63 entries on 60 dates · the books disagree on 10
May 1973
Wednesday, 2 May 1973
The road to war · From the books
Heavy fighting as the army rings Beirut's Palestinian camps.
More than 100 Lebanese and Palestinians were killed in two weeks of fighting that began on 2 May, when the army deployed around Beirut's largest Palestinian camps; the CIA called these the worst clashes since 1969. Uprisings broke out in Sidon and Tripoli, and Beirut's Muslim neighbourhoods filled with demonstrators.
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April 1974
Tuesday, 2 April 1974
The road to war · From the books
Left-wing union federations call their own general strike.
The leftist federations called a general strike on their own, after a big demonstration against inflation. Tufaro says it opened the way to the first real gains: peasants entered the social security fund, and Article 50 of the Labour Law, which let employers sack workers at will, was partly reformed.
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July 1975
Wednesday, 2 July 1975
The Lebanese war · Added from the books
Al-Qaa, a Christian village of the northern Bekaa, comes under attack.
Several villagers were killed and houses and fields burned when gunmen besieged al-Qaa, a Christian village by the Syrian border. De Clerck and Malsagne date the Christian exodus from the northern Bekaa from this attack. Amal fighters from neighbouring villages later shielded al-Qaa and other Christian villages.
Sources differ: Attackers: fedayeen (Tegho Bou Nassif), local Shiites (de Clerck and Malsagne), or Fatah, Saiqa, SSNP, Communists and a Shiite clan (Hanf). Dead: 5 or 7. Hanf places the attack before the Karami cabinet was formed (late June).
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September 1975
Tuesday, 2 September 1975
The Lebanese war · Added from the books
Fedayeen stab to death the Christian owner of a Ta'labaya wheat mill and his two sons.
At Ta'labaya near Zahleh, a Christian wheat-mill owner and his two sons were knifed to death by intruding fedayeen.
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October 1975
Thursday, 2 October 1975
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
Rachid Karameh presided the meeting of the Ç National Committee for dialog È at the Serail. The committee decided that all armed elements will have to back up from their positions before the next day and will be replaced by Interior Security Forces.
What the books addFormed in September 1975 through Syria's foreign minister Abdel Halim Khaddam, the National Dialogue Committee of some twenty leaders debated secularism and ending sectarian quotas; Hanf says it broke up empty-handed.
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November 1975
Sunday, 2 November 1975
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
Chuchu, the famous actor died from a hart attack. His real name was Hassan Alaeddine, the friend of younger and older kids was the most popular comedian on stage and on TV.
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April 1976
Friday, 2 April 1976
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
A ten-day truce had bee decided, in order to elect a new President of the Republic after the expected departure of Sleiman Frangieh.
What the books addParliament used the truce to amend Article 73 of the constitution so that Frangieh's successor could be elected early: on 9 April according to Hanf, 10 April according to Yara El Khoury. The truce had coincided with the arrival on 31 March of the US envoy Dean Brown.
Other dates in the books: Wednesday, 31 March 1976, Friday, 9 April 1976, Saturday, 10 April 1976
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June 1976
Wednesday, 2 June 1976
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
The residents of Beirut and its surroundings were living in the dark. The last cable supplying the capital with power had been broken. Daily life was very difficult.
The Lebanese war · Added from the books
Bashir Gemayel and Kamal Jumblatt meet secretly.
For an end to military pressure on Bikfaya, Bashir Gemayel offered Kamal Jumblatt full secularisation when they met secretly in West Beirut; Jumblatt offered to keep a Maronite president and a senate. Both opposed the Syrian intervention. That day the Lebanese Front, in its last statement of the year, asked Frangieh to coordinate with Sarkis.
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August 1977
October 1977
February 1978
May 1978
Tuesday, 2 May 1978
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
A fight opposed the UNIFL and the Palestinians. The French barrack in Tyr was bombed and the commander of the French contingent was seriously injured.
What the books addColonel Jean Germain Salvan was badly hurt in both legs in early May, Fisk writes, when dissident PLO gunmen fired on the Fatah jeep carrying him, killing a French soldier and his Palestinian driver; Arafat called it a crime. Hanf adds that such losses made the French unit much more careful.
