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The South Lebanon Army (SLA), also "South Lebanese Army," (Arabic: جيش لبنان الجنوبي; transliterated: Jaysh Lubnān al-Janūbi. Hebrew: צבא דרום לבנון, צד"ל‎; transliterated: Tzvá Dróm Levanón, Tzadál) was a Lebanese militia during the Lebanese Civil War. After 1979, the militia operated under the authority of Saad Haddad's Government of Free Lebanon[1]. It was supported by Israel during the 1982–2000 South Lebanon conflict. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Shortcut: WP:NPOVD Articles that have been linked to this page are the subject of an NPOV dispute (NPOV stands for Neutral Point Of View; see below). ... Image File history File links SLA_patch. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Due to the fact that the Arabic language has a number of phonemes that have no equivalent in English or other European languages, a number of different transliteration methods have been invented to represent certain Arabic characters, due to various conflicting goals: A desire to stay consistent with traditional usage... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... There are a number of ways of transliterating Hebrew. ... Lebanese Kataeb militia A Militia is an organization of citizens to provide defense, emergency or paramilitary service, or those engaged in such activity. ... Combatants Lebanese Front Syria LNM PLO Commanders Bachir Gemayel Dany Chamoun Kamal Jumblatt Yasser Arafat The Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990) was a multifaceted civil war whose antecedents trace back to the conflicts and political compromises reached after the end of Lebanons administration by the Ottoman Empire. ... Saad Haddad was the founder and head of the South Lebanon Army (SLA). ... Combatants Hezbollah Israel South Lebanon Army Casualties 8000+ 1600+ During the 1982–2000 South Lebanon conflict Hezbollah waged a guerrilla campaign against Israeli forces occupying Southern Lebanon. ...

History

In 1976 as a result of the civil war, the Lebanese army began to break up. Major Saad Haddad, commanding an army battalion in the south, broke away from the Lebanese Army and founded a group known as the Free Lebanon Army. The Free Lebanon Army was initially based in the towns of Marjayoun and Qlayaa in South Lebanon. Its initial membership was mainly made up of Christian Lebanese who fought with various groups including the Palestine Liberation Organization, Amal and, after the 1982 Israeli invasion, the newly emerging Hezbollah. While the group was no longer under the direct control of the Lebanese army, from 1976 to 1979, its members were still paid as Lebanese soldiers by the government. Saad Haddad was the founder and head of the South Lebanon Army (SLA). ... Marjayoun (Arabic مرج عيون, also Marj Ayoun, Marjuyun or Marjeyoun - meaning meadow of springs) is a Lebanese town and administrative district, Marjeyoun_District, in the Nabatieh Governorate in Southern Lebanon. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (Arabic: ;   or Munazzamat al-Tahrir al-Filastiniyyah) is a multi-party confederation and is the organization regarded since 1974 as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. ... For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation). ...

The Israeli incursion into Lebanon in 1978 allowed the Free Lebanon Army to gain control over a much wider area in southern Lebanon. On April 18, 1979, Haddad proclaimed the area controlled by his force "Independent Free Lebanon". The following day, he was officially dismissed from the Lebanese Army. The Free Lebanon Army was renamed the South Lebanon Army (SLA) in May 1980. Following Haddad's death due to cancer in 1984, he was replaced as leader by Antoine Lahad (a retired lieutenant general). The SLA was composed of Christians, Shiites and Druzes from the areas that it controlled but the officers were mostly Christian. After 1980, the fighting strength of the SLA became progressively more Shiite in composition. is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Antoine Lahad (born 1937) was the leader of the South Lebanon Army (SLA) from 1984 until the SLAs collapse in 2000, following Israels withdrawal from Lebanon. ...

The SLA was closely allied with Israel. It supported the Israelis by combatting the PLO in the strip of Southern Lebanon until the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. After that, SLA support for the Israelis was mainly by fighting against other Lebanese guerilla forces led by Hezbollah until 2000 in the Security Zone, the area of the South kept under occupation after the partial Israeli withdrawal in 1985. In return, Israel supplied the organisation with arms, uniforms, and other logistical equipment. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (Arabic Munazzamat al-Tahrir Filastiniyyah منظمة تحرير فلسطينية ) is a political and paramilitary organization of Palestinian Arabs dedicated to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state to consist of the... Combatants Hezbollah Israel South Lebanon Army Casualties unknown unknown The South Lebanon conflict was the guerrilla campaign which Hezbollah was waging against occupying Israeli forces in South Lebanon between 1982 and 2000. ... For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation). ...

The SLA hosted the Christian radio station "Voice of Hope", set up and funded by George Otis, Founder of High Adventure Ministries, Inc. Starting in 1982, the SLA played host to Middle East Television which was also set up, funded and operated by High Adventure Ministries. George Otis gave Middle East Television (METV) to Pat Robertson, founder of CBN. On May 2, 2000 Middle East Television relocated to Cyprus. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

In 1985 the SLA opened a the Khiam detention center in Khiam. It was widely reported that torture occurred on a large scale in Khiam. Israel rejects any involvement, and claims that Khiam was the sole responsibility of the SLA: this has been contested by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International [2]. The SLA also applied a mandatory military service program where males over 18 living in the Security Zone were forced to serve a whole year as a military recruit.[3] The SLA received funding, weapons and logistics from Israel during its entire existence. The Khiam Detention Center, located in Khiam, Lebanon, was a former French barrack complex originally built in the 1930s. ... Khiam is a village located in South Lebanon governorate, near Nabatieh city It was a former French barrack complex originally built in the 1930s. ... Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a pressure group that promotes human rights. ...

