The Lebanese war, 1975–1990

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111101 entry from the books the books disagree: each version, with the date it gives

1978
1978From the books
The Lebanese Forces blow up the Armenian genocide memorial above Beirut.
Bringing East Beirut's neutral Armenian parties under their control, the Lebanese Forces blew up the memorial above Beirut to the 1915 Armenian genocide.
In the list of 1978 ›
1978year
What the books say
1. de Clerck & Malsagne 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 321
  The LF dynamited Beirut's hilltop memorial to the 1915 Armenian genocide in 1978.
2. Traboulsi 1978-1979 Traboulsi 2007, ch. 12
  The Phalange and the NLP's Numur spent 1978 and 1979 gradually subduing the Armenian militias of Beirut's eastern suburbs, charging them with neutrality and with withholding protection money.
1978From the books
The Antelias Cultural Movement is founded.
The Antelias Cultural Movement was founded, an example, for de Clerck and Malsagne, of the wartime cultural life they count as civil resistance.
In the list of 1978 ›
1978year
What the books say
1. de Clerck & Malsagne 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 236
  The Antelias cultural movement was founded in 1978; the authors treat this kind of cultural persistence in wartime as civil resistance.
January 1978
Friday, 6 January 1978111101 entry
The Begin Plan concerning the settlement of Palestinians in Lebanon made some noise.
The Lebanese reacted with firmness and indignation to the conspiracy initiated by foreign countries. According to Salim El Hoss, 'Every project expecting the settlement of Palestinians outside of their land is rejected.' The President of the Republic also rejected any project stipulating the permanent settlement of Palestinians in Lebanon. 'Our country should determine itself what it is able to offer. It is unfair to solve the Palestinian question by creating a Lebanese problem. We will make every effort to let our right prevail', he said.
What the books addHanf notes that in December 1977 Menachem Begin, Israel's prime minister, had excluded any return of the Palestinian refugees in neighbouring countries.
In the list of 1978 ›
6Jan
What the books say
1. Hanf December 1977 Hanf 1993, p. 229
  Begin stated in December that there would be no return for refugees in neighbouring states.
Tuesday, 10 January 1978111101 entry
Within 3 weeks, four explosive charges were placed next to Saeb Salam's home.
In the list of 1978 ›
Friday, 20 January 1978111101 entry
A new armament and US equipment shipment sent to the Lebanese Army and the Internal Security Forces arrived at the Port of Beirut. It included a hundred armored vehicles and cistern trucks.
In the list of 1978 ›
Sunday, 22 January 1978111101 entry
The Lebanese Front adopted a coexistence formula.
Leaders of the Lebanese Front, gathered at President Frangieh's home in Zghorta since the day before, inaugurated their seminar which main themes were the national understanding, the project of Palestinians settlement in Lebanon, and the internal organization of the Front itself. Their final press release made it clear that the Palestinian presence constituted an obstacle to the national understanding and that Lebanon rejected any kind of union.
In the list of 1978 ›
22Jan
The books disagree
1. de Clerck & Malsagne Friday, 21 January 1977 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 288
  A 'plurality of civilisational groups' was the formula Lebanese Front leaders arrived at during their 21 January 1977 seminar at the Sayyidat al-Bir convent, where they also floated partition.
2. Hanf May 1977 Hanf 1993, p. 231-232
  Before any reconciliation talks, the Lebanese Front wanted the Cairo Agreement annulled and some 200,000 Palestinians moved out to other Arab countries.
Tuesday, 24 January 1978111101 entry
The Lebanese Front was alarmed : armaments were unloaded in Tyr.
In the list of 1978 ›
Wednesday, 25 January 1978111101 entry
The Parliament extended its mandate until the first of June 1980.
In the list of 1978 ›
Thursday, 26 January 1978111101 entry
Feyrouz played Queen of ' Petra ', the play that the Rahbani brothers wrote and presented at the Picadilly Theatre. Assi Rahbani was the Director, Abdel-Hamid Caracalla was in charge of the scenography, Papou Lahoud did the costumes, and Ghazi Kahwaji the decoration.
