François al-Hajj ( ar, اللواء فرنسوا الحاج; , 28 July 1953 – 12 December 2007) was a Lebanese major general. He was assassinated by a car bomb on 12 December 2007.

Early life and education

Al Hajj was born in the southern Lebanese town of

Rmaich Rmeish ( ar, رميش) is located in the District of Bint Jbeil, Lebanon near the Lebanese-Israeli border covering an area of . The ruins found in the village indicate that the area was occupied by the Romans and the Crusaders at some stage in hi ...

on 28 July 1953. Hajj entered the military academy in 1972 and graduated in 1975.

Military career

Al Hajj fought against the Israeli occupation in South Lebanon and was then transferred to head positions north of the Litani during the 1980s. From 1988 to 1989 he fought, under the leadership of Prime Minister General Aoun, against

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

forces assaulting the "free zones" of West Beirut during the

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 ...

, he also battled the

Lebanese Forces The Lebanese Forces ( ar, القوات اللبنانية '')'' is a Lebanese Christian-based political party and former militia during the Lebanese Civil War. It currently holds 19 of the 128 seats in Lebanon's parliament and is therefore th ...

militia. In addition, General Hajj, led the Lebanese Army operation in Dinnieh in 2000. He gained recognition as a brilliant commander during the 15-week operation against

Fatah al-Islam Fatah al-Islam ( ar, فتح الإسلام, meaning: ''Conquest of Islam'') is a radical Sunni Islamist group that formed in November 2006 in a Palestinian refugee camp, located in Lebanon. It has been described as a militant jihadistLe Figaro ...

Nahr al-Bared Nahr al-Bared ( ar, نهر البارد, literally: Cold River) is a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, 16 km from the city of Tripoli. Some 30,000 displaced Palestinians and their descendants live in and around the camp, which ...

camp northern Lebanon during Summer 2007. He was second in command in the Lebanese army and would have been a contender to replace General Sleiman in the event the latter was elected president. . Hajj was promoted to the rank of major general after his killing.

Assassination

On 12 December 2007, Hajj was assassinated through a car bomb blast in the suburb of

Baabda Baabda ( ar, بعبدا) 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. Baabda is known for the Ottoman Castle (t ...

. Four other people, including his bodyguard, also died in the attack. A BMW that contained 35 kilograms of

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

was exploded while Hajj's car drove by. The bomb was triggered by remote control.

Honors and medals

General Francois Hajj received the following honors and medals: * Medal of War * Order of the Wounded * National Cedar Medal of Honor * Lebanese Order of Merit (3rd degree) * Order of National Unity * Order of the Dawn of the South * Lebanese Order of Merit (1st class) * National Cedar Medal * Medal of Loyalty * Cedar Medal of National Honor * Commended by the Army Commander over 24 times.

References

External links