List of armed groups in the Lebanese Civil War

The list of militias in the Lebanese Civil War does not include the "legal" Lebanese Army; note that the Army split into two major parts:

In addition, there was an autonomous faction within the "legal" Lebanese Army called the Army of Free Lebanon. It formed in 1976 and was composed of Maronites and Greek-Catholics reacting against the split with the mainly Muslim Lebanese Arab Army. It continued to be paid by the government, and was fully re-integrated into the "legal" army in 1978, with the exception of some units which chose instead to form the South Lebanon Army listed below.

List

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Lebanese Front and other right-wing factions

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Militia Fighters Time Demographic Notes
Lebanese Forces 40,000 1976-1994 Maronite Initially an umbrella organization for Maronite party militias; became an independent power structure in the year 1992.
Army of Free Lebanon 3,000 1976-1978 Christian Dissident faction of the Lebanese Army
Tyous Team of Commandos 100 1975-1985 Maronite
Zahloite Group 500 1975-1978 Christian Formed by a middle-class man against local feudal clans
Kataeb Regulatory Forces 10,000-15,000 1961-1984 Maronite
Kataeb Security Sections 1,000 1976-1984 Maronite The Kataeb party's "police militia". First commander was Bashir Gemayel
Vanguard of the Maani Army 200 1976-1978 Druze
Maronite League 200 1952-current Maronite A military wing was formed in 1975 for the organization of Lebanese Christian Maronite notables
Young Men 100 1976-1986 Christian Very loosely organised militia
Tigers Militia 3,500 1968-1980 Maronite The organization was first aligned with the LF disbanded during the inter-Christian conflicts
Zgharta Liberation Army 2,400-3,500 1967-1991 Maronite Operated around its power-base in northern Lebanon; pro-Syrian after 1978
Popular Revolutionary Resistance Organization

Lebanese Liberation Front

Unknown 1987 Christian Secretive underground party regarded as extremist. All names are believed to be the same organization.
Guardians of the Cedars 6,000 1975-1990 Maronite Founder currently lives in exile
Lebanese Youth Movement 500-1,000 1975-1977 Maronite Founded by right-wing Maronite university students.
Sons of the South Unknown 1983-1995 Christian Usually operated in the Jabal Amel region close to the Israeli-controlled 'Security Zone'
South Lebanon Army 5,000 1977-2000 Secular Based itself in Saad Haddad's unrecognized State of Free Lebanon.
Assyrian Battalion Unknown 1980 Assyrian Very little is known about the militia
Al-Tanzim 1,500 1969-1990 Maronite Secretive, was possibly linked to the Lebanese Army

LNM/LNRF and other left-wing factions

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Militia Fighters Operation Demographic Notes
Lebanese Arab Army 4,400 1976-1977 Sunni Broke away from Lebanese Army;

considered itself the legitimate Lebanese Army and at highpoint controlled 3/4 of Lebanese Army positions

