Jun month
The books disagree
June 2000 (Haugbolle, Picard 2016 ch. IV), May 2000 (Picard 2016 ch. V) or 10 June 2001 (Picard 2002, clearly a misprint for 2000).
Haugbolle one month after May 2000 Haugbolle 2010, p. 77
One month after Israel left the south, Hafiz al-Asad died.
Picard June [2000] Picard 2016, ch. IV
Picard dates the open Syrian–Lebanese tension of the new century from Israel's withdrawal in May 2000 and Hafez al-Assad's death in June.
Picard May 2000 Picard 2016, ch. V
Hafez al-Assad, who died in May 2000.
Picard Monday, 10 June 1991 [sic: June 10, 2001] Picard 2002, p. 197
Picard says Beirut's disarray after the Israeli pull-out deepened with Hafez al-Assad's death, which he dates 'June 10, 2001', and his heir's long silence.
Friday, 16 June 2000 From the books
The UN Secretary-General confirms the Israeli withdrawal. Kofi Annan confirmed Israel had left; Lebanon rejected the UN's 'Blue Line' where it departed from the 1923 border.
In the list of 2000 › 16 Jun
What the books say
Mermier & Picard Friday, 16 June 2000 Mermier & Picard 2007, p. 241
Abirached: Annan confirmed the effective Israeli withdrawal on 16 June.
Picard 2000 Picard 2002, p. 188
The boundary the UN adopted after the withdrawal did not follow the 1923 international border.
July 2000 July 2000 From the books
President Lahoud declares all the missing of the war dead. President Émile Lahoud declared all the missing dead, officially blaming no one; families had pressed for inquiries. That year a commission on the missing identified three Beirut mass graves: Mar Mitr (Ashrafieh), the Martyrs' cemetery (Horsh Beirut) and the British cemetery (Tahwita).
In the list of 2000 › Jul month
What the books say
Picard July 2000 Picard 2002, p. 146
Families who had pressed for inquiries and punishment were told in July 2000 that every missing person was officially dead: President Lahoud's declaration held no one responsible.
de Clerck & Malsagne 2000 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 149
A 2000 commission on the missing recognised three Beirut cemeteries, Mar Mitr, Tahwita and the Martyrs', as mass graves.
Confluences 2000 Confluences 2020, Carmen Hassoun Abou Jaoudé, 'Opportunités et défis de la justice transitionnelle au Liban'
A commission on the disappeared, set up under pressure from families, located three mass graves in 2000 (Tahwita, Mar Mitr in Achrafieh, Horsh Beirut), but no exhumation was ever allowed; three inquiries between 2000 and 2005 gave no firm proof of deaths.
Friday, 28 July 2000 From the books
UN peacekeepers deploy along the Blue Line. A phone call with Bashar al-Assad reportedly preceded Lahoud's approval of the deployment. The Lebanese army was kept away from the border.
In the list of 2000 › 28 Jul
What the books say
Mermier & Picard Friday, 28 July 2000 Mermier & Picard 2007, p. 241
Abirached: UNIFIL deployed along the Blue Line on 28 July.
Picard late July 2000 Picard 2002, p. 188
Only once he had spoken to Assad by telephone, in late July 2000, did Lahoud approve UNIFIL's deployment, Picard reports.
Sunday, 30 July 2000 From the books
Lahoud says the army's role in the south will be defined 'in due course'. Lahoud's Army Day speech left the army's role undefined, so no national strategy emerged; the government called Hezbollah's continuing fight a 'national struggle'.
In the list of 2000 › 30 Jul
Monday, 31 July 2000 From the books
Former president Amine Gemayel returns after eight years in Paris. Afterwards, with President Lahoud's backing, he secured the Bikfaya seat for his son Pierre. In August he and Walid Jumblatt signed a 'pact of honour', opening the way to Christian-Druze reconciliation.
In the list of 2000 › 31 Jul
What the books say
Mermier & Picard Monday, 31 July 2000 Mermier & Picard 2007, p. 241
Abirached: on 31 July former president Amine Gemayel came back to Beirut from eight years in exile in Paris.
Picard July 2000 Picard 2002, p. 176
Back in Lebanon in July 2000, Amin Gemayel secured his son Pierre's election.
Confluences August 2000 Confluences 2020, Carmen Hassoun Abou Jaoudé (note 31)
In August 2000 Gemayel and Jumblatt signed a 'pact of honour'.
August 2000 Wednesday, 9 August 2000 From the books
A thousand soldiers and police enter the former occupied zone. International pressure, tying reconstruction aid to the state's presence, brought five hundred troops and five hundred internal security men. Hezbollah remained the real authority in the area.
In the list of 2000 › 9 Aug
What the books say
Mermier & Picard Wednesday, 9 August 2000 Mermier & Picard 2007, p. 241
Abirached: on 9 August 500 soldiers and 500 Internal Security Forces men moved into the former security zone.
Picard after a few weeks Picard 2002, p. 188
Some weeks later a few soldiers and FSI men went south with UNIFIL, because the international community made aid conditional on a state presence.
Picard 2000 Picard 2002, p. 184
Hezbollah took charge of the south amid a security vacuum.