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July 1978
April 1979
June 1979
July 1979
October 1979
January 1980
Wednesday, 2 January 1980
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
The chief of the 'Iranian volunteers', Hodjatolislam Mohammed Montazeri, held a press conference in Beirut during which he reasserted his men's determination to go to South Lebanon to 'fight imperialism and Zionism.' And he added: 'We will come by thousands.'
What the books addDe Clerck and Malsagne have Iranian clerics and activists settling in the Bekaa, and then in Tyre, from 1980, before 500 to 2,000 Revolutionary Guards entered Lebanon in June 1982.
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May 1980
April 1981
Thursday, 2 April 1981
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
The Lebanese will remember this date for long time. Violence brought back to Beirut the darkest experiences of 1975-1976. Blind bombardments targeted the Eastern and Western sectors of the capital. Thousands of students were trapped in their schools and the population panicked. There were heavy casualties: 50 persons died and more than 200 were wounded.
What the books addHistorians date the battle of Zahleh from this day, when Lebanese Forces fighters beat off a Syrian attack on the town and a siege of some 90 days began. Ménargues says Syrian heavy guns killed 50 and wounded over 200 that day in Zahleh and the Christian zone north of Beirut.
The Lebanese war · Added from the books
The battle of Zahleh begins.
From December 1980 the Syrian army held positions on the edge of Zahleh. Lebanese Forces fighters in the town repulsed its attack, and a siege of roughly 90 days followed, which Bashir Gemayel portrayed as a fight for 'the last Christian town' of the East.
Sources differ: Ménargues ends the siege on 30 June 1981 and Fisk by 1 July; de Clerck & Malsagne (p. 80) place the end of hostilities in May–June.
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July 1981
November 1981
Monday, 2 November 1981
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
The Arab Strike Force launched a security operation in the West of the capital where Palestinian, Libyan and Iranian influence multiplied lately.
Other date in the books: Friday, 11 September 1981
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May 1982
July 1982
Friday, 2 July 1982
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
In a press conference held at the Alexander hotel, the Israeli Defense Minister, Ariel Sharon, invited the Lebanese to fight against the Palestinians.
What the books addBashir Gemayel, back from Saudi Arabia on 2 July, said the PLO did not mean to leave. Two hours earlier, at the Alexandre Hotel, Sharon had told reporters, Robert Fisk among them, that Israel's only aim was to destroy the PLO and it wanted not 'one square inch' of Lebanon.
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August 1982
Monday, 2 August 1982
The Lebanese war · Added from the books
Israel launches a major offensive against West Beirut.
By Israel's own figure, the opening 48 hours of non-stop bombardment came to 280,000 shells and bombs. Palestinian fighters and their allies then held its columns at the Museum, the port and Bir Hassan.
Sources differ: Original event 585 is dated 1 August; Fisk describes the peak of the bombardment on 4 August.
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September 1982
November 1982
December 1982
February 1983
Wednesday, 2 February 1983
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
The aggressions didn't spare the Multinational Force. Reacting to the anti-French attacks, the President of the French Republic, Francois Mitterand, ordered the reinforcement of the French contingent in Lebanon.
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November 1983
Wednesday, 2 November 1983
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
At the Geneva conference, the Mai 17 agreement was the main subject of debates. A Gemayel-Frangieh reconciliation took place.
What the books addGeneva's leaders agreed on Lebanon's 'Arab identity'. Fisk saw two reconciliations: Camille Chamoun ended five years of silence with Suleiman Frangieh, and Frangieh's public embrace of Amin Gemayel seemed to close their families' feud.
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January 1984
Monday, 2 January 1984
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
The year started like the previous one ended : everyone was talking about a new security plan for the mountain and the Southern suburbs of Beirut. Nevertheless, the fights continued intermittently in these regions between the Army and the Lebanese Forces on one side and the Progressive Socialist Party and Amal on the other.