In the list of 1978 ›
26Jan
What the books say
1. de Clerck & Malsagne 1984 (for the Piccadilly) de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 228
  Mentions the building of the Piccadilly theatre in Hamra (in a later context); spelling reference only.
Sunday, 29 January 1978111101 entry
A bomb attack damaged seriously the Tunisian embassy in Beirut, without, however, causing any victim.
In the list of 1978 ›
February 1978
Wednesday, 1 February 1978111101 entry
An explosion injured 18 persons in Bourj. It was caused by a grenade hidden in a parked car.
In the list of 1978 ›
Thursday, 2 February 1978111101 entry
Michel Sardou caused the walls at the Casino du Liban to vibrate.
In the list of 1978 ›
Tuesday, 7 February 1978111101 entry
A serious incident occurred in Fayadieh.
Lebanese Soldiers fought with elements of the Arab Strike Force. Shots were exchanged followed by heavy armaments shootings.
What the books addHistorians date the Fayadiyeh incident to 7 February (de Clerck and Malsagne), 8 February (Hanf) or 17 February (Ménargues). It began when Syrian soldiers set up a roadblock in front of the Military Academy; officer cadets, led according to de Clerck and Malsagne by Captain Samir (Sami) al-Achkar, fought back and Syrian artillery shelled the barracks. Syrian losses are given as 13 dead and 36 wounded (de Clerck and Malsagne), over 30 dead (Ménargues) or 220 dead and 30 wounded (Hanf). As fighting spread into East Beirut, about a hundred people died when Syrian guns shelled Badaro, Ain el-Remmaneh and Karm el-Zeitoun. Sarkis and Damascus settled the affair with a joint Lebanese-Syrian military court. De Clerck and Malsagne date the Syria-Christian split to it.
In the list of 1978 ›
7Feb
The books disagree
1. de Clerck & Malsagne Tuesday, 7 February 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 77
  The break between Damascus and the Christian camp came, in the authors' account, with a clash at Fayadiyeh on 7 February 1978 between Syrian troops and mutinous Lebanese soldiers whom hard-line Christians supported.
2. de Clerck & Malsagne Tuesday, 7 February 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 321-322
  Syrian ADF troops often set up roadblocks outside the Chucri Ghanem barracks and the Military School; on 7 February 1978 Lebanese soldiers under Captain Samir al-Achkar fought them. The Syrians, who lost 13 dead and 36 wounded, shelled both sites. In three days of fighting with the NLP militia and Bashir Gemayel's bodyguard, ADF shelling of Badaro, Ain el-Remmaneh and Karm el-Zeitoun killed about 100 and wounded over 200.
3. Hanf Wednesday, 8 February 1978 Hanf 1993, p. 233-234
  A joint Syrian-Lebanese military tribunal was set up after a week of fighting that reached Ashrafieh and Yarze. At Fayadiyeh, Lebanese police had arrested Syrian soldiers who would not move their roadblock from the Military Academy; Syria shelled, and the cadets' counter-attack left 220 Syrians dead and 30 wounded.
4. Ménargues Friday, 17 February 1978 Ménargues 2004, ch. 2, 'Le voisin syrien'
  On 17 February 1978 a confrontation between Syrian soldiers and Lebanese recruits exercising opposite the Fayadiyeh academy became a battle, joined by Christian militiamen, that killed over 30, mostly Syrians; next day the whole Christian sector was fighting. Assad wanted the officers involved executed; Sarkis agreed to a joint Lebanese-Syrian special court.
5. Traboulsi February 1978 Traboulsi 2007, p. 253
  Chronology: Syrian-Phalangist fighting in Ashrafieh in February.
6. Confluences February 1978 Confluences 2020, Yara El Khoury, 'Le Front libanais face à l'intervention syrienne au Liban'
  The Lebanese Front immediately sided with Christian units of the Lebanese army when they clashed with Syrian soldiers in Christian areas in February 1978.
Wednesday, 8 February 1978From the books
Fighting spreads from Fayadiyeh to East Beirut.
About a hundred people died when Syrian guns hit Badaro, Ain el-Remmaneh and Karm el-Zeitoun, as the Fayadiyeh clash spread the next day to Beirut's Christian districts. National Liberal Party and Kataeb fighters attacked Syrian positions; Syrian troops in Achrafieh's Rizk Tower shelled the eastern suburbs, and artillery struck the army headquarters at Yarze.
In the list of 1978 ›
8Feb
The books disagree
