Khaldah () is a coastal town located south of

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. It is famous as a tourist destination in the summer, especially for its various beach resorts. The southern portion of

Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport (, , previously known as Beirut International Airport) () is the only operational commercial airport in Lebanon. It is located in the Dahieh, Southern Suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, from the Beirut Cen ...

is located in Khaldah, in addition to a

Lebanese Air Force The Lebanese Air Force (LAF) () is the aerial warfare branch of the Lebanese Armed Forces. The seal of the air force is a roundel with two wings and a Lebanese Cedar tree, surrounded by two laurel leaves on a blue background. History The Le ...

base. Also, the motorway connecting Beirut and Southern Lebanon passes through Khaldah. The town itself lacks any form of urban planning, and in the past few years, most of the green areas have been replaced by commercial and apartment buildings. Some vegetables and citrus trees can still be seen growing in smaller and dispersed areas. As for industries, there are aluminum and glass factories in this area.

Schools and universities

Besides commerce and industries, Khaldah also houses educational institutions such as one islamic University and two Schools.

History

Archeological excavations evidence that the site has been occupied since at least the beginning of the first millennium BC. A few kilometers south of Khaldah is Khan Khaldah, where a major Roman-

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

settlement once existed. Here, two 5th and 6th century AD Christian basilicas were found, one built over the other and both were paved with

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

s. Later during the 1980s, Khalde was used as an unregulated seaport run by Amal.

Battle of Khaldeh

The highway to

from the South at Khalde was the scene of an intense battle during the

1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon The 1982 Lebanon War, also called the Second Israeli invasion of Lebanon, began on 6 June 1982, when Israel invaded southern Lebanon. The invasion followed a series of attacks and counter-attacks between the Palestine Liberation Organization ...

. When the

Israeli army The Israeli Ground Forces () are the Army, ground forces of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The commander is the GOC Army Headquarters, General Officer Commanding with the rank of major general, the ''Mazi'', subordinate to the Chief of the Gen ...

arrived on 11 June, a coalition of Amal,

Lebanese Communist Party The Lebanese Communist Party (LCP; , transliterated: ) is a communist party in Lebanon. It was founded in 1943 as a division of the Syrian–Lebanese Communist Party into the Syrian Communist Party and the Lebanese Communist Party, but the divi ...

and

PLO The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ) is a Palestinian nationalist coalition that is internationally recognized as the official representative of the Palestinian people in both the occupied Palestinian territories and the diaspora. ...

fighters fought a rearguard action which held up Israeli progress towards

for six days. The joint forces gave the Israelis the first experience of serious ground opposition in the advance to Beirut. According to journalist

Robert Fisk Robert William Fisk (12 July 194630 October 2020) was an English writer and journalist. He was critical of United States foreign policy in the Middle East, and the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians. As an international correspo ...

, the

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

militiamen were running on foot into

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i gunfire to launch grenades the armor, moving to within 20 feet of the

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

s to open fire at them. Reportedly, some of the Shia fighters had torn off pieces of their shirts and wrapped them around their heads as bands of martyrdom as the

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

troops had done in the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

References

External links

*

Druze communities in Lebanon Neighbourhoods of Beirut {{Lebanon-geo-stub

Schools and universities

History

Battle of Khaldeh

See also

References

External links