111101 - Facts - Chronology - Lebanese war

Lebanese war chronology - 1988

January 3, 1988 sunday		Murderous Israeli raids on Palestinian and Progressive Socialist Party positions in the region of Saida make kill 21 persons and wound 11.
January 4, 1988 monday		A Progressive Socialist Party member hijacks a Lebanese Army helicopter. This affair triggers a maritime blockade imposed by the Army on the Chouf region.
January 10, 1988 sunday		In order to avoid the escalation, Joumblatt surrenders the 'Gazelle' to the Hammana barrack but the major insists on going back to Adma. Two days later, this crisis is forgotten and the maritime blockade is lifted up.
January 17, 1988 sunday		A 'Puma' crashes in the sea next to the Bouar coast with its captain Georges Sadaka on board and his co-pilot Jean Azzi. The search for the two bodies was unsuccessful.
January 20, 1988 wednesday		The camps war, that lasted three years, seems to come close to an end with the deployment of the Syrian army and the Lebanese Army sixth brigade, replacing Amal around Chatila and Bourj-Brajneh.
January 21, 1988 thursday		The institute 'Etudes et Consultations Economiques' publishes the results of its annual analysis of the price increase in Beirut. They show an increase of 721% during the year 1987.
January 25, 1988 monday		While hail falls on most of the country causing important damages, police patrols go round bakeries that are reducing the 2 kilos 'rabta' of bread, sold regularly at 65 LBP., to 1700grs.
January 27, 1988 wednesday		Ralph Schary is kidnapped in West Beirut. Married to Rana Mounla, a Muslim from Tripoli, he is the third West German national who is kidnapped.
January 29, 1988 friday		The fall of the dollar (400 LBP.) on the market (it had reached 430 LBP.) allows the Minister of Industry and Oil to reduce the price of oil from 1400 LBP. to 1200 LBP. and the ton of fuel from 69,200 LBP. to 52,000 LBP.
February 2, 1988 tuesday		Jacques Merrin, a Frenchman working for the DGSE, is killed by unknown persons in the neighborhood of the Palace of Justice.
February 3, 1988 wednesday		Winter is tough. A 20 cm snow layer covers Tripoli where it had not snowed since 1947.
February 4, 1988 thursday		The emissary of President Amine Gemayel, Elie Salem, meets with the Secretary of State George Schultz in Washington in the presence of the Sub-Secretary for the Middle East Affairs, Richard Murphy.
February 5, 1988 friday		Two Scandinavian employees of the UNRWA are kidnapped.
February 12, 1988 friday		An explosive charge of 880 grs of TNT is found and diffused in the airplane that has to transport President Gemayel to Sanaa.
February 28, 1988 sunday		The Lebanese thinker and man of letters Mikhael Neaimeh dies at the age of 98 following a bronchitis.
March 3, 1988 thursday		Ralph Schray, The West German national kidnapped on January 27, is released in Beirut and driven to Damascus.
March 7, 1988 monday		The R.F. Semaan Doueihy, Deputy of Zghorta, is killed by violent heart attack at the age of 67.
March 18, 1988 friday		The Ivory Coast decides to close its embassy in Beirut fearing that a negative action against its diplomats could cause repercussions on the Lebanese that live in the Ivory Coast.
March 31, 1988 thursday		The first animated cartoons festival in Lebanon is inaugurated at the S.E.P in presence of several personalities as well as cartoonists who came from France.
April 6, 1988 wednesday		Following combats between Amal and Hezbollah, Nabatiyeh falls in the hands of Amal militiamen.
April 24, 1988 sunday		The northern Lebanon capital, Tripoli, is mourning because of a strong explosive charge that killed 66 and injured 26.
April 27, 1988 wednesday		27,000 public school teachers go on an open strike in order to obtain better medical and social benefits.
April 30, 1988 satruday		The body of Bishop Albert Khoreiche was discovered in the forest of Chnaiir, provoking consternation in every milieu. He had disappeared eight days earlier in mysterious conditions.
May 4, 1988 wednesday		The affair of the three last French hostages has a happy ending. Marcel Fontaine, Marcel Carton and Jean-Paul Kauffman, detained for three years by the Islamic Jihad, are finally released. Michel Seurat, dead one year after he was made captive, wasn't as lucky.
May 5, 1988 thursday		Lebanon requests an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council following Israeli military operations on its territory.
May 11, 1988 wednesday		Iran and Syria sponsored a seven-point agreement destined to consolidate the end of combats in the southern suburbs that made, in 6 days, 157 death and 666 injured. The agreement was revised a few days later.
May 18, 1988 wednesday		A young unemployed man, Antoine Khalife, wins 150 millions LBP. at the Loto.
May 26, 1988 thursday		The Generals Ghazi Kanaan and Said Bayraqdar, respectively chief of S.S and Commander of the Syrian Forces in Lebanon, barely escape an attack in Ghobayre.
May 27, 1988 friday		Syrians deploy in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
May 30, 1988 monday		A car bomb explodes in the region of Rmeil, killing 15 and injuring 61.
June 3, 1988 friday		Nabih Berri, leader of the Amal movement, announces the dissolution of his militia in all regions except for Southern Lebanon.
June 5, 1988 sunday		2,200 tons of toxic waste were illegally brought in Lebanon and kept on waste grounds in the Kesrouan, after being rejected by Italy, Syria and Venezuela.
June 7, 1988 tuesday		Eight days after the Rmeil attack, a car bomb explodes in Ouzai, killing 3 and injuring 30.
June 10, 1988 friday		A two hours face-to-face meeting between presidents Gemayel and Assad in Algeria opens a new page in the dialogue between Syria and Lebanon.
