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Assassination Of Rafic Hariri
On 14 February 2005, former Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafic Hariri was assassinated along with 21 others in an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. Explosives equivalent to around 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of TNT were detonated as his motorcade drove near the St. George Hotel. Among the dead were several of Hariri's bodyguards and former Minister of Economy and Trade, Bassel Fleihan. Hariri had been part of the anti-Syrian opposition in Lebanon. His assassination triggered the Cedar Revolution, a popular movement which forced Syria to withdraw all its troops in Lebanon by April 2005. The United Nations set up the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to investigate the killing, which along with an independent investigation carried out by Lebanese Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan, found compelling evidence that Hezbollah carried out the assassination.Ronen Bergman. (15 February 2015)"The Hezbollah Connection" ''The New York Times Magazine''. Retrieved 5 August 2020. One of the in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Internal Security Forces
The Internal Security Forces (; ; abbreviated ISF) are the national police and gendarmerie of Lebanon. Modern police were established in Lebanon in 1861, with the creation of a gendarmerie force. In April 2005, Ashraf Rifi became head of the ISF, replacing Ali Al Hajj. Rifi then started to recruit younger members to become part of Lebanese Intelligence. His term ended in April 2013, and he was replaced by Roger Salem, and Ibrahim Basbouss subsequently. On March 8, 2017, the Lebanese Cabinet appointed Imad Othman as the ISF director general. He took command the following day. The number of ISF personnel reached 100,000 by 2000 and grew to over 131,000 by 2013. The ISF National Day in Lebanon is on the 9th of June. Missions Their missions include : * Maintaining public order. * Highway patrol. * Counter-terrorism. Organization The ISF organization includes: * The Ministry of the interior * Inspector-General * Directorate General of Internal Security Forces ** Staff ** Territ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wissam Al-Hassan
Wissam Adnan al-Hassan (; 11 April 1965 – 19 October 2012) was a brigadier general at the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) and the head of its intelligence-oriented Information Branch. Seen as a leading Sunni figure in Lebanon, he was also a key player in the opposition March 14 alliance without having a political position. Early life Al-Hassan was born into a Sunni family in the northern Lebanese city of Btouratige, Koura District, Lebanon, on 11 April 1965. However, the UN report cites his birthplace as Tripoli. From 1992 to 1995 al-Hassan was official guard of the late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. During this period, he was an internal security officer under Ali Al Hajj. In 1995, he was appointed Hariri's chief of protocol and served in this post until 1998. Then he was named as the head of the Hariri office (1998 - 2000). He worked as Hariri's head guard detachment from June 2001 to Summer 2004, and also, promoted to the rank of lieutenant colo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995. After attending the , Chirac began his career as a high-level civil servant, entering politics shortly thereafter. Chirac occupied various senior positions, including minister of agriculture and minister of the interior. In 1981 and 1988, he unsuccessfully ran for president as the standard-bearer for the conservative Gaullist party Rally for the Republic (RPR). Chirac's internal policies initially included lower tax rates, the removal of price controls, strong punishment for crime and terrorism, and business privatisation. After pursuing these policies in his second term as prime minister, Chirac changed his views. He argued for different economic policies and was elected president in 1995, with 52.6% of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
President Of Syria
The president of Syria (), officially the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, is the head of state and head of government of Syria. The president directs the executive branch and serves as the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Army and Syrian Armed Forces, Armed Forces. The president represents the nation in international relations and formalizes treaties with foreign countries. In 1922, French authorities created the Syrian Federation under the Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, with Subhi Barakat serving as its president. The federation was short-lived and was replaced by the State of Syria in 1925. Barakat briefly remained president until the outbreak of the Great Syrian Revolt later that year, which led to his resignation. He was succeeded by Ahmad Nami, who served as president until his removal in 1928. In the following years, the Syrian presidency underwent several changes in leadership, including a coup by Husni al-Za'im in March 1949 Syrian coup d'état, March 1949, follow ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Druze
The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, and Religious syncretism, syncretic religion whose main tenets assert the unity of God, reincarnation, and the eternity of the soul. Although the Druze faith developed from Isma'ilism, Druze do not identify as Muslims. They maintain Arabic language and Arabic culture, culture as integral parts of their identity, with Arabic being their primary language. Most Druze religious practices are kept secret, and conversion to their religion is not permitted for outsiders. Interfaith marriages are rare and strongly discouraged. They differentiate between spiritual individuals, known as "uqqāl", who hold the faith's secrets, and secular ones, known as "juhhāl", who focus on worldly matters. Druze be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
President Of Lebanon
The president of the Lebanese Republic () is the head of state of Lebanon. The president is elected by the parliament for a term of six years, which cannot be renewed immediately because they can only be renewed non-consecutively. By convention, the president is always a Maronite Christian who fulfills the same requirements as a candidate for the house of representatives, as per article 49 of the Lebanese constitution. The current holder is Joseph Aoun, who took office on 9 January 2025. History French mandate The first Lebanese constitution was promulgated on 23 May 1926, and subsequently amended several times. Modeled after that of the French Third Republic, it provided for a bicameral parliament with Chamber of Deputies and a Senate (although the latter was eventually dropped), a president, and a Council of Ministers, or cabinet. The president was to be elected by the Chamber of Deputies for one six-year term and could not be reelected until a six-year period had elap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