The-Assad Battalion 2,000[1] 1953-1991 Sunni Syrian Ba'ath group in Lebanon
Arab Communist Organization Unknown 1969-1977 Secular The group focused mainly on bomb attacks and extortion attempts targeting American and British civilian and economic interests in Lebanon
Arab Red Knights/Arab Cavalier Force 1,000-1,500 1981-1990 Alawite Pro-Syrian; small but received very considerable support from Syria's Alawite leader; eventually controlled Tripoli harbour. Funded and trained by Rifat al Asaad.[2] Military wing of the Arab Democratic Party.
Zafer el-Khatib Forces 200-500[3] 1975-1991[4] Sunni Established a close relationship with the Shia Amal Movement, Military wing of the Toilers League
Kurdish Democratic Party Unknown 1985-1990 Kurdish Joined forces with the Razkari Party to form the Progressive Kurdish Front
People's Liberation Army 17,000 1975-1994 Druze Power base in the Chouf and controlled its own canton
Communist Action Organization in Lebanon 150-200[5] 1973-1980s Secular
Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions 30 1979-1988 Secular
Lebanese Resistance Regiments (AMAL) 16,000 1975-1991 Shi'a Militia created with Fatah support
Islamic Unification Movement 1,000 1982-1991 Sunni The militia had strong involvement in Tripoli and South Lebanon.
Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine Unknown 1987 Shi'a Claimed responsibility for the abduction of three American and one Indian professors from Beirut University College.[6][7]
Islamic Resistance 5,000 1983-1991 Shi'a Evolved from Amal in early 1980s, initially as Iranian proxy
Islamic Jihad Organization 400 1983-1992 Shi'a Claimed responsibility for many attacks and kidnapping against the United States
Islamic Amal Unknown 1982-1987 Shi'a The movement got its start in June 1982 when Nabih Berri, the head of Amal, agreed to participate in the Salvation Committee
National Liberation Army 500-1000 1975-1980s Sunni The military wing of the Popular Nasserist Organization
Sixth of February Movement 150 1975-1986 Sunni Trained by the Palestine Liberation Organization.[8]
Arab Socialist Action Party – Lebanon Unknown 1969-1980s Secular The party was founded by George Habash in 1969 and was closely linked to the PFLP, which Habash also led.[9][10]
Najjadeh Party 100 1975-1976 Secular A party which emerged during the French era.
Popular Guard 5,000 1970-1990 Secular Secular, but most members nominally from Eastern Orthodox & Oriental Orthodox communities
Lebanese Forces – Executive Command 1,000 1986-1991 Christian A splinter group from the Lebanese Forces led by Elie Hobeika based in Zahle
Free Tigers 200 1980-1981 Christian Dissident splinter group of the NLP Tigers after the forced merger with the Lebanese Front
SSNP militia 10,000 1975-1990 Secular Advocated union with Syria;

1976 split into pro- and anti-Assad factions members linked to assassinations of Jumblatt and Gemayel

Nasser's Forces Unknown 1975-1990[11] Sunni The party and its military wing were supported financially and militarily by the Libyan government.[12]
Nasserist Unionists Movement Unknown 1982-1991 Sunni Splinter faction of the INM/Al-Mourabitoun
Al-Mourabitoun 3,000 1975-1985 Sunni
Victory Divisions 1,000 1975-1978 Muslim Pro-Syrian, military wing of the Union of Working People's Forces
Ba'ath militias Unknown 1975-1990 Secular Split into two rival Ba'ath militias, one pro-Iraqi, the other pro-Syrian
Socialist Arab Lebanon Vanguard Party 2500 1966-1991 secular Iraqi Ba'ath group in Lebanon
Lebanese Movement in Support of Fatah Unknown Unknown Sunni LMSF received Fatah backing from the outset and joined the ranks of the Lebanese National Movement (LNM)
United Nasserite Organization 50-100 1986-1991 Sunni Suspected to be merely a cover for the National Revolutionary Command (Omar al-Mukhtar)

Unaffiliated groups

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Militia Fighters Operation Demographic Notes
Lebanese Armed Forces 50,000 1945-current Secular Had numerous splinter groups and different leaderships throughout the war
Front for the Liberation of Lebanon from Foreigners Unknown 1980s Secular Obscure underground militant organization covertly formed by Israel in Lebanon in the early 1980s to undermine Palestinian and Syrian forces
Soldiers of the Right Unknown 1988-1989 Muslim An unknown underground group which claimed responsibility for multiple kidnappings and murders in Europe and Lebanon
Liberation Battalion Unknown 1987-1988 Secular Organization dedicated to attacking Syrian Army in Lebanon during the 1980s. Suspected to have relations to both LF and Hezbollah
M.U.R. Unknown 1991-1994 Secular liberation armed group fighting Lebanon's occupation by foreign armies in the 1990s
Razkari Party Unknown 1975-current Kurdish