June 27, 1988 monday		Chatila falls in the hands of the Palestinian dissidents.
July 3, 1988 sunday		Because of simultaneous breakdowns in the Zouk and Jyeh power plants and on the Jyeh-Jamhour network, numerous regions are deprived of electrical power for more than 18 hours.
July 17, 1988 sunday		While Beirut suffers powerlessly from the prolonged electricity failure and a tough water rationing, a flame of violence takes place in the North. Combats between the Jaafar and the population of Kobeyate kill 8 eight persons and wound about 30.
August 1, 1988 monday		The habitants of Kobeyate and the Jaafar become reconciled.
August 4, 1988 thursday		Richard Murphy arrives unexpectedly in Beirut where he defines to the President of the Republic Washington's position.
August 9, 1988 tuesday		As the inflation increases, new bills of 500 LBP. and 1000 LBP. are put on the market.
August 10, 1988 wednesday		For 5 months, 'Samarcande', the novel of Amin Maalouf, the young Lebanese writer (39 years old), who lives in Paris since 1976, is a best seller in France.
August 16, 1988 tuesday		The former 78 years old Chief of State, Sleiman Frangie, announces officially his candidacy for the presidential elections.
August 23, 1988 tuesday		The 'Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation' (television of L.F) inaugurates channel 33, first French-speaking private television channel in the Middle East.
September 8, 1988 thursday		The deputy of Jezzine, Farid Serhal is kidnapped at a P.S.P. checkpoint in Ouzai and driven to the Bristol Hotel.
September 12, 1988 monday		The Amid of the National Block, Raymond Edde, announces officially his candidacy for the presidential elections.
September 13, 1988 tuesday		Fire exchanges between units of the Lebanese army and the Lebanese Forces in Sin-el-Fil and Mkalles killed one militiaman and injured another one.
September 18, 1988 sunday		Mikhael Daher, deputy from the North, 'was designated' candidate at the presidential elections in accordance with a Syrian-American agreement. This designation did not please everyone.
September 20, 1988 tuesday		A car bomb explodes in Dora killing 3 and injuring 37 including the outgoing Minister of Information, Joseph Skaff.
September 22, 1988 thursday		A few minutes before the expiration of his mandate, President Amine Gemayel named the Maronite commander of the army, general Michel Aoun, Prime Minister of a military government. According to the constitution, the ministers' council takes over the executive power in case of a vacancy of the presidency. However, the three Muslim Ministers withdraw immediately.
September 23, 1988 friday		General Aoun and Selim Hoss were fighting for the international recognition. The country was from now on divided in two regions run respectively in the 'East' by general Aoun and in the 'West' by Selim Hoss.
October 3, 1988 monday		The Indian hostage Singh, resident of the United States and detained for 21 months in Lebanon, is released.
October 4, 1988 tuesday		The Lebanese Forces announced an agreement on the unification of the forces in the East and took for the first time since 1975 control of the Northern Metn (barracks, offices, military positions), region considered as the fief of the former president Amine Gemayel.
October 12, 1988 wednesday		The French Minister of Culture and Communication, Jack Lang, decorates the Lebanese singer Feiruz, with the distinguishing mark of the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters. Acording to Lang, Feiruz is the 'symbol of a country that refuses to die.'
October 18, 1988 tuesday		The quorum had not been reached at the chamber of deputies, and the country found itself without legislative power and without a president of the Republic since September 23 but endowed with two executive organs.
October 26, 1988 wednesday		The Israeli airforce hits again in East Saida and in Southern Beirut killing 15 persons and injuring 48.
November 7, 1988 monday		General Antoine Lahd, Chief of the 'Army of Southern Lebanon', escapes an assassination attempt by a communist militant, Souha Bechara. She is arrested.
November 9, 1988 wednesday		Adel Osseirane names General Sami Khatib, former Chief of the Arab Strike Force, Chief Commander of the Army.
November 25, 1988 friday		West Beirut was the stage of a fresh outbreak of combats between Amal militiamen and the Hezbollah, despite the Syrian army presence.
November 27, 1988 sunday		President Takieddine Solh dies in Paris at the age of 80 following a heart attack.
December 2, 1988 friday		General Aoun orders the closure of the Museum-Berbir junction; the passage will be re-opened 17 days later.
December 7, 1988 wednesday		On the fifth day of a blockade imposed by the closure of the Museum-Berbir junction, the only supply road for fuel and food products, the bank of Lebanon gives up to the pressures and unfreezes credits for the West Beirut sector for direct importation of flour.
December 13, 1988 tuesday		An agreement takes place between the employers and the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers. The minimum wage is thus increased to 25,000 LBP.
December 20, 1988 tuesday		Four days after the liberation of the R.C.I.C. Swiss delegate, Peter Winkler, kidnapped in Southern Lebanon on November 17 and released on December 16, the Red Cross International Committee decides to suspend its operations in Lebanon immediately and to repatriate its delegates.
December 29, 1988 thursday		Two French little girls (Marie-Laure and Virginie Valente) kidnapped 13 months earlier are delivered by the Libyan authorities to a French government emissary. The year ends in a very tense climate. The Lebanese are wondering about their future.

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