كانون الثاني (يناير) - شباط  (فبراير) - آذار (مارس) عام ١٩٧٥ .. حرب لبنان

January and February 1975
.. Lebanon War _ Photos _ Documents _ Events

1975
January:

7/1/75: A summit meeting between Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and Lebanese President Suleiman Franjieh in Chtaura, and a joint statement was issued confirming Syria's readiness to support Lebanon. The talks included political and military coordination between them.

10/1/75: The Lebanese government pledges to implement the recommendation of the Defense and Foreign Affairs Committees to continue its contacts to hold an Arab summit to discuss the Israeli attacks on Lebanon

12/1/75: Libyan President Colonel Muammar Gaddafi tells the Beirut newspaper "An-Nahar": We are waiting for a signal from Lebanon to implement the plan to defend it.

1/24/75: Statement by the head of the Kataeb Party, Sheikh Pierre Gemayel, criticizing the fedayeen and Palestinian action as a whole..

February:

2/9/75: The inauguration of the new Maronite Patriarch, Mar Antonios Boutros Khreich, in place of the late Patriarch, Mar Boulos Boutros Meouchi, who died on 1/11/75. The new Patriarch said: We carry in our bodies the wounds of the South, and the nation lives in our souls.

75/2/19 An explosion occurred in the Kataeb House in Haret Hreik near Beirut, which was said to be due to disagreements between them and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.

75/2/20: Pierre Gemayel continues his campaign against the Fedayeen and Palestinians in general in his third statement in less than a month.

75/2/26: The army opens fire on a mass demonstration in Sidon, called for by fishermen and led by former MP Marouf Saad, head of the Popular Nasserite Organization, in protest against the licensing of the “Protein” company, whose board of directors is headed by President Camille Chamoun. The license grants it a monopoly on fishing along the Lebanese coast for 99 years - Marouf Saad was seriously injured, and the situation in Sidon became tense, and gunfire and missiles were exchanged between gunmen on the roofs of buildings and the army - The national and progressive parties and forces called for a general strike in Beirut and the regions following a meeting at Kamal Jumblatt’s house. The authorities were accused of attempting to assassinate Marouf Saad. The parties' statement called for the prosecution of those responsible for the shooting - the authorities considered the demonstration unlicensed. Therefore, an official order was issued to stop it.

2/27/75: The success of the general strike in Lebanon in solidarity with the legitimate demands of the fishermen - The national forces led by Kamal Jumblatt insist on exposing those responsible for the shooting and punishing them. Jumblatt conveyed the point of view of those forces to the Prime Minister at the time, Rashid Al-Solh, which is the necessity of reconsidering the license of “Protein” and including the fishermen as shareholders in it - The alliance of Rashid Karami, Raymond Edde, and Saeb Salam supports the demands of the people of Sidon - Patriarch Khreish returns to Marouf Saad at the American University Hospital and says: (We hope for his return to his position of struggle) President Rashid Al-Solh says (that the demonstration that will take place on February 28 will be free, i.e. not prohibited, and announces a general desire to contain the aftermath of the Sidon incident and confirms that everyone is demanding the cancellation of the monopoly of fishing.

2/28/75: Huge demonstrations in Beirut paralyze life there, ten thousand chant for the demands of the fishermen and refuse to license the “Protein” company. The Lebanese Revolutionary Socialist Movement Announces that it blew up the company's offices in Beirut in solidarity with the fishermen - The Council of Ministers decides: Suspend the hand of the Governor of the South, Henri Lahoud, and considers canceling the license » Protean: - The Governor of the South announces that he is not responsible for what happened and that the Prime Minister issued orders to suppress the demonstration in Sidon - Camille Chamoun, in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company, explains the nature of its work and confirms that it will undertake deep-sea fishing and will not affect the interests of the fishermen.

March:

1/75/3: Clashes between the army and gunmen in Sidon, killing two soldiers and wounding a number of civilians and soldiers Rashid al-Solh threatens to resign if the army does not withdraw - The leadership of the Palestinian resistance warns of attempts by some media outlets to drag it into events considered internal - Imam Musa al-Sadr, head of the Supreme Shiite Islamic Council, calls for the army to be completely removed from internal issues - The authority mediates between Minister Abbas Khalaf and a committee of national forces to address the situation in Sidon. Khalaf met with fishermen on the basis of discussing the withdrawal of the Protein Company concession and including fishermen in health and social security services - While Khalaf and the committee were in Sidon in one of the meetings, bullets rang out and it became clear that army armored vehicles had surrounded several places in Sidon and that several clashes had occurred, which halted the mediation.

