The South Lebanon security belt administration was a
Lebanese Christian
Christianity in Lebanon has a long and continuous history. Biblical Scriptures purport that Peter and Paul Evangelism, evangelized the Phoenicians, whom they affiliated to the ancient patriarchate of Antioch. The spread of Christianity in L ...
provisional government body that exercised authority in the
Israeli-occupied "Security Zone" of
southern Lebanon
Southern Lebanon () is the area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. The two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s. The Rashaya and Western Beqaa Districts, the southernmost distric ...
. It replaced the administrative authority of the
State of Free Lebanon, which collapsed in 1984, and operated from 1985 until 2000 with full logistical and military support from
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. It controlled of territory in the Security Zone.
During its functioning years, the administration was headed by
Antoine Lahad
Antoine Lahad (1927 – 10 September 2015) was the leader of the South Lebanon Army (SLA) from 1984 until 2000, when the army withdrew from Southern Lebanon and was dissolved.
Early life
Born into a Maronite Catholic family in 1927 in the vill ...
, a
Maronite Christian
Lebanese Maronite Christians ( ar, المسيحية المارونية في لبنان; syc, ܡܫܝܚܝ̈ܐ ܡܪ̈ܘܢܝܐ ܕܠܒܢܢ) are adherents of the Maronite Church in Lebanon, which is the largest Christian denomination in the country ...
military officer.
[ Lahad's 2,400-strong ]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 ...
, financed and equipped by Israel and supported by 1,000 Israeli troops, was the official armed force of the Security Zone.[
]
See also
* State of Free Lebanon, a breakaway polity that preceded the security belt administration
* Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon
The Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon formally began in 1985 and ended in 2000 as part of the South Lebanon conflict. In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon in response to a spate of attacks carried out from Lebanese territory by Palestinian mi ...
, 1985–2000 military occupation of parts of Lebanon by Israel
** 1985–2000 South Lebanon conflict
References
Politics of Lebanon
Political organisations based in Lebanon
Lebanese nationalism
South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000)
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