Lebanese Forces (militia)

The Lebanese Forces – LF (Arabic: القوات اللبنانية, romanized: al-Quwwāt al-Lubnāniyya), also known as Ouwet (lit. "Forces") for short or Forces Libanaises (FL) in French, was the main Lebanese Christian faction during the Lebanese Civil War. Resembling the Lebanese Front, which was an umbrella organization for different parties, the Lebanese Forces was a militia that integrated fighters originating from the different Christian right-wing paramilitary groups, the largest of which was the Kataeb Regulatory Forces. It was mainly staffed by Maronites and Christians of other denominations loyal to Bachir Gemayel, and fought against the Lebanese National Movement, the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the Syrian Armed Forces among others. The group gained infamy for the perpetration of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, which primarily targeted Palestinian refugees following Bachir Gemayel's assassination.

Foundation

A meeting was convened by members of the Lebanese Front on 30 August 1976. The success of the Siege of Tal al-Zaatar being due to the combined forces of the Kataeb Regulatory Forces, Tigers Militia, Lebanese Youth Movement (MKG), Al-Tanzim, and the Guardians of the Cedars convinced the Lebanese Front leaders, especially Etienne Saqr and Bachir Gemayel, that a unitary militia was needed to further face their enemies. Most importantly, the militia leaders were wary of the increased Syrian presence. During this meeting, the Lebanese Forces would be founded with Bachir Gemayel elected as its leader. This new Lebanese Forces militia was meant to centralize the right-wing Christian forces, improve organization, and would allow to later bring end to years of infighting that had been going between the different right-wing militias.