South Lebanon Army
Encyclopedia
The South Lebanon Army (SLA), also "South Lebanese Army," ' onMouseout='HidePop("32944")' href="/topics/Arabic_transliteration">transliterated
: Jaysh Lubnān al-Janūbi. ; transliterated: Tzvá Dróm Levanón, Tzadál) was a Lebanese
militia
during the Lebanese Civil War
. After 1979, the militia operated in southern Lebanon
under the authority of Saad Haddad
's Government of Free Lebanon. It was supported by Israel
during the 1982–2000 South Lebanon conflict to fight against both the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Hezbollah.
, commanding an army battalion in the south, broke away from the army and founded a group known as the Free Lebanon Army (FLA). The FLA was initially based in the towns of Marjayoun
and Qlayaa in southern Lebanon. SLA fought against various groups including the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO), the Amal Movement
and, after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the newly emerging Hezbollah. While the group was no longer under the direct control of the Lebanese army, from 1976, its members were still paid as Lebanese soldiers by the government until 1979.
The 1978 Israeli invasion allowed the Free Lebanon Army to gain control over a much wider area in southern Lebanon. On April 18, 1979, Haddad proclaimed the area controlled by his force "Independent Free Lebanon". The following day, he was branded a traitor by the Lebanese government and officially dismissed from the Lebanese army. The Free Lebanon Army was renamed the South Lebanon Army (SLA) in May 1980. Following Haddad's death due to cancer in 1984, he was replaced as leader by Antoine Lahad
(a retired lieutenant general).
The SLA was closely allied with Israel. It supported the Israelis by combating the PLO in southern Lebanon until the 1982 invasion . After that, SLA support for the Israelis was mainly by fighting against other Lebanese guerrilla forces led by Hezbollah until 2000 in the "Security Zone", the area kept under occupation after a partial Israeli withdrawal in 1985. In return, Israel supplied the organization with arms, uniforms, and other logistical equipment.
The SLA hosted the Christian radio station "Voice of Hope", set up and funded by George Otis, the founder of High Adventure Ministries, Inc. Starting in 1982, the SLA played host to Middle East Television
which was also set up, funded and operated by High Adventure Ministries. George Otis gave Middle East Television (METV) to Christian fundamentalist Pat Robertson
, founder of CBN
. On May 2, 2000 Middle East Television relocated to Cyprus
.
In 1985 the SLA opened the Khiam detention center
in Khiam
. Torture was a common tactic and occurred on a large scale in Khiam. Israel rejects any involvement, even though the SLA and Israel were very intertwined at this point in history, and claims that Khiam was the sole responsibility of the SLA: this has been contested by human rights
organizations such as Amnesty International
. The SLA also applied military conscription, where males over 18 living in the territory it controlled served one year as a military recruit.http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/lebanon/Isrlb997-04.htm#P515_123090 While the SLA received funding, weapons and logistics from Israel during its entire existence, the SLA carried out a lot of the fighting independently of Israeli forces. The SLA also handled all civilian governmental operations in Israel's zone of control.
During the 1990s, Hezbollah carried out increasingly effective attacks on it, aided in later years by Lebanese army intelligence which had thoroughly penetrated the SLA. These changed circumstances led to a progressive loss of morale and members. In 1997, Israel maintained approximately 1,000 to 1,200 troops in southern Lebanon and supported another 2,000 in the SLA. By 2000, the SLA was reduced to 1,500 fighters as compared to 3,000 ten years earlier. In its peak during the early 1980s, the SLA was composed of over 5,000 fighters.
’s Labor Party pledged during his March 1999 election campaign for Prime Minister to withdraw Israeli troops from Lebanon by July 2000. Barak won a victory in the May 1999 elections
. On March 5, 2000, the Israeli cabinet voted unanimously for a full troop withdrawal from Lebanon by July. The expectation then, was that such a withdrawal would be part of an agreement with both Lebanon and Syria. These negotiations with Syria broke down, however.
On May 22, Israeli forces unilaterally started handing over its forward positions in the occupied zone to the SLA. As the "chaotic" nature of the withdrawal became obvious, civilians from the zone overran SLA positions to return to their occupied villages, while Hezbollah guerrillas quickly took control of the areas the SLA had previously controlled. The SLA in the central sector of the security zone, collapsed in the face of these crowds and from Hezbollah's rapid advance. The next day, SLA forward positions in the eastern sector collapsed, and Israeli forces began their general withdrawal from the remaining areas of the security zone. With the Israeli retreat, the SLA totally collapsed. Withdrawal was complete on Wednesday, 24 May 2000, and the sight of Saad Haddad's statue being dragged through the streets of the Lebanese town of Marjayoun
was a sure sign that the South Lebanon Army was gone.