What the books addOn 29 January the Druze resumed attacking the army at Souk al-Gharb, after Shi'i militia sniping at the army and French troops from mid-January, Hanf's next escalation.
Other date in the books: Sunday, 29 January 1984
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February 1984
Thursday, 2 February 1984
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
The schools closed their doors in the Eastern sector of the capital due to the blind shelling of Beirut and its suburbs.
Other date in the books: Wednesday, 1 February 1984
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July 1984
September 1984
Sunday, 2 September 1984
The Lebanese war · Added from the books
Jumblatt inaugurates a memorial to the PSP's dead at Beiteddine.
Beiteddine palace, seat of Walid Jumblatt's Civil Administration of the Mountain, hosted a lavish commemoration of the Mountain War, at which he unveiled a big memorial to PSP martyrs on its esplanade.
Art and memory- memorial After 1983 Walid Jumblatt reshaped Beiteddine, renamed the 'People's Palace': Emir Bashir's tomb was razed, poems to Bashir Jumblatt replaced inscriptions praising the emir, and PSP martyrs got a memorial in 1984.
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October 1984
Tuesday, 2 October 1984
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
The increase of the dollar took dramatic proportions. The green bill exceeded 8 Lebanese Pounds. The President of the Republic held a meeting in Baabda to deal with this crisis. As a result, a series of measures were taken to discourage speculators from contributing to the rise of the Dollar, and put some order in the country's economy.
What the books addDe Clerck and Malsagne give 8.7 pounds to the dollar for 1984, without a month.
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May 1985
Thursday, 2 May 1985
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
The Lebanese overseas protested against the recent events in Lebanon. They occupied the Lebanese embassies and consulates in the West, in order to attract the attention of the public opinion to the fate of those living in South Lebanon.
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August 1985
November 1985
Saturday, 2 November 1985
The Lebanese war · Added from the books
Lieutenant Georges Chamoun, a Christian officer, is shot dead.
Amal's Islamist dissidents shot dead Lieutenant Georges Chamoun, one of a string of Christian army officers they killed.
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September 1986
Tuesday, 2 September 1986
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
The first meeting of the Dialog Committee was held at the Beirut racecourse. The ten members of the government met for the first time since November 1985. The Ministers decided to elaborate a new National Pact.
What the books addThe meetings produced no agreement (Hanf).
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November 1986
Sunday, 2 November 1986
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
An American, David Jacobsen, detained by the Islamic Jihad since the 27th of May 1985, was finally released.
What the books addFisk's account puts the kidnapping on 28 May 1985.
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December 1986
Tuesday, 2 December 1986
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
A general strike paralyzed the country. The Lebanese were unable to cope with the increase in prices. The leaders couldn't find any solution to the crisis. The popular discontent was on the rise.
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January 1987
Friday, 2 January 1987
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
The Minister of Labor Selim El Hoss signed a decree raising the minimum wage to 3,200 LBP. This decision was a timid ray of light in the heavy economic sky.
What the books addHistorians describe the collapse of real wages behind such decrees: against 1974, the statutory minimum wage kept 13 percent of its buying power at the end of 1986 (Hanf, after Abou Rjaily and Labaki).
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February 1987
July 1987
August 1987
Sunday, 2 August 1987
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
The President of the Republic's Councillor, Mohamed Choucair, who was a mediator between the Chief of State and the Muslim Opposition, is assassinated in West-Beirut.
What the books addHanf, noting that Shukair's killers stayed unknown, describes a successful businessman who had volunteered to mediate between Christians and Muslims, was well connected in both parts of Beirut and never sought office.
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December 1987
Wednesday, 2 December 1987
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
While credits are unblocked to buy fuel and service stations are reopened, Victor Cassir, Minister of Industry and Oil, authorizes private companies to import fuel subject to a previous authorization by the Ministry of Oil.
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February 1988
December 1988
May 1989
Tuesday, 2 May 1989
The Lebanese war · Added from the books
Aoun recasts his 'war of liberation' as a diplomatic campaign; Syrian shelling starts again.