75/3/2: The army withdrew from Sidon and the gendarmerie took over the responsibility of maintaining security - The outcome of the clashes was 5 dead soldiers, 10 civilians and dozens wounded - Minister Malek Salam demands the dismissal of the army commander, Raymond Edde demands the withdrawal of the government and holds it responsible - A gunman attacks a military truck in Sidon, killing

One killed and thirty wounded, and the Popular Committee handed him over to the authority - The Maronite League warns of the results of the campaign against the army and the Phalange Party threatens to withdraw its ministers if the army commander is dismissed, and Camille Chamoun supported him in this - Kamal Jumblatt calls for calming the situation and reaching a solution that guarantees everyone's dignity, and proposes forming an army command council to assist the army commander and achieve sectarian balance as a way out of the crisis.

75/3/4: Raymond Edde calls for an extraordinary session of the parliament. President Suleiman Franjieh tells the deputies that there are those who are fabricating events and want to stir up strife - A student strike in Beirut in denunciation of the Sidon events. Another strike in the Jesuit, Al-Hikma, Furn Al-Shebbak and Ashrafieh schools in victory for the army and in denunciation of the attack on one of its trucks.

5/75/3: Demonstrations by students of the Phalange, National Liberal and National Bloc parties (35,000) in Achrafieh and Furn el-Shebbak in support of the army, demonstrations in Zahle, road closures and shooting in East Beirut, the Mountain and Zahle - Counter-demonstrations in West Beirut in condemnation of the army's involvement in politics, as well as in Sidon and the North - Raymond Edde denounces the diversion of the demonstrations from their goals and their sabotage, and Jumblatt attacks the mob and says that Lebanon is for everyone and not for one group.

75/3/6: Marouf Saad succumbs to his wounds, and there is rioting, fires and bullets in Beirut and most of Lebanon - The Islamic Council demands Rashid al-Solh's immediate resignation because the Islamic will is no longer represented in the authority - The state, the Palestine Liberation Organization and all the national forces mourn Marouf Saad.

75/3/7: (150) thousand mourned Marouf Saad, and huge marches in Beirut, Tripoli and the Bekaa participated in Sidon's strike - Raymond Edde announces that there are those who are moving all groups to divide each other and warns against turning Lebanon into an international conflict.

75/3/8: Kamal Jumblatt announces his opposition to burning the Prime Minister and refuses the resignation of the government except on the basis of Sidon's demands and the organization of the army - The national forces and parties reject the terrorist plan of the national and popular movement supporting the resistance, and call for a real defense of the country, and warn against sectarian strife and dragging the resistance into an internal conflict and attack the sectarian attempts hidden behind and defending the rights of Muslims » - A demonstration and roadblocks in Jounieh in denunciation of the death of Lieutenant Al-Khazen who was injured in the Sidon events.

75/3/9: Rashid Al-Solh announces after visiting Mufti Hassan Khaled that he will not resign, and the Mufti calls for us to be one force in confronting Zionism. .

75/3/10 Difference of opinion during the Islamic meeting on the necessity of the government's resignation: or not - The Kataeb Party takes decisions including keeping the army away from the bidding.

75/3/11: Patriarch Khreish confirms that the army is the army of all Lebanon, and the Karami-Eddeh-Salam alliance reiterates its call for the government to resign, and the Maronite League calls for avoiding stirring up sectarian strife.

75/3/12: President Franjieh promises a Sidon delegation to fulfill their demands - Jumblatt warns of a catastrophe if the demands are not met - An explosive device near the Kataeb House in Rmeil.

75/3/13: Sidon suspends its strike, and holds a quiet march during the week of Marouf Saad.

75/3/14: Franjieh receives Abu Ammar and Abu Al-Lutf and discusses with them the events of Sidon and their developments and the Syrian proposal to establish a unified Syrian-Palestinian leadership - A dispute in the Kataeb Party over the resignation of the government and the withdrawal of its two ministers - A Palestinian-Kataeb meeting to abort suspicious plans.

75/3/17: A frank discussion between Sunni Muslim leaders in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese - 14 journalists refrain from appearing before the court after being referred to the judiciary on charges of publishing news of the transfer of two officers from Sidon who were considered responsible for the incidents.

75/3/24: Jumblatt announces after his meeting with the Mufti that the situation is dangerous and an explosion is possible.

75/3/25: Assassination of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia and the appointment of Prince Khalid as King and Prince Fahd as Crown Prince.

75/3/29: The Shiite Council extends the term of Imam Musa Al-Sadr, and the Imam said in his speech: "The deprived will obtain their rights even if they are forced to carry weapons. . .

And the fire ate everything