As the Israeli withdrawal rapidly progressed, SLA militiamen were left with few choices. The Lebanese government, as well as Hezbollah and many civilians in the area, considered them to be traitors and collaborator
s. In addition, they were told that Israel's border would be closed following withdrawal completion. Many were terrified of being captured (and possibly killed) by Hezbollah guerrillas or vengeful mobs, or being jailed or executed by the Lebanese government.
Many members of the SLA, including some with their families, fled to Israel; the majority feared being suspected of the serious offences committed by SLA members and were Christian. Reportedly, a number of the members were granted asylum in European countries, mostly in Germany
. The others, who remained in Lebanon, either gave themselves up to the Lebanese authorities, or were captured by Hezbollah and handed over to the Lebanese police. SLA members captured by Lebanon and Hezbollah were tried by Lebanese military courts for treason
.
Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak
was criticized in Israel by the Jewish settler movement on the grounds that his decision to withdraw without consulting his SLA allies led to the rapidity and confusion of its collapse. Hezbollah was also criticized for preventing the arrest of some members of the SLA; it justified this on the grounds that it was in a position to know which of them had been informing.
By the next month, June 2000, three thousand former members of the SLA were in the custody of the Lebanese government. By the end of year, about 90% of them had been tried in military courts. It has been estimated that a third of the SLA members were sentenced to less than a month and a third received one-year sentences. Two members of the SLA accused of torture at Al-Khiam prison received life sentences. Twenty one members of the SLA were initially recommended for the death sentence, but in each case the military reduced the sentence. Certain other individuals were barred from returning to South Lebanon for a number of years.
Of those who initially fled to Israel, many SLA members and their families eventually chose to return to Lebanon after Hezbollah promised they would not be harmed. Others accepted Israel's offer of full citizenship and a financial package similar to that granted to new immigrants, and settled permanently in Israel. On April 6, 2006, the Israeli Knesset
Finance Committee approved the payment of 40,000 shekel
s per family to SLA veterans; it is to be paid over the course of seven years.
Israel continues to host the Government of Free Lebanon on whose behalf the SLA had operated. The Government of Free Lebanon has operated from Jerusalem since 2000 and still claims to be the true government of Lebanon.
This force manned 46 locations along the front, from Naqoura in the west to the east slopes of Mount Hermon, while the Israeli Army received payment of 11 centers, mostly in the rear lines.
The SLA Security Service consisted of 250 officers and men whose tasks were as follows:
The work of a few hundred personnel, including intelligence officers, Field, and investigators, and intelligence analysts, and administration personnel, security officers and guards.
Arabic transliteration
Different approaches and methods for the romanization of Arabic exist. They vary in the way that they address the inherent problems of rendering written and spoken Arabic in the Latin alphabet; they also use different symbols for Arabic phonemes that do not exist in English or other European...
: Jaysh Lubnān al-Janūbi. ; transliterated: Tzvá Dróm Levanón, Tzadál) was a Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
during the Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
. After 1979, the militia operated in southern Lebanon
Southern Lebanon
Southern Lebanon is the geographical area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. These two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s...
under the authority of Saad Haddad
Saad Haddad
Saad Haddad was the founder and head of the South Lebanon Army . Several sources have suggested Haddad's involvement in the Sabra and Shatila massacres in 1982.-Lebanese Civil War:...
's Government of Free Lebanon. It was supported by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
during the 1982–2000 South Lebanon conflict to fight against both the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Hezbollah.
History
In 1976, as a result of the ongoing civil war, the Lebanese army began to break up. Major Saad HaddadSaad Haddad
Saad Haddad was the founder and head of the South Lebanon Army . Several sources have suggested Haddad's involvement in the Sabra and Shatila massacres in 1982.-Lebanese Civil War:...
