Lebanese Forces (Christian militia)
The Lebanese Forces was one of the main Lebanese Christian factions of the Lebanese Civil War. Originally an umbrella organization for different parties, the Lebanese Forces later became a separate organization. The Lebanese Forces replaced the previous Kataeb Regulatory Forces as the military arm of the Christian Kataeb Party. It was mainly staffed by Maronite Christians loyal to Bachir Gemayel, and fought against the Lebanese National Movement, the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Syrian Army among other enemies. The group gained infamy for their perpetration of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, which primarily targeted Palestinian refugees following Gemayel's assassination.
LF Supreme Commander Samir Geagea (center) with Dany Chamoun of the NLP (left) and Leila Hawi (right), east Beirut, late 1980s.
An ex-Lebanese Forces militia APR-40/RO-40 128mm 6-tube multiple rocket launcher mounted on a DAC chassis on static display at the Beyt ha-Totchan Museum, Zikhron Ya'akov, Israel.
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and also led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon.
Image: Martyrs Square 1982
Image: USS New Jersey firing in Beirut, 1984
Image: Beirutbarr
Image: Fateh Militia