The 1984 Sohmor massacre, also known as the first Sohmor massacre, took place on 20 September 1984 when the
South Lebanon Army
The South Lebanon Army or South Lebanese Army (SLA; ar, جيش لبنان الجنوبي, Jayš Lubnān al-Janūbiyy), also known as the Lahad Army ( ar, جيش لحد, label=none) and referred to as the De Facto Forces (DFF) by the United Nat ...
, backed by the
Israel Defence Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branch ...
, fired guns and killed 13 civilians in the Lebanese village of
Sohmor
Sohmor ( ar, سحمر) is a small town in the Beka'a Valley of Lebanon, situated in the Western Beqaa District and south of the Beqaa Governorate. It lies south of Lake Qaraoun on the Litani River. It lies southwest of Machgara, northeast of ...
.
Background
Sohmor is a Shia Muslim village in
Western Beqaa. The South Lebanon Army, lead by
Antoine Lahad consists mainly of Christian and Druze militiamen, that have been trained and armed by Israel.
Attack
While the IDF encircled the village, the SLA gathered 300 men, aged 16 to 39 years, in the main square to investigate a recent ambush that killed 3 Druze militiamen. The shooting went on for 15 to 30 minutes, killed 13 and wounded 40.
Aftermath
Lebanese Information Minister Joseph Skaf called the attack part of a "series of massacres perpetrated by Israel or encouraged by it and carried out under its direct coverage and with its full support".
IDF officials blamed the massacre on the SLA.
Reporters were denied entrance to the village.
See also
*
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...
*
1978 South Lebanon conflict
The 1978 South Lebanon conflict (codenamed Operation Litani by Israel) began after Israel invaded southern Lebanon up to the Litani River in March 1978, in response to the Coastal Road massacre near Tel Aviv by Lebanon-based Palestinian ...
*
1982 Lebanon War
References
{{Reflist
1982 Lebanon War
Massacres in 1984
Massacres of the Lebanese Civil War
1984 in Lebanon
War crimes in Lebanon
September 1984 events in Asia
1984 crimes in Lebanon
1980s murders in Lebanon
1984 murders in Asia
Violence against Muslims
Massacres of Muslims
Western Beqaa District
Massacres committed by Israel