, commanding an army battalion in the south, broke away from the army and founded a group known as the Free Lebanon Army (FLA). The FLA was initially based in the towns of Marjayoun
Marjayoun
Marjayoun is a Lebanese town and administrative district, Marjeyoun District, in the Nabatieh Governorate in Southern Lebanon...
and Qlayaa in southern Lebanon. SLA fought against various groups including the Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
(PLO), the Amal Movement
Amal Movement
Amal Movement is short for the Lebanese Resistance Detachments the acronym for which, in Arabic, is "amal", meaning "hope."Amal was founded in 1975 as the militia wing of the Movement of the Disinherited, a Shi'a political movement founded by Musa...
and, after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the newly emerging Hezbollah. While the group was no longer under the direct control of the Lebanese army, from 1976, its members were still paid as Lebanese soldiers by the government until 1979.
The 1978 Israeli invasion allowed the Free Lebanon Army to gain control over a much wider area in southern Lebanon. On April 18, 1979, Haddad proclaimed the area controlled by his force "Independent Free Lebanon". The following day, he was branded a traitor by the Lebanese government and officially dismissed from the Lebanese army. The Free Lebanon Army was renamed the South Lebanon Army (SLA) in May 1980. Following Haddad's death due to cancer in 1984, he was replaced as leader by Antoine Lahad
Antoine Lahad
Antoine Lahad a Lebanese general, was the leader of the South Lebanon Army from 1984 until 2000, when Israel withdrew from Southern Lebanon and the SLA was dissolved....
(a retired lieutenant general).
The SLA hosted the Christian radio station "Voice of Hope", set up and funded by George Otis, the founder of High Adventure Ministries, Inc. Starting in 1982, the SLA played host to Middle East Television
Middle East Television
Middle East Television is a Christian-based satellite television broadcasting network located in Limassol, Cyprus. Programming on METV includes a mixture of Christian programming, plus non-religious entertainment programs like The Red Green Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Lone Ranger and NFL...
which was also set up, funded and operated by High Adventure Ministries. George Otis gave Middle East Television (METV) to Christian fundamentalist Pat Robertson
Pat Robertson
Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson is a media mogul, television evangelist, ex-Baptist minister and businessman who is politically aligned with the Christian Right in the United States....
, founder of CBN
Christian Broadcasting Network
The Christian Broadcasting Network, or CBN, is a fundamentalist Christian television broadcasting network in the United States. Its headquarters and main studios are in Virginia Beach, Virginia.-Background:...
. On May 2, 2000 Middle East Television relocated to Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
.
In 1985 the SLA opened the Khiam detention center
Khiam detention center
The Khiam Detention Center, located near Khiam, Lebanon, was a French barrack complex originally built in the 1930s. It became a base for the Lebanese army before falling under control of the South Lebanon Army and in 1985 was converted into a prison camp...
in Khiam
Khiam
'Khiam' is a town located in South Lebanon Governorate, near the city of Nabatieh. It is located in Southern Lebanon, 750 meters above sea level, 120 km away from Beirut and roughly four kilometers from the Israeli border.The town was the scene of a major confrontation between the Israeli...
. Torture was a common tactic and occurred on a large scale in Khiam. Israel rejects any involvement, even though the SLA and Israel were very intertwined at this point in history, and claims that Khiam was the sole responsibility of the SLA: this has been contested by human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
organizations such as Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
. The SLA also applied military conscription, where males over 18 living in the territory it controlled served one year as a military recruit.http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/lebanon/Isrlb997-04.htm#P515_123090 While the SLA received funding, weapons and logistics from Israel during its entire existence, the SLA carried out a lot of the fighting independently of Israeli forces. The SLA also handled all civilian governmental operations in Israel's zone of control.
During the 1990s, Hezbollah carried out increasingly effective attacks on it, aided in later years by Lebanese army intelligence which had thoroughly penetrated the SLA. These changed circumstances led to a progressive loss of morale and members. In 1997, Israel maintained approximately 1,000 to 1,200 troops in southern Lebanon and supported another 2,000 in the SLA. By 2000, the SLA was reduced to 1,500 fighters as compared to 3,000 ten years earlier. In its peak during the early 1980s, the SLA was composed of over 5,000 fighters.
Withdrawal, collapse and surrender
The increase in Israeli casualties in Lebanon over the previous few years led to growing domestic pressure for an end to Israel’s military presence in Lebanon. Ehud BarakEhud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
’s Labor Party pledged during his March 1999 election campaign for Prime Minister to withdraw Israeli troops from Lebanon by July 2000. Barak won a victory in the May 1999 elections
Israeli prime ministerial election, 1999
The second Prime Ministerial election in Israel was held on 17 May 1999 alongside elections for the 15th Knesset. Voter turnout was 69.0%.-Context:...