During the 1990s, Hezbollah carried out increasingly effective attacks on it, aided in later years by Lebanese army intelligence which had thoroughly penetrated the SLA. These changed circumstances led to a progressive loss of morale and members. By 2000, the SLA was reduced to 1,500 fighters as compared to 3,000 ten years earlier. In its peak during the early 1980s, the SLA was composed of over 5,000 fighters.

Since there were only 1,000 to 1,200 Israeli troops in South Lebanon at one time [4], the SLA carried out a lot of the fighting itself. The SLA also handled all civilian governmental operations in Israel's zone of control.

Collapse of the SLA

^{[dubious – discuss]} In May 2000, Israeli forces handed over some forward positions in the occupied zone to the SLA. As the withdrawal became obvious, civilians from the occupied zone overran SLA positions to return to their villages, while Hezbollah members quickly took control of the areas the SLA had previously controlled. The SLA in the center of the security zone, collapsed in the face of the crowds and of Hezbollah's rapid advance.^[1] The next day, SLA positions at the eastern end of the security zone collapsed. Afterward, Israeli forces began a general withdrawal from all areas of the zone. Members of the SLA were told that the border would be closed after the Israelis departed. Many members, some with their families, fled to Israel, while others gave themselves up to the Lebanese authorities, or were taken prisoner by Hezbollah who handed them over to the police. SLA members captured by Lebanon and Hezbollah were tried by Lebanese military courts. The majority of members of the SLA were Shia and fearing being suspected of offences fled to Israel. A number of members were also granted asylum in European countries, mostly in Germany.^{[citation needed]} Hezbollah was also criticised for preventing the arrest of some members of the SLA; it justified this on the grounds that it was in a position to know which of them had been informing.^[2] Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak was criticised in Israel on the grounds that his decision to withdraw without consulting his SLA allies led to the rapidity and confusion of its collapse.^{[citation needed]} Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Ehud Barak (Hebrew: אֵהוּד בָּרָק) (born Ehud Brog on February 12, 1942) is an Israeli politician, former Prime Minster, and current Minister of Defense and leader of Israels Labor Party. ...

By June 2000, three thousand former members of the SLA were in Lebanese government custody. By the end of year, around 2700 of them had been tried in military courts. It has been estimated that one third of the SLA members received one-year sentences and that one third were sentenced to less than a month. Two members of the SLA accused of torture at Al-Khiam prison received life sentences. Twenty one members of the SLA were recommended for death sentences but in each case the military reduced the sentence. Certain individuals were also barred from returning to South Lebanon by a number of years. ^[3] The Khiam Detention Center, located in Khiam, Lebanon, was a former French barrack complex originally built in the 1930s. ...

Although many SLA members and families eventually chose to return from Israel to Lebanon after Hezbollah promised they would not be harmed, others accepted Israel's offer of full citizenship and a financial package similar to that granted to new immigrants, and settled permanently in Israel. On April 6, 2006, the Israeli Knesset Finance Committee approved the payment of NIS 40,000 per family to SLA veterans to be paid over the course of seven years. ^[4] is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Type Unicameral Speaker of the Knesset Dalia Itzik, Kadima since May 4, 2006 Deputy Speaker Majalli Wahabi, Kadima since May 4, 2006 Members 120 Political groups Kadima Labour-Meimad Shas Likud Last elections March 28, 2006 Meeting place Knesset, Jerusalem, Israel Web site www. ...

Israel continues to host the Government of Free Lebanon on whose behalf the SLA operated. The Government of Free Lebanon has operated from Jerusalem since 2000 and still claims to be the true government of Lebanon.

References

• Bregman, Ahron (2002). Israel's Wars: A History Since 1947. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-28716-2

1. ^ Domont and Charrara, Le Hezbollah: un mouvement Islamo-nationaliste
2. ^ Palmer-Harek, Judith, Hezbollah: the Changing Face of Terrorism, London, IB Tauris.
3. ^ Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. US State Department (6 April 2001). Retrieved on 2006-04-06.
4. ^ Knesset okays grants to SLA families. Jerusalem Post (6 April 2006). Retrieved on 2006-04-06.

is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• The website of the Government of Free Lebanon in Exile
• Photos of the withdrawal from BBC
• BBC Article
• The quandary of an SLA amnesty by Nicholas Blanford, The Daily Star, August 16, 2005.

• Analysis: Role of the SLA by Martin Asser, The BBC news, 23 May 2000.

The Daily Star is an English language newspaper based in Lebanon. ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

See also

• Israeli Security Zone
• South Lebanon conflict

Israeli Security Zone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Combatants Hezbollah Israel South Lebanon Army Casualties unknown unknown The South Lebanon conflict was the guerrilla campaign which Hezbollah was waging against occupying Israeli forces in South Lebanon between 1982 and 2000. ...

Sources

• Le Hezbollah: un mouvement Islamo-nationaliste, Frédéric Domont and Walid Charrara, Editions Fayard: Paris, 2004 ISBN 2-213-62009-1