Foreign groups

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Militia Fighters Operation Notes
Palestinian
Abu Nidal Organization Unknown 1974-1997 A breakaway from Fatah led by Abu Nidal
Fatah 7000 1965-preset Fatah became the dominant force in Palestinian politics after the Six-Day War in 1967.
Fatah al-Intifada 3500 1983–present Splinter group of Fatah
PLFP-GC 2000 1968-preset Syrian-backed splinter group from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
PFLP 2000 1967–present After the Six-Day War of June 1967
PNSF Unknown 1985-1991 Mostly participated in the War of the Camps
PPSP 200 1967–present Supported by Syria and Libya
As-Sa'iqa 4500 1966–present Used by Syria as a proxy force in the Palestinian movement
Revolutionary Palestinian Communist Party Unknown 1982–present Took part in the armed resistance against the Israeli invasion in Lebanon
DFLP 2500 1968–present
Armenian
Armenian Revolutionary Federation Unknown 1975-1991 ARF affiliates took arms to defend their neighbourhoods
ASALA Unknown 1975-1991 Committed many terrorist attacks internationally
Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide Unknown 1975-1987 Committed many murders during the war both in Lebanon and internationally. Military wing of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Other
Japanese Red Army 40 1971–2001 The JRA had close ties with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Wadie Haddad.[13]
Jihadi Wing 2000+ 1979-2003 Responsible for the Iraqi embassy bombing in Beirut
Kurdistan Workers' Party Unknown 1980-1984 Was involved in attacks against Israel after their expulsion from Turkey and relocation to the Beqaa Valley.
State militaries
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 20000+ 1982 The IRGC allegedly sent troops to train fighters in response to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.[14]
Israel 78000 1978-2000 Funded right-wing militia groups throughout the war. Invaded Lebanon in 1978 and in 1982.
Saudi Arabia 3200 1976-1979 Part of the Arab Deterrent Force
Sudan 1000 1976-1979 Part of the Arab Deterrent Force
United Arab Emirates 1500 1976-1979 Part of the Arab Deterrent Force
Libya 2000 1976 Part of the Arab Deterrent Force and state funder of leftist militias
South Yemen 1000 1976-1977 Part of the Arab Deterrent Force
Syria 35000 1976-1991 Invaded Lebanon in 1976, part of the Arab Deterrent Force

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Syria: A Country Study. Kessinger Publishing. 2004. p. 282. ISBN 978-1-4191-5022-7.
  2. ^ https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP85T00314R000100070001-4.pdf
  3. ^ Traboulsi, Identités et solidarités croisées dans les conflits du Liban contemporain; Chapitre 12: L'économie politique des milices: le phénomène mafieux (2007), page unknown.
  4. ^ Barak, The Lebanese Army – A National institution in a divided society (2009), p. 173.
  5. ^ Makdisi and Sadaka, The Lebanese Civil War, 1975-1990 (2003), p. 44, Table 1: War Period Militias.
  6. ^ New York Times, January 25, 1987, March 19, 1987. A9, September 28, 1988. A9
  7. ^ New York Times, March 19, 1987. A9, September 28, 1988. A9
  8. ^ Stork, Joe. "The War of the Camps, The War of the Hostages" in MERIP Reports, No. 133. (June 1985), pp. 3–7, 22.
  9. ^ Lebanon: The Fragmented Nation p.171
  10. ^ The Republic of Lebanon: Nation in Jeopardy p.89
  11. ^ Almodon. خمسة أحزاب انتهت في الحرب
  12. ^ Frank Tachau (1 January 1994). Political Parties of the Middle East and North Africa. Greenwood Press. p. 343. ISBN 978-0-313-26649-2.
  13. ^ Smith 1994, p. 144.
  14. ^ "frontline: terror and Tehran: inside Iran: the structure of power in Iran". PBS. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
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