Depends on the date of the Fayadiyeh clash: 7 February (de Clerck and Malsagne), 8 February (Hanf) or 17 February (Ménargues). Duration three days (de Clerck and Malsagne) or about a week (Hanf).
1. Hanf within a week of 8 February Hanf 1993, p. 233
  Syrians and Christian militiamen fought in East Beirut's streets for about a week, while heavy artillery hit Fayadiyeh and the army's Yarze headquarters and Syrian troops in the Rizk Tower shelled the Christian suburbs.
2. de Clerck & Malsagne three days after 7 February de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 322
  Over three days of fighting with the NLP militia and Bashir Gemayel's bodyguard, the ADF shelled Ain el-Remmaneh, Badaro and Karm el-Zeitoun, killing about 100 people and wounding more than 200.
3. Ménargues the day after 17 February Ménargues 2004, ch. 2
  The next day the fighting spread to the whole Christian sector.
Saturday, 25 February 1978111101 entry
It is the first night, at the Casino du Liban theater, of the ' Akhwat Loubnan ' show written and interpreted by Nabih Aboulhosn.
In the list of 1978 ›
25Feb
What the books say
1. de Clerck & Malsagne late 1970s-1980s (no date) de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 228
  On the eastern side of the line, Nabih Abu al-Husn played 'Akhwat Chanay' at the Casino du Liban.
Monday, 27 February 1978111101 entry
Diverse shows were scheduled in Lebanon. 'We Belnesba la bokra chou?' by Ziad Rahbani was a triumph at the Orly Theater.
What the books addDe Clerck and Malsagne and Haugbolle list this 1978 play first among Ziad Rahbani's comedies, which satirised the war from West Beirut.
In the list of 1978 ›
27Feb
What the books say
1. de Clerck & Malsagne 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 228
  From the late 1970s Ziad Rahbani staged comedies in West Beirut attacking the war's senselessness; the earliest the authors cite is 'Binnisba la-bukra shu?' (1978).
2. Haugbolle 1978 Haugbolle 2010, p. 117
  As early as 1978, Ziad al-Rahbani's play 'Bil-nisba li-bukra shu' ridiculed the village idyll of his parents' songs.
March 1978
March (during the invasion) 1978From the books
Christian militiamen massacre Shi'i villagers in the mosque of Khiam.
As Israeli officers watched, Fisk writes, Israel's Christian militia allies herded Shi'i villagers of Khiam, women and children included, into a mosque during the invasion and machine-gunned them all. Jonathan Randal of the Washington Post exposed it.
Art and memory
- book Jonathan Randal's Washington Post reports made the Khiam mosque massacre public.
In the list of 1978 ›
Marmonth
What the books say
1. Fisk 1978 invasion (no day) Fisk 2002
  Fisk: Jonathan Randal exposed the killing, during the 1978 invasion, of many Shia villagers, women and children among them, whom Christian militiamen shot with machine-guns inside a Khiam mosque while Israeli officers watched.
March-April 1978From the books
Israeli troops remove antiquities from the Tyre area.
An eight-tonne sarcophagus from the tenth century BC was flown to Israel by helicopter: it was among the antiquities Israeli forces took from excavations south-east of Tyre during Operation Litani in 1978.
In the list of 1978 ›
Marmonth
What the books say
1. de Clerck & Malsagne 1978 (source: New York Times, 28 April 1978) de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 414
  Antiquities excavated south-east of Tyre were removed to Israel during the 1978 Operation Litani, including an 8-tonne sarcophagus flown out by helicopter.
Wednesday, 8 March 1978111101 entry
The US government agreed on granting Lebanon an agricultural loan of the amount of 8,800,000 dollars.
In the list of 1978 ›
Saturday, 11 March 1978From the books
A Fatah commando lands near Haifa and hijacks a bus on the coastal road; 37 Israelis are killed.
Nine Fatah gunmen from Lebanon came ashore near Haifa, shot several people on a beach and seized a bus, which they drove towards Tel Aviv. All nine and many of the passengers died when Israeli troops halted it; the Israeli toll was 37. Three days later Israel invaded South Lebanon.
In the list of 1978 ›
11Mar
The books disagree
Hanf dates the attack to 14 March and gives 34 dead; Fisk and Quéméner give 37 dead. Fisk's 11 March agrees with de Clerck and Malsagne's 'three days' before 14 March, but Fisk calls it a Sunday, whereas 11 March 1978 was a Saturday.