. On March 5, 2000, the Israeli cabinet voted unanimously for a full troop withdrawal from Lebanon by July. The expectation then, was that such a withdrawal would be part of an agreement with both Lebanon and Syria. These negotiations with Syria broke down, however.
On May 22, Israeli forces unilaterally started handing over its forward positions in the occupied zone to the SLA. As the "chaotic" nature of the withdrawal became obvious, civilians from the zone overran SLA positions to return to their occupied villages, while Hezbollah guerrillas quickly took control of the areas the SLA had previously controlled. The SLA in the central sector of the security zone, collapsed in the face of these crowds and from Hezbollah's rapid advance. The next day, SLA forward positions in the eastern sector collapsed, and Israeli forces began their general withdrawal from the remaining areas of the security zone. With the Israeli retreat, the SLA totally collapsed. Withdrawal was complete on Wednesday, 24 May 2000, and the sight of Saad Haddad's statue being dragged through the streets of the Lebanese town of Marjayoun
Marjayoun
Marjayoun is a Lebanese town and administrative district, Marjeyoun District, in the Nabatieh Governorate in Southern Lebanon...
was a sure sign that the South Lebanon Army was gone.
As the Israeli withdrawal rapidly progressed, SLA militiamen were left with few choices. The Lebanese government, as well as Hezbollah and many civilians in the area, considered them to be traitors and collaborator
Collaborationism
Collaborationism is cooperation with enemy forces against one's country. Legally, it may be considered as a form of treason. Collaborationism may be associated with criminal deeds in the service of the occupying power, which may include complicity with the occupying power in murder, persecutions,...
s. In addition, they were told that Israel's border would be closed following withdrawal completion. Many were terrified of being captured (and possibly killed) by Hezbollah guerrillas or vengeful mobs, or being jailed or executed by the Lebanese government.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The others, who remained in Lebanon, either gave themselves up to the Lebanese authorities, or were captured by Hezbollah and handed over to the Lebanese police. SLA members captured by Lebanon and Hezbollah were tried by Lebanese military courts for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
.
Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
was criticized in Israel by the Jewish settler movement on the grounds that his decision to withdraw without consulting his SLA allies led to the rapidity and confusion of its collapse. Hezbollah was also criticized for preventing the arrest of some members of the SLA; it justified this on the grounds that it was in a position to know which of them had been informing.
By the next month, June 2000, three thousand former members of the SLA were in the custody of the Lebanese government. By the end of year, about 90% of them had been tried in military courts. It has been estimated that a third of the SLA members were sentenced to less than a month and a third received one-year sentences. Two members of the SLA accused of torture at Al-Khiam prison received life sentences. Twenty one members of the SLA were initially recommended for the death sentence, but in each case the military reduced the sentence. Certain other individuals were barred from returning to South Lebanon for a number of years.
Of those who initially fled to Israel, many SLA members and their families eventually chose to return to Lebanon after Hezbollah promised they would not be harmed. Others accepted Israel's offer of full citizenship and a financial package similar to that granted to new immigrants, and settled permanently in Israel. On April 6, 2006, the Israeli Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
Finance Committee approved the payment of 40,000 shekel
Shekel
Shekel , is any of several ancient units of weight or of currency. The first usage is from Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. Initially, it may have referred to a weight of barley...
s per family to SLA veterans; it is to be paid over the course of seven years.
Israel continues to host the Government of Free Lebanon on whose behalf the SLA had operated. The Government of Free Lebanon has operated from Jerusalem since 2000 and still claims to be the true government of Lebanon.
Field Organization
The SLA was organized into two Regions each with their own infantry brigades; Western region and Eastern Region. The strength of each brigade of three battalion sized infantry regiments, and the strength of support consisting of several heavy artillery batteries, 155-mm and 130, sub-divided into the infantry battalions as needed. There was also an armored regiment of 55 tanks,This force manned 46 locations along the front, from Naqoura in the west to the east slopes of Mount Hermon, while the Israeli Army received payment of 11 centers, mostly in the rear lines.
The SLA Security Service consisted of 250 officers and men whose tasks were as follows:
- counter-espionage perpetrated by outside forces
- responsibility to protect the security of the border area.
The work of a few hundred personnel, including intelligence officers, Field, and investigators, and intelligence analysts, and administration personnel, security officers and guards.
