Chronology / 1979

Lebanese war chronology - 1979

June 14, 1979		After having renewed the UNIFL mandate for six months, the United Nations proclaimed the validity of the Armistice Commission. The Security Council deplored Israeli aggressions and asked all parties to cooperate with the blue helmets.
June 16, 1979		After murderous combats, the Lebanese authorities decided to send the army to Ain el Remmane at the beginning of the week.
June 21, 1979		Violent combats with heavy armaments opposed the Lebanese army and the Arab Strike Force at the jurd of Akoura killing 7 Lebanese and injuring 19 persons, 13 of which were militiamen.
June 21, 1979		Elias IV, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and the Orient died.
June 27, 1979		Syrians and Israelis faced each other in the sky of Damour. Four Syrian Migs were shut down. At the Southern border, shelling continued between Progressive Palestinians on one side and the militia of Saad Haddad and Israel on the other.
June 28, 1979		The Arab Strike Force mandate was renewed for 6 months.
June 30, 1979		The 'race for peace' organized by the Lebanese Federation of Athletics under the patronage of L'orient-Le Jour was a manifestation of the Lebanese sportsmen in favor of national unity. Departed from Achrafieh, the 66 participants representing 18 clubs from all the Lebanese regions met in Manara after having crossed the Fouad Chehab Ring.
July 2, 1979		President Elias Sarkis asked Selim El Hoss to form the government.
July 10, 1979		An artillery duel opposed the Arab Strike Force to the Lebanese Forces in Hadeth.
July 12, 1979		Unrest spread in West Beirut where Shiite militiamen manifested their anger against the eventual visit to Beirut of Colonel Kadhafi. The Lebanese government cancelled, under pressure from both officials and Shiite masses, the visit of the Libyan president.
July 16, 1979		Two months after the resignation of the Hoss Cabinet formed at the end of the 75-76 war, Selim El Hoss announced the formation of his second Cabinet. The ministerial team included: Selim El Hoss: Prime Minister - Fouad Boutros: Vice-president of the Council and Minister of Foreign affairs - Charles Helou: Minister of State - Bahige Takieddine: Minister of Interior and Tourism - Joseph Skaff: Minister of Defense and Agriculture - Anouar Sabbah: Minister of Resources and Industry - Ali El Khalil: Minister of Finance - Nazem Kadri: Minister of Social Affairs - Boutros Harb: Minister of Education and Public Works - Talal Merhabi: Minister of Health and Economy - Youssef Germanos: Minister of Justice and Information
July 21, 1979		At Mont La Salle, many fans applauded Joe Dassin, the baladin-poete.
July 22, 1979		The Israeli aviation bombarded Damour, Naameh, Sarafand and Adloun, making heavy casualties: 18 dead and 70 wounded including women and children.
July 23, 1979		A Lebanese cargo airplane from the freight company 'Trans Mediterranean Airway' crashed on one of the Beirut Airport runways. The six occupants of the four engine aircraft died.
August 9, 1979		The Cabinet won the Parliament's confidence by the majority of 54 votes against nine.
August 13, 1979		The Iraqi ambassador was wounded during an attack in Jnah.
August 14, 1979		Tension reached its peak everywhere in Lebanon. Heavy fights opposed the Lebanese Forces to the Lebanese army at the Beirut River's Corniche and in Oyoune el Simane.
August 16, 1979		The Lebanese weightlifter Mohammed Traboulsi won several gold medals during the 11th Asian championship of weightlifting that was taking place in Tokyo.
August 17, 1979		While the truce was being confirmed at the port and downtown, the situation escalated in the South where the Israeli artillery and Saad Haddad's artillery bombarded several localities. In the North, the Marada attacked a Phalange checkpoint in Barbara located between Jbeil and Batroun. The operation resulted in 3 dead and 5 injured among the Phalangist militiamen.
August 20, 1979		A car bomb exploded prematurely in Achrafieh killing the two occupants of the vehicle. A disaster had just been avoided.
August 21, 1979		A deluge of fire fell on Tyr and Nabatyeh and hit a religious monastery causing 4 deaths and 28 injuries. The shelling was extended to the borders of Saida and Jezzine.
August 31, 1979		On the occasion of the first anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr, a general strike paralyzed Beirut. For the first time Sheikh Mohammed Mehdi chamseddine accused the Libyans of his disappearance.
September 7, 1979		Three commandos hijacked an Alitalia airplane. Their objective was to denounce Kadhafi in front of the international opinion. 141 passengers out of 175 were released at the airport of Rome. The air pirates surrendered to the Iranians the next day.
September 8, 1979		Dalida fascinated her fans at the Piccadilly. September 11 A confrontation between the Phalangists and the Tachnag (Armenian militia) caused 24 dead, 30 wounded and 40 hostages in Nabaa and Bourj Hammoud.
September 12, 1979		The notables of Zghorta and Becharreh reconciled under the aegis of Patriarch Khoreiche. In a common declaration, the notables requested the deployment of the army in their region.
September 15, 1979		Several hundreds of women gathered at the Arts and Crafts garden and head towards the office of the Prime Minister. Most of them were originally from the South and they were claiming peace.
September 17, 1979		A delegation of black American officials arrived in Beirut to meet with Lebanese and Palestinian officials.
September 20, 1979		Numerous typhoid cases were reported in Lebanon but there hasn't been any epidemic outbreak in the country.
September 22, 1979		President Elias Sarkis delivered an important speech, in which he emphasized the overriding role the army should play. Without it 'the State will be a body with no soul', he said. He insisted that the Arabs should stop to shilly-shally about Southern Lebanon.
September 26, 1979		Shiite leaders headed by Sheikh Mohammed Mehdi Chamseddine requested the deployment of the army in Southern Lebanon.
October 2, 1979		Linking the crisis with the settlement of the Palestinian problem, the Pope declared that Lebanon should remain a model of coexistence.
October 4, 1979		A light earthquake shook the region of Saida without any victim.
October 4, 1979		The Minister of Foreign affairs, Fouad Boutros, called upon the United Nations to end Israeli aggressions in the South, to freeze the activities of the Fedayin, to reinforce the UNIFL, and to dissociate the Lebanese problem from the regional crisis.
October 7, 1979		Samir Bannout was sacred world champion of plastic beauty at the Colombo Championship in the United States.
October 8, 1979		Phalangist armed elements set up a surprise checkpoint in Ainata, the road leading to the Cedars, and took 70 hostages from Zghorta. The Marada retaliated by taking 230 hostages that were released on October 12, following a call launched by Pope John Paul II.
October 17, 1979		A wooden Christ that has been in the Ain Trez Greek Catholic convent since the last century could be the work of Michel-Angelo. The authenticity of this work had been guaranteed with 90% confidence by a first appraisal in Rome last September.
October 23, 1979		Phalangist elements and the LNP fought in Beit Mery.
October 25, 1979		The Lebanese government who had just launched a wide offensive against barratry and smuggling, adopted serious measures to insure the supervision of the coasts and to prevent pirate cargos from accosting in the clandestine ports.
October 27, 1979		A car bomb exploded in basta, next to the office of the Army of Arabic Lebanon provoking 8 deaths and 32 injuries. The attack was followed by a strike in West Beirut.
October 28, 1979		Israel stiffened its position. While Hoss discussed with Abou Ayad a Lebanese Palestinian understanding platform, Israel laid two conditions for peace: the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon and the end of Palestinian raids, according to what Menahem Begin affirmed to the American delegate, Philip Habib in Jerusalem.