1. Fisk Saturday, 11 March 1978 Fisk 2002
  Fisk: 37 Israelis and all nine attackers died after Fatah gunmen from Lebanon landed near Haifa on Sunday 11 March 1978, shot tourists on a beach and took a bus towards Tel Aviv.
2. de Clerck & Malsagne three days before 14 March de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 371
  Israel's official aim was to punish the PLO for its deadly Galilee raid three days before.
3. Quéméner before 14 March Quéméner 2017, ch. 6
  Quéméner: Israel's Litani operation followed a Palestinian attack on a bus at Tel Aviv that left 37 dead.
4. Hanf Tuesday, 14 March 1978 Hanf 1993, p. 229
  Dates the bus hijacking near Haifa to 14 March; 34 passengers murdered.
Tuesday, 14 March 1978111101 entry
Israel invaded the South, after an operation executed by the Fedayin on March 11 at Tel Aviv.
25,000 men backed by the aviation, armored vehicles and artillery invaded, within 2 hours, a tenth of Lebanon and forced Palestinians to withdraw to the North of the Litani. A first estimate reported 700 deaths and 160,000 displaced persons. Refugees rushed to Beirut causing a serious social problem. Air raids bombarded Damour, Ouzaï, and Tyr.
What the books addHistorians date the start of Operation Litani to 14 March (de Clerck and Malsagne, Traboulsi, Quéméner; de Clerck's chronology gives 15 March) and its end to 21 March. Up to 25,000 Israeli soldiers and 120 tanks took part (de Clerck and Malsagne). Estimates of the dead range from about 300 Palestinian fighters (de Clerck and Malsagne) to about 2,000 people, mostly civilians (Fisk; de Clerck and Malsagne; Picard). Estimates of the displaced range from 150,000 (Hanf's refugee table) and more than 200,000 (de Clerck and Malsagne, Picard) to 285,000 (Lebanese government figure cited by Fisk). On 15 March Israeli aircraft bombed the Palestinian camps of Beirut, Tyre and Damour.
Art and memory
- film Maroun Baghdadi's 1979 film We Are All For The Fatherland denounced what the Israeli invasion had done to South Lebanon.
- testimony Robert Fisk's eyewitness account of the invasion describes refugees on the coast road, the killing of women and children in two cars at Adloun by an Israeli landing party, the bombing of Aadchit and the shelling of Tyre.
- place The 'Amil association was founded after Israel's 1978 invasion by Kamel Mohanna, a paediatrician from South Lebanon, to bring emergency relief to war victims.
In the list of 1978 ›
14Mar
The books disagree
1. de Clerck & Malsagne Tuesday, 14 March 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 78
  Israel's first invasion, launched on 14 March 1978, created a buffer zone of 5 to 10 km on the Lebanese side of the border and drove the Palestinian commandos north of the Litani.
2. de Clerck & Malsagne Tuesday, 14 March 1978 to Tuesday, 21 March 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 370-371
  Syria stayed out of Operation Litani, Israel's offensive of 14-21 March 1978, officially launched to punish the PLO for a deadly raid into Galilee three days earlier.
3. de Clerck & Malsagne Wednesday, 15 March 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 573
  Chronology: Israeli invasion of South Lebanon, Operation Litani, 15 March.
4. de Clerck & Malsagne March 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 111
  Israel's March 1978 invasion of South Lebanon involved as many as 25,000 troops and 120 tanks.
5. de Clerck & Malsagne March 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 188
  More than 200,000 Lebanese fled to Sidon and Beirut during the first Israeli invasion in March 1978, which left about 2,000 victims, most of them civilians, and several villages in ruins.
6. de Clerck & Malsagne 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 425
  Israel's 1978 invasion killed about 300 Palestinian fighters; hundreds more were wounded and several dozen captured.
7. de Clerck & Malsagne Wednesday, 15 March 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 160
  At least 200 Fatah fighters were killed in the south, and Palestinian camps at Beirut, Tyre and Damour were bombed from the air, during Israel's Operation Litani on 15 March 1978.
8. Traboulsi Tuesday, 14 March 1978/15 Traboulsi 2007, p. 253
  Chronology, 14-15 March: Operation Litani, Israel's invasion of the south, leaves a buffer zone in Haddad's hands; the UN sets up UNIFIL.
