8th Infantry Brigade (Lebanon)
Encyclopedia
The 8th Infantry Brigade (Lebanon) was raised in 1983 by General Michel Aoun
, being regarded as an elite unit, it was the strongest, best equipped, and best trained formation of the Lebanese Army by the late 1980s. It consisted of 2,000 men, of whom 80% were Christians with the remaining 20% were Sunni Muslims from the northern Akkar region and included an armoured battalion provided with 34 M48
Tanks, three mechanized infantry battalion equipped with 90 M113 APCs, and an artillery battalion fielding 18 Howitzers and 12 120mm mortars. Colonel
Salim Kallas commanded the brigade in 1984 until 1990. The brigade was held in reserve and stationed near the Presidential Palace in Baabda
, and at the vinicity of the Defense Ministry at Yarzeh, in East Beirut. In 1983-84 the Eighth Brigade bore the brunt of the fighting at the battle of Souq el Gharb
in the Shouf, against the Druze
Progressive Socialist Party
militia and leftist militias in West Beirut.
Michel Aoun
Michel Naim Aoun is a former Lebanese Army Commander and he is one of the allies of Hezbollah. From 22 September 1988 to 13 October 1990, he has served as Prime Minister of the legal one of two rival governments that contended for power. He declared "The Liberation War" against the Syrian...
, being regarded as an elite unit, it was the strongest, best equipped, and best trained formation of the Lebanese Army by the late 1980s. It consisted of 2,000 men, of whom 80% were Christians with the remaining 20% were Sunni Muslims from the northern Akkar region and included an armoured battalion provided with 34 M48
M48 Patton
The M48 Patton is a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the third and final tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle It was a...
Tanks, three mechanized infantry battalion equipped with 90 M113 APCs, and an artillery battalion fielding 18 Howitzers and 12 120mm mortars. Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Salim Kallas commanded the brigade in 1984 until 1990. The brigade was held in reserve and stationed near the Presidential Palace in Baabda
Baabda
Baabda is the capital city of Baabda District as well as the capital of Mount Lebanon Governorate, western Lebanon. Baabda was the capital city of the autonomous Ottoman Mount Lebanon....
, and at the vinicity of the Defense Ministry at Yarzeh, in East Beirut. In 1983-84 the Eighth Brigade bore the brunt of the fighting at the battle of Souq el Gharb
Souk El Gharb
Souk El Gharb is a village in the Mount Lebanon Governorate, Aley District, in the country of Lebanon. The name of the village translates to "Western Market."...
in the Shouf, against the Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
Progressive Socialist Party
Progressive Socialist Party
The Progressive Socialist Party or PSP , also known as Parti Socialiste Progressiste in French, is a political party in Lebanon. Its current leader is Walid Jumblatt...
militia and leftist militias in West Beirut.
See also
- Lebanese Armed ForcesLebanese Armed ForcesThe Lebanese Armed Forces or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the Lebanese Army according to its official Website The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) (Arabic: القوات المسلحة اللبنانية | Al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥa al-Lubnāniyya) or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the...
- Lebanese civil warLebanese Civil WarThe Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
- Progressive Socialist PartyProgressive Socialist PartyThe Progressive Socialist Party or PSP , also known as Parti Socialiste Progressiste in French, is a political party in Lebanon. Its current leader is Walid Jumblatt...
- 4th Infantry Brigade (Lebanon)4th Infantry Brigade (Lebanon)The 4th Infantry Brigade was a Lebanese Army unit that fought in the Lebanese Civil War, being active from its creation in September 1982 to its destruction in September 1983, in wake of the Mountain War.-Origins:...
- 7th Infantry Brigade (Lebanon)7th Infantry Brigade (Lebanon)The 7th Infantry Brigade was composed of 1,700 men in 1987. A contingent of the Seventh Brigade was stationed in the Jbeil district, north of Beirut. This contingent was regarded as loyal to former President Suleiman Frangieh, whose feudal seat, Zgharta, is a few kilometers southwest of Tripoli...