Sunday, 27 August 2000 From the books
Parliamentary elections bring Hariri back in triumph. The electoral law, imposed by Syria's Ghazi Kanaan, favoured his ally Hariri, whose lists swept Beirut's nineteen seats; Amal and Hezbollah took all twenty-three in the south. Government-backed candidates faced unexpectedly strong pro-independence rivals.
In the list of 2000 › 27 Aug
What the books say
Mermier & Picard Sunday, 27 August 2000 to Monday, 4 September 2000 (as printed) Mermier & Picard 2007, p. 241
Abirached: in the 27 August–4 September elections Hariri's lists took every Beirut seat (19) and the Amal–Hezbollah alliance every seat in the south (23).
Picard 2000 Picard 2016, ch. V
Ghazi Kanaan dictated a 2000 electoral law that favoured his ally Hariri; months of police action against protesters followed the vote.
Picard summer 2000 Picard 2002, p. 198
Candidates known for pro-independence stances achieved respectable votes.
Picard summer 2000 Picard 2002, p. 186
Only ten Hezbollah candidates were elected.
October 2000 October 2000 From the books
Hezbollah captures three Israeli soldiers near the Shebaa Farms. Citing Shebaa, Hezbollah kept up sporadic attacks; Israel replied with artillery and bombing.
In the list of 2000 › Oct month
What the books say
Quéméner October 2000 Quéméner 2017, Calendar
Hezbollah captured three Israeli soldiers in the Shebaa sector.
Mermier & Picard October 2000 Mermier & Picard 2007, p. 193
Dieckhoff: Hezbollah used the unresolved Shebaa Farms question to justify capturing three Israeli soldiers in October 2000.
October 2000 From the books
The Maronite bishops openly criticise Syria. The bishops' open criticism of Syria echoed protests by Aoun's followers and ex-Lebanese Forces members; Picard sees clergy now contesting Syria's armed presence.
In the list of 2000 › Oct month
October 2000 From the books
Waves of arrests hit anti-Syrian Christian activists. An SSNP deputy made pointed threats against Walid Jumblatt, who had spoken of a 'readjustment' in ties with Syria, and soldiers detained dozens of militants in successive waves: the state's answer around the confidence vote for Hariri's new cabinet.
In the list of 2000 › Oct month
What the books say
Picard October 2000 Picard 2002, p. 199
Dozens of Christian activists opposed to Syria were detained by the army in October 2000, and an SSNP deputy made threats against Jumblatt.
Sunday, 1 October 2000 From the books
Bashar al-Assad declares the Shebaa Farms Lebanese. Bashar al-Assad's declaration at the Arab League in Cairo that the farms were Lebanese legitimised continued resistance to Israel; Syria never confirmed it in writing to Lebanon or the UN.
In the list of 2000 › 1 Oct
What the books say
Mermier & Picard Sunday, 1 October 2000 Mermier & Picard 2007, p. 163
Souha Tarraf: on 1 October 2000 Bashar al-Assad told an Arab League meeting in Cairo that the Shebaa Farms were Lebanese, a position Syria repeated orally but never put in writing.
Thursday, 26 October 2000 From the books
Rafiq Hariri forms a new thirty-member cabinet. Hariri regained the premiership after the 2000 elections, but the hopes that had greeted him in 1992 were gone.
In the list of 2000 › 26 Oct
November 2000 Tuesday, 14 November 2000 From the books
The UN Security Council asks Lebanon to take control of the evacuated south. In the list of 2000 › 14 Nov
What the books say
Mermier & Picard Tuesday, 14 November 2000 Mermier & Picard 2007, p. 241
Abirached: on 14 November the UN Security Council called on Lebanon's security forces to take control of all the territory Israel had vacated.
2001 late 2001 (after 11 September) From the books
The United States lists Hezbollah as a terrorist group; Beirut refuses to act. Washington asked Lebanon to freeze Hezbollah's assets and disarm it; the government refused, citing the unfinished Israeli withdrawal.
In the list of 2001 › 2001 year
What the books say
Quéméner 2001 Quéméner 2017, Calendar
In 2001 the US blacklisted Hezbollah as terrorist and asked Lebanon to freeze its assets, which Beirut refused.
Picard 2001 Picard 2002, p. 204
The government stood by Hezbollah when Washington, branding it and Usbat al-Ansar terrorist movements, called on Beirut to disarm both.
January 2001 Tuesday, 30 January 2001 From the books
UNIFIL's mandate is renewed and its strength cut to 4,500. In the list of 2001 › 30 Jan
What the books say
Mermier & Picard Tuesday, 30 January 2001 Mermier & Picard 2007, p. 241
Abirached: on 30 January the Security Council renewed UNIFIL for six months and cut its strength to 4,500.
February 2001 February 2001 From the books
Christian opposition figures form the Qornet Shehwan Gathering. Patriarch Sfeir informally led this anti-Syrian Christian gathering of the centre-right, whose members ranged from ex-president Amine Gemayel to Samir Frangieh, formerly of the National Movement.
In the list of 2001 › Feb month
March 2001 March 2001 From the books
On a US tour, Patriarch Sfeir demands that Syrian forces leave Lebanon. In the list of 2001 › Mar month
What the books say
Picard March 2001 Picard 2016, ch. VI
In March 2001, on a pastoral tour of the United States, Patriarch Sfeir publicly demanded that Syria pull out of Lebanon.
Load more End of the chronology.