9. Fisk after 11 March Fisk 2002
  Fisk drove south at dawn through refugees fleeing air strikes, after Weizman vowed to 'clean up' guerrilla bases following the Sunday raid. An estimated 2,000, nearly all civilians, died in the invasion.
10. Fisk March 1978 Fisk 2002
  Fisk: Israel committed at least 25,000 troops, but most PLO units had already withdrawn north of the Litani, except in the Tyre pocket, so nearly all the dead were civilians.
11. Fisk March 1978 Fisk 2002
  A later Lebanese government estimate put all the refugees at 285,000; at least 100,000 civilians, Fisk reports, fled to Beirut's southern suburbs and Ouzai.
12. Hanf three days after 14 March (= 17 March) Hanf 1993, p. 229-230
  A quarter of a million civilians, by some estimates, fled when Israel invaded three days after the hijacking. Its troops occupied the south up to the Litani, about one-tenth of Lebanon's territory.
13. Hanf 1978 Hanf 1993, p. 346
  Table of temporary refugees: 150,000 for the 1978 Israeli invasion (Abou Rjaily and Labaki).
14. Picard March 1978 Picard 2002, p. 119
  More than 200,000 Lebanese fled to Sidon and Beirut, and dozens of civilians were killed, when Israeli forces reached the Litani River in March 1978 after days of air and ground attacks.
15. Picard April 1978 Picard 2002, p. 206
  Picard's list of dates gives 2,000 dead and 250,000 displaced for Operation Litani, which it puts in April 1978, apparently by mistake.
16. Quéméner Tuesday, 14 March 1978 Quéméner 2017, ch. 6
  A Palestinian attack on a bus left 37 dead; Israel answered on 14 March 1978 with Operation Litani, invading southern Lebanon up to the river.
Wednesday, 15 March 1978111101 entry
According to a report issued by the Ministry of Finance, the losses in the public sector were estimated at 7.5 billion Lebanese Pounds.
In the list of 1978 ›
Wednesday, 15 March 1978From the books
Israeli aircraft bomb the Palestinian camps of Beirut, Tyre and Damour.
Operation Litani brought Israeli air raids on the Palestinian camps of Beirut and Tyre and on Damour, which had taken in survivors of Tal al-Za'tar. In the south, Israeli forces killed at least 200 Fatah fighters.
In the list of 1978 ›
15Mar
The books disagree
Entry 176 (14 March) already mentions air raids on Damour, Ouzai and Tyre.
1. de Clerck & Malsagne Wednesday, 15 March 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 160
  Israeli aircraft struck Palestinian camps on 15 March 1978: in Beirut, in Tyre and at Damour, where Tal al-Za'tar survivors had found refuge. At least 200 Fatah fighters died as Israeli forces committed abuses in the south.
2. de Clerck & Malsagne March 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 132
  Israeli forces dropped 22,000 bombs and shells in one week.
Sunday, 19 March 1978111101 entry
The Security council adopted the 425 Resolution which stipulated the expedition of 4,000 blue helmets to confirm the withdrawal of the Israeli forces. They had also to assist the Lebanese government in the restoration of its authority in the region.
What the books addResolution 425 was adopted with Resolution 426, which set up the force; the USSR abstained (de Clerck and Malsagne). UNIFIL later numbered about 6,000 soldiers, with France providing the largest first contingent (1,290 men).
In the list of 1978 ›
19Mar
The books disagree
1. de Clerck & Malsagne Sunday, 19 March 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 371
  UNIFIL was set up by Resolutions 425 and 426 of 19 March 1978, when the Security Council condemned the operation.
2. de Clerck & Malsagne Saturday, 18 March 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 573
  Chronology: on 18 March 1978 the Security Council passed Resolutions 425 and 426, and UNIFIL was established.
3. de Clerck & Malsagne 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 386
  The USSR abstained in the vote on Resolution 425.
4. Picard Sunday, 19 March 1978 Picard 2002, p. 214 (note 18 to ch. 9)
  Note: UN Security Council Resolution 425, 19 March 1978.
5. Hanf June 19th Hanf 1993, p. 230
  Dates Resolution 425 and the creation of UNIFIL to 19 June (apparently a slip for 19 March).
6. Fisk March 1978 Fisk 2002
  Quotes Resolution 425: confirm the Israeli withdrawal, restore peace and help the Lebanese government regain effective authority in the area.
7. Fisk 1978 Fisk 2002