Within a week Syrian shelling of the enclave was back at full intensity; Hanf says Syria and its allies kept the Arab League ceasefire only a few days. Aoun, having accepted it, recast his war as a diplomatic struggle.
Sources differ: Hanf gives 2 May both for Aoun's statement and for the renewed shelling; the shelling date may be a misprint.
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February 1990
Friday, 2 February 1990
The Lebanese war · Added from the books
The Sarba garrison and the Jounieh naval base fall to the Lebanese Forces.
Within a few days Geagea held the whole coast of the Christian enclave. Sarba and the Jounieh naval base capitulated to his militia; the smaller army unit in Beirut harbour went to West Beirut and joined General Lahoud.
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March 1990
Friday, 2 March 1990
The Lebanese war · 111101 entry in the original chronology
The Maronite Patriarch threatens to excommunicate Aoun and Geagea, as well as those how obey them, if they continue their fightings. The threat will remain vain despite its reiteration.
What the books addDe Clerck and Malsagne date Sfeir's threat to late April or early May 1990: Christian soldiers in Aoun's army faced excommunication, and their dead the denial of Christian burial. They list it among the pressures that halted the army's advance on the Lebanese Forces headquarters at Karantina. The original speaks of a reiterated threat.
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August 1990
Thursday, 2 August 1990
The Lebanese war · Added from the books
Iraq invades Kuwait; Syria joins the coalition against Iraq.
Iraq's invasion of Kuwait changed Lebanon's situation. Syria, Iraq's long-time rival, joined the US-led coalition and sent an armoured division to Saudi Arabia. Aoun, armed by Iraq and silent on the invasion, was now opposed by Washington and Damascus alike. The books agree that, in return for joining the coalition, Syria got a free hand to bring Aoun down: the 'red line' that had barred Syrian warplanes from the Christian enclave was lifted.
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September 2004
Thursday, 2 September 2004
After the war · From the books
UN Security Council Resolution 1559 demands the withdrawal of foreign forces.
The Franco-American resolution, passed by nine votes with six abstentions, required every foreign force to leave, every militia to disarm and the presidential election to proceed free of outside interference. Walid Jumblatt sided with the opposition, most of it Christian.
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June 2005
Thursday, 2 June 2005
Since 2005 · From the books
Journalist and historian Samir Kassir is killed by a car bomb.
Samir Kassir, academic, columnist and a leading voice against Syrian control, died when a bomb went off in his car. Haugbolle treats the killing as the moment post-Syrian Lebanon's disarray grew plain.
Sources differ: 2 June in four sources (de Clerck & Malsagne, Abirached, Quéméner, Khayat) against 1 June in Haugbolle. 2 June has the most support.
Art and memory- book De Clerck and Malsagne call Samir Kassir's 1994 study, which ends in 1982, a reference work; Kassir himself noted that no academic research yet covered the conflict in its full complexity.
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February 2006
Thursday, 2 February 2006
Since 2005 · From the books
The Shiite ministers return to the cabinet.
Their boycott, begun after Tueni's assassination, ended after some seven weeks.
Sources differ: Abirached's dates imply a boycott of about seven weeks; Picard's chapter speaks of several months.
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March 2006
Thursday, 2 March 2006
Since 2005 · From the books
The National Dialogue among community leaders opens.
Community leaders, some former warlords, opened a National Dialogue on Syria, militia disarmament and President Lahoud's fate.
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August 2006
Wednesday, 2 August 2006
July 2006, as the books tell it · From the books
Air raids resume after the 48-hour pause.
Israeli air raids resumed across Lebanon at the end of the partial truce declared after Qana.
Reports at the time: The archive has the Israeli justice minister announcing the resumption for dawn on Wednesday 2 August.
The reports of that day, as they came in
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September 2006
September 2007
Sunday, 2 September 2007
Since 2005 · From the books
The army takes control of Nahr al-Bared.
The army regained the camp after more than three months of fighting.
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January 2014
Thursday, 2 January 2014
Since 2005 · From the books
Double bombing in Haret Hreik kills nine.
The attack struck the Shiite district of Haret Hreik in Beirut's southern suburb.
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