March 14 Alliance
The March 14 Alliance (), named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, was a coalition of political party, political parties and independents in Lebanon formed in 2005 that were united by their anti-Ba'athist Syria, Assad stance and by their opposition to the March 8 Alliance. It was led by Saad Hariri, Walid Jumblatt and Samir Geagea, as well as other prominent figures. History The alliance was formed during public demonstrations which took place one month after the Assassination of Rafic Hariri, assassination of Lebanon's former Prime Minister, Rafic Hariri, Rafiq Hariri. This was known as the Cedar Revolution. Two protests against Syria's 29-year occupation of Lebanon were staged because it was believed that Syria had supported the murder. The Alliance was given its name in honor of the day that Syrian forces left Lebanon, which is perceived as the major achievement of the Cedar Revolution. The March 14 Alliance was made up of a range of sectarian and secular organizations ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Presidential Palace, Damascus
The Presidential Palace () is the official residence of the President of Syria. It is located in the western part of Damascus, on Mount Mezzeh, north of Mezzeh neighborhood, next to Mount Qasioun, and overlooks the city. The main building covers 31,500 square metres (340,000 square feet). The entire plateau of Mount Mezzeh is part of the palace compound and is surrounded by a security wall and guard watchtowers. In front of the building is a large fountain and the palace itself largely consists of empty rooms clad in Carrara marble. History Ba'athist Syria (1985–2024) Japanese architect Kenzo Tange is credited with the design. He reputedly resigned from the project before construction of the palace began. The brass front gates were created by the noted Syrian-Jewish metalwork artist Maurice Nseiri. The palace premises cover about 510,000 square metres (5,500,000 square feet) and also includes a private presidential hospital and the headquarters of the Republican Guard. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bashar Al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government was overthrown in 2024 after Syrian civil war, 13 years of civil war. As president, Assad was commander-in-chief of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces and secretary-general of the Regional Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region, Central Command of the Ba'ath Party (Syrian-dominated faction), Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. He is the son of Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria from 1970 to 2000. In the 1980s, Assad became a doctor, and in the early 1990s he was training in London as an ophthalmologist. In 1994, after his elder brother Bassel al-Assad died in a car crash, Assad was recalled to Syria to take over Bassel's role as heir apparent. Assad entered the military academy and in 1998 took charge of the Syrian occupation of Leba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walid Jumblatt
Walid Kamal Jumblatt (; born 7 August 1949) is a Lebanese politician who was the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party from 1977 until 2023. A Druze and former militia commander, Jumblatt led the Lebanese National Resistance Front, allying with Amal, the Palestine Liberation Organisation, and Marada Brigade during the 1983-1990 phase of Lebanese Civil War. He worked closely with Suleiman Frangieh to oppose Amine Gemayel's rule as president during the Mountain War, consolidating his control of the Chouf. After the civil war, he initially supported Syria but later led an anti-Assad stance during the start of the Syrian Civil War. He is still active in politics, most recently leading his party, the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in the 2022 Lebanese general election. Early life and education Jumblatt was born in August 1949, the son of the Lebanese Druze PSP's founder Kamal Jumblatt. He is the maternal grandson of Emir Shakib Arslan. Walid Jumblatt graduated fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al-Assad Family
The Assad family ruled Syria from 1971, when Hafez al-Assad became President of Syria, president under the Ba'ath Party (Syrian-dominated faction), Ba'ath Party following the Corrective Movement (Syria), 1970 coup, until Bashar al-Assad was Fall of the Assad regime, ousted on 8 December 2024. Bashar succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, after Death and state funeral of Hafez al-Assad, Hafez's death in 2000. The Assads are from Qardaha, Latakia Governorate. They attributed themselves to the Kalbiyya tribe. In 1927, Ali Sulayman al-Assad, Ali Sulayman arrived as an immigrant originally Kaka'i (Yarsanism) from Iran and changed his last name from ''al-Wahsh'', Arabic for 'the savage', to ''al-Assad'', 'the lion', possibly in connection with his social standing as a local mediator and his political activities. All members of the extended Assad family stem from Ali Sulayman and his second wife, Naissa, who came from a village in the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range, Syrian Coastal Mount ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Émile Lahoud
Émile Jamil Lahoud (born 12 January 1936) is a Lebanese politician who served as the 11th president of Lebanon from 1998 to 2007. During his presidency, the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon, that had lasted since 1982, ended in May 2000. He downplayed sectarianism and rearmed the Lebanese army, with help from Syria. Lahoud was closely allied to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, and was seen as playing a key role in preserving the occupation. Early life Émile Lahoud was born in Baabdat on 12 January 1936. However, his birthplace is given as Beirut by the Armed Forces. He is the youngest son of General and former minister Jamil Lahoud. His mother, Andrenee Bajakian, is of Armenian descent from the Armenian-populated village of Kesab in Syria. Lahoud's older brother, Nasri Lahoud, was a judge who served as the military prosecutor general. Émile Lahoud is the nephew of Salim Lahoud who served as Lebanese foreign minister from 1955 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