Infantry Weapons
- IMIIsrael Military IndustriesIsrael Weapons Industries , formerly the "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. is an Israeli firearms manufacturer. In 2005, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized....
Uzi - IMIIsrael Military IndustriesIsrael Weapons Industries , formerly the "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. is an Israeli firearms manufacturer. In 2005, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized....
Micro Uzi - FN FALFN FALThe Fusil Automatique Léger or FAL is a self-loading, selective fire battle rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal . During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries, with the notable exception of the United States...
50-00
Belgium - AK-47AK-47The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
\AKMAKMThe AKM is a 7.62mm assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is an upgraded version of the AK-47 rifle and was developed in the 1950s....
Kalashnikov - H&KHeckler & KochHeckler & Koch GmbH is a German defense manufacturing company that produces various small arms. Some of their products include the SA80, MP5 submachine gun, G3 automatic rifle, the G36 assault rifle, the HK 416, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the USP series of handguns, and the high-precision...
G-3Heckler & Koch G3The G3 is a 7.62mm battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CETME ....
- IMIIsrael Military IndustriesIsrael Weapons Industries , formerly the "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. is an Israeli firearms manufacturer. In 2005, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized....
Galil - ColtColt's Manufacturing CompanyColt's Manufacturing Company is a United States firearms manufacturer, whose first predecessor corporation was founded in 1836 by Sam Colt. Colt is best known for the engineering, production, and marketing of firearms over the later half of the 19th and the 20th century...
M16M16 rifleThe M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
A-1\2 - ColtColt's Manufacturing CompanyColt's Manufacturing Company is a United States firearms manufacturer, whose first predecessor corporation was founded in 1836 by Sam Colt. Colt is best known for the engineering, production, and marketing of firearms over the later half of the 19th and the 20th century...
CAR-15CAR-15The Colt Automatic Rifle-15 Military Weapons System or CAR-15 was a family of AR-15 and M16 rifle–based firearms marketed by Colt in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Due to their compact size, the short-barreled Colt Commando and XM177 versions of this family continued to be issued to the U.S...
- FN FALFN FALThe Fusil Automatique Léger or FAL is a self-loading, selective fire battle rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal . During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries, with the notable exception of the United States...
H-BAR Belgium - FN MAGFN MAGThe FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries, and it has been made under licence in countries such as Argentina, Egypt, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the...
60-00 Belgium - RPDRPDThe RPD is a 7.62mm light machine gun developed in the Soviet Union by Vasily Degtyaryov for the intermediate 7.62x39mm M43 cartridge. It was created as a replacement for the DP machine gun chambered for the 7.62x54mmR Mosin rifle round...
- PKT
- Browning M1919M1919 Browning machine gunThe M1919 Browning is a .30 caliber medium machine gun that was widely used during the 20th century. It was used as a light infantry, coaxial, mounted, aircraft, and anti-aircraft machine gun by the U.S. and many other countries, especially during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War...
A4 - Browning M2HB
- IMIIsrael Military IndustriesIsrael Weapons Industries , formerly the "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. is an Israeli firearms manufacturer. In 2005, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized....
NegevNegevThe Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
- IMIIsrael Military IndustriesIsrael Weapons Industries , formerly the "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. is an Israeli firearms manufacturer. In 2005, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized....
IS-10 smoke granade launcher - ColtColt's Manufacturing CompanyColt's Manufacturing Company is a United States firearms manufacturer, whose first predecessor corporation was founded in 1836 by Sam Colt. Colt is best known for the engineering, production, and marketing of firearms over the later half of the 19th and the 20th century...
M203 - IMIIsrael Military IndustriesIsrael Weapons Industries , formerly the "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. is an Israeli firearms manufacturer. In 2005, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized....
52mm mortar - IMIIsrael Military IndustriesIsrael Weapons Industries , formerly the "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. is an Israeli firearms manufacturer. In 2005, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized....
60mm mortar - IMIIsrael Military IndustriesIsrael Weapons Industries , formerly the "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. is an Israeli firearms manufacturer. In 2005, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized....
81mm mortar - M-43 82mm mortar -some SP on M3M3 Half-trackThe Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armored vehicle used by the United States, the British Empire and the other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. Nearly 43,000 were produced, and supplied to the U.S...