  Fisk gives the force's planned strength as over 6,000 troops at any time and its estimated cost as $68 million for the first six months.
8. de Clerck & Malsagne 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 397-398
  In 1978 France's UNIFIL contingent was both the first to reach South Lebanon and the biggest, with 1,290 soldiers.
Tuesday, 21 March 1978From the books
Israel announces a ceasefire in the south; Operation Litani ends.
Fisk puts the cost of Operation Litani at as many as 2,000 Lebanese and Palestinian dead and 20 Israelis. On 21 March, its last day, Israel announced a ceasefire, but its guns shelled Tyre from nine that morning; it held the south up to the Litani except the Tyre pocket.
In the list of 1978 ›
21Mar
The books disagree
1. Fisk Tuesday, 21 March 1978 Fisk 2002
  Fisk: up to 2,000 Lebanese and Palestinians and 20 Israelis died for a front moved a few miles north. Tyre heard of Israel's ceasefire on the morning of 21 March, yet Israeli guns hit apartment blocks from 9 am.
2. de Clerck & Malsagne Tuesday, 14 March 1978 to Tuesday, 21 March 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 370
  Operation Litani ran from 14 to 21 March.
Wednesday, 22 March 1978111101 entry
The first ' Blue Helmets ' arrived to the South.
What the books addFisk dates the arrival in Tyre of UNIFIL's first unit, Colonel Jean Germain Salvan's French paratroopers, to 23 March. That morning, at the nearby Hassan Borro barracks, Palestinians and Lebanese officers nearly opened fire over the handover.
In the list of 1978 ›
22Mar
The books disagree
1. Fisk Thursday, 23 March 1978 Fisk 2002
  Fisk: the Hassan Borro barracks handover nearly led to shooting soon after 10 am on 23 March 1978, after the vanguard, French UN paratroopers, drove from Beirut into Tyre in 14 trucks.
Thursday, 23 March 1978111101 entry
General Gour, from the Israeli army, affirmed that Israeli withdrawal from the South of Lebanon would start within a few days.
What the books addFisk adds that during the invasion Gur declared that Israel would fall back to the Christian enclaves as a border 'security belt': the strip that became Major Haddad's.
In the list of 1978 ›
23Mar
What the books say
1. Fisk March 1978 (during the invasion) Fisk 2002
  Gur said during the March 1978 invasion that Israel would make the Christian enclaves between coast and Mount Hermon a 'security belt' along the frontier by withdrawing to them.
Thursday, 23 March 1978From the books
The first UNIFIL troops, French paratroopers, enter Tyre.
Armed Palestinian fighters still held Tyre's streets when Colonel Jean Germain Salvan's French paratroop battalion, the vanguard of the new UN force, drove in. At the handover of the Hassan Borro barracks, a quarrel between Palestinians and Lebanese officers came close to gunfire.
In the list of 1978 ›
23Mar
The books disagree
Entry 179 dates the first arrival of UN troops to 22 March.
1. Fisk Thursday, 23 March 1978 Fisk 2002
  A US Navy lieutenant with UNIFIL defused a Hassan Borro barracks stand-off between Palestinians, a Lebanese Arab Army officer and a Defence Ministry official on 23 March, the day the French UN battalion reached Tyre.
Monday, 27 March 1978111101 entry
' The 'National parliamentary gathering', a Shiite block, was created under the presidency of Kamel El Assaad.
In the list of 1978 ›
Wednesday, 29 March 1978111101 entry
The Arab Strike Force's mandate was extended for another 6 months.
In the list of 1978 ›
29Mar
The books disagree
1. de Clerck & Malsagne Saturday, 28 October 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 79
  The ADF mandate in force in October 1978 was due to expire on 28 October.
Thursday, 30 March 1978111101 entry
A little bit of cheerfulness in the midst of despair ! The Boney M gave a flamboyant show to a heartbroken Lebanese audience.
In the list of 1978 ›
April 1978
Tuesday, 11 April 1978111101 entry
Violent fights were reported on the axis Chyah-Ain el Remmaneh. The Arab Strike Force intervened, bombing violently Ain el Remmaneh and establishing a 500-meter wide buffer zone.
What the books addBy now Syria was fighting on the Palestinians' side. Hanf says the clashes ended once the Arab Deterrent Force's Saudi and Sudanese contingents deployed between Chiyah and Ain el-Remmaneh.
In the list of 1978 ›
11Apr
What the books say
1. Hanf April 1978 Hanf 1993, p. 234
  The Arab Deterrent Force's Saudi and Sudanese units ended the fighting by deploying between Chiyah and Ain el-Remmaneh. Soon after Israel's invasion of the south, Christian militias had fought Palestinians and Syrians in Beirut's suburbs.
Wednesday, 19 April 1978111101 entry
The Hoss government, formed in December of 1976, resigned. El Hoss himself was soon asked, on April 28, to form the new government.
In the list of 1978 ›
19Apr
What the books say
1. de Clerck & Malsagne 1978-1979 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 309
  Mentions the Hoss governments of 1978-1979 under Sarkis.
Wednesday, 19 April 1978From the books
Haddad's militia attacks UNIFIL headquarters at Naqoura.
Eight UN soldiers, six Irish and two Dutch, were wounded when mortar, RPG and heavy machine-gun fire hit UNIFIL's Naqoura headquarters, inside Haddad's enclave, at midnight. Israel ordered Haddad to end the siege only once the UN asked it.
In the list of 1978 ›
19Apr
What the books say
1. Fisk Wednesday, 19 April 1978 (midnight) Fisk 2002
  Fisk: Israeli officers, UN officers later confirmed, directed the midnight attack of 19 April 1978 on UNIFIL's Naqoura headquarters by mortar, RPG and heavy machine-gun, which wounded six Irish and two Dutch soldiers.
Sunday, 23 April 1978111101 entry
At the Villa Mansour, the committee of the ' Thirteen ', that included leaders from all parliamentary blocks, adopted a blueprint claiming the end of the Palestinian armed action on the entire Lebanese territory. The Parliament unanimously approved the resolution on the 27th of April.
What the books addNeither parliament nor president could enforce the resolution, Hanf notes. The 74 deputies in attendance passed it without dissent: it reserved arms to the legitimate Lebanese forces, told the Palestinians and 'other parties' to end armed action, and applied Lebanese law to all on Lebanese soil.
In the list of 1978 ›
23Apr
What the books say
1. Hanf end of April 1978 Hanf 1993, p. 234
  Only the legitimate forces were to bear arms, and the Palestinians and 'other parties' were to end armed action, under a resolution the 74 deputies attending passed unanimously in late April.
Friday, 28 April 1978111101 entry
A building collapsed on refugees from South Beirut causing tens of victims.
In the list of 1978 ›
May 1978
Tuesday, 2 May 1978111101 entry
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.
In the list of 1978 ›
2May
What the books say
1. Fisk early May 1978 Fisk 2002
  Colonel Salvan lost his Palestinian driver and a French soldier, and was himself badly hurt in both legs, when dissident PLO gunmen shot at the Fatah jeep he was in, in early May 1978.
2. Hanf 1978 Hanf 1993, p. 230 n. 95
  Heavy losses in clashes with Palestinians, in which its commander was badly wounded, made UNIFIL's French contingent far more cautious than at first, when it took an active view of its role.
3. Hanf 1978 Hanf 1993, p. 241
  Fighting broke out between Palestinian guerrillas and UNIFIL's Norwegian and French contingents.
Saturday, 6 May 1978111101 entry
Several civil victims were reported during a violent bombardment of Ain el Remmanneh. As usual, there were contradictory versions of the incident.
In the list of 1978 ›
Sunday, 7 May 1978111101 entry
The 'Mikhael Naimy' week was inaugurated under the patronage of the President of the Republic. This event was a Lebanese tribute to the great thinker and writer who stirs up Lebanon's tradition and vocation in the field of thinking.
In the list of 1978 ›
Thursday, 11 May 1978From the books
Sleiman Frangieh leaves the Lebanese Front.
The Lebanese Front's links with Israel led former president Sleiman Frangieh to quit it, costing the Front its hold on the Christian north.
In the list of 1978 ›
11May
The books disagree
De Clerck and Malsagne (p. 288) also date his withdrawal to after the Ehden killings, which would be later in June.
1. de Clerck & Malsagne Thursday, 11 May 1978 de Clerck & Malsagne 2025, p. 573
  Chronology: Suleiman Frangieh leaves the Lebanese Front, 11 May.
2. Traboulsi 1978 (no day) Traboulsi 2007, ch. 12
  Sulayman Frangieh, close to Damascus, quit the Lebanese Front in 1978 over its ties with Israel.
3. Confluences 1978 Confluences 2020, Yara El Khoury
  In 1978 Frangieh sided with Syria and left the Lebanese Front, which lost its Christian base in North Lebanon.

The Lebanese war, 1975–1990

The Lebanese Forces blow up the Armenian genocide memorial above Beirut.

The Antelias Cultural Movement is founded.

The Begin Plan concerning the settlement of Palestinians in Lebanon made some noise.

Within 3 weeks, four explosive charges were placed next to Saeb Salam's home.

A new armament and US equipment shipment sent to the Lebanese Army and the Internal Security Forces arrived at the Port of Beirut. It included a hundred armored vehicles and cistern trucks.

The Lebanese Front adopted a coexistence formula.

The Lebanese Front was alarmed : armaments were unloaded in Tyr.

The Parliament extended its mandate until the first of June 1980.

Feyrouz played Queen of ' Petra ', the play that the Rahbani brothers wrote and presented at the Picadilly Theatre. Assi Rahbani was the Director, Abdel-Hamid Caracalla was in charge of the scenography, Papou Lahoud did the costumes, and Ghazi Kahwaji the decoration.

A bomb attack damaged seriously the Tunisian embassy in Beirut, without, however, causing any victim.

An explosion injured 18 persons in Bourj. It was caused by a grenade hidden in a parked car.

Michel Sardou caused the walls at the Casino du Liban to vibrate.

A serious incident occurred in Fayadieh.

Fighting spreads from Fayadiyeh to East Beirut.

It is the first night, at the Casino du Liban theater, of the ' Akhwat Loubnan ' show written and interpreted by Nabih Aboulhosn.

Diverse shows were scheduled in Lebanon. 'We Belnesba la bokra chou?' by Ziad Rahbani was a triumph at the Orly Theater.

Christian militiamen massacre Shi'i villagers in the mosque of Khiam.

Israeli troops remove antiquities from the Tyre area.

The US government agreed on granting Lebanon an agricultural loan of the amount of 8,800,000 dollars.

A Fatah commando lands near Haifa and hijacks a bus on the coastal road; 37 Israelis are killed.

Israel invaded the South, after an operation executed by the Fedayin on March 11 at Tel Aviv.

According to a report issued by the Ministry of Finance, the losses in the public sector were estimated at 7.5 billion Lebanese Pounds.

Israeli aircraft bomb the Palestinian camps of Beirut, Tyre and Damour.

The Security council adopted the 425 Resolution which stipulated the expedition of 4,000 blue helmets to confirm the withdrawal of the Israeli forces. They had also to assist the Lebanese government in the restoration of its authority in the region.

Israel announces a ceasefire in the south; Operation Litani ends.

The first ' Blue Helmets ' arrived to the South.

General Gour, from the Israeli army, affirmed that Israeli withdrawal from the South of Lebanon would start within a few days.

The first UNIFIL troops, French paratroopers, enter Tyre.

' The 'National parliamentary gathering', a Shiite block, was created under the presidency of Kamel El Assaad.

The Arab Strike Force's mandate was extended for another 6 months.

A little bit of cheerfulness in the midst of despair ! The Boney M gave a flamboyant show to a heartbroken Lebanese audience.

Violent fights were reported on the axis Chyah-Ain el Remmaneh. The Arab Strike Force intervened, bombing violently Ain el Remmaneh and establishing a 500-meter wide buffer zone.

The Hoss government, formed in December of 1976, resigned. El Hoss himself was soon asked, on April 28, to form the new government.

Haddad's militia attacks UNIFIL headquarters at Naqoura.

At the Villa Mansour, the committee of the ' Thirteen ', that included leaders from all parliamentary blocks, adopted a blueprint claiming the end of the Palestinian armed action on the entire Lebanese territory. The Parliament unanimously approved the resolution on the 27th of April.

A building collapsed on refugees from South Beirut causing tens of victims.

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.

Several civil victims were reported during a violent bombardment of Ain el Remmanneh. As usual, there were contradictory versions of the incident.

The 'Mikhael Naimy' week was inaugurated under the patronage of the President of the Republic. This event was a Lebanese tribute to the great thinker and writer who stirs up Lebanon's tradition and vocation in the field of thinking.

Sleiman Frangieh leaves the Lebanese Front.