Half truck \
Main Battle Tanks
- 7 PattonPattonPatton may refer to:*George S. Patton , U.S. general during World War II-Places:*Patton, California*Patton, Indiana*Patton, Missouri*Patton, Pennsylvania-Politics:*Charles Emory Patton , U.S...
M48A5M48 PattonThe M48 Patton is a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the third and final tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle It was a...
105mm MBTs (ex Lebanon Army
Lebanon)) - 55 improved IMI T-54\T-55T-55The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a series of main battle tanks designed in the Soviet Union. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945, just before the end of the Second World War. The T-54 entered full production in 1947 and became the main tank for armored units of the Soviet Army, armies of...
Tiran-4\5 100mm\L-7 105mm MBTs Including 10 T-55T-55The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a series of main battle tanks designed in the Soviet Union. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945, just before the end of the Second World War. The T-54 entered full production in 1947 and became the main tank for armored units of the Soviet Army, armies of...
\Ti-67{ Some with BlazerBlazerA blazer is a type of jacket. The term blazer occasionally is synonymous with boating jacket and sports jacket, two different garments. A blazer resembles a suit coat cut more casually — sometimes with flap-less patch pockets and metal buttons. A blazer's cloth is usually durable , because it is an...
) - 35 improved IMI Super Sherman M-50M50 Super ShermanThe Sherman M-50 and the Sherman M-51, both known abroad as the Super Sherman, were modified versions of the American M4 Sherman tank that served with the Israel Defense Forces from the mid-1950s to early 1980s. The M-51 was also referred to as the Isherman...
(15)\ M-51 (20) 75mm\105mm MBTs
Light Tanks
- Some GiatGiatGiat is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-Geography:The Chavanon flows southeastward through the south-western part of the commune.-References:*...
AMX-13AMX-13The AMX-13 is a French light tank produced from 1953 to 1985. It served with the French Army and was exported to over twenty-five other nations...
75mm LTs (ex- Lebanon Army) - Some CharioteerCharioteer tank destroyerThe Charioteer tank destroyer officially known as FV4101 Cromwell Heavy AT Gun was a British tank destroyer, designed in the 1950s from the Cromwell tank and used to add firepower to units serving in West Germany.-Development:...
FV4101 MK-IV 20PDR 84.6mm LT (ex- Lebanon Army)
Armoured Cars
- Some PanhardPanhardPanhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years...
AML-90 90mm 4x4 ARVs (ex- Lebanon Army) - Some IAI\Ramta RAM-2V 4x4 ARVs
- Some IAI\Ramta RBY-2 4x4 ARVs
Armoured personnel carriers
- 30 M113A-1 some with Toga armor \ACTA\EJAB (electronic Jammer) (some M113-ACTA ex- Lebanon Army).
- 20 GAZ BTR-50BTR-50The BTR-50 The BTR-50 The BTR-50 (BTR stands for Bronetransporter (БТР, Бронетранспортер, literally "armored transporter") is a Soviet amphibious armored personnel carrier (APC) based on the PT-76 light tank. The BTR-50 is tracked, unlike most in the BTR series, which are wheeled. The BTR-50...
- Some GAZ BTR-60BTR-60The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers. It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for the BTR-152 and was seen first time in public in 1961...
8x8 APCs - Some GAZ BTR-152BTR-152The BTR-152 was a non-amphibious Soviet wheeled armored personnel carrier that entered Soviet service in 1950. By the early 1970s it had been replaced in the infantry vehicle role by the BTR-60...
6x6 - 50 M3M3 Half-trackThe Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armored vehicle used by the United States, the British Empire and the other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. Nearly 43,000 were produced, and supplied to the U.S...
\M9M2 Half Track CarThe M-2 Half Track was an armored vehicle used by the United States during World War II.-History:The half-track design had been evaluated by the US Ordnance department using Citroën-Kégresse vehicles...
Half-truck\Zahlad (some with ACAV)\ - Some AMX-VCIAMX-VCIThe AMX-VCI is one of the many variants of the French AMX-13 light tank. It was the front line APC of the French Army until replaced by the AMX-10P.- History :...
AIFVs - Some AM GeneralAM GeneralAM General is an American heavy vehicle manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. It is best known for the civilian Hummer and the military Humvee, that is assembled in Mishawaka, Indiana...
Humvee 4x4 - Some Sherman M50 APC \
- Some T55 APCs \
Anti tank weapons
- 9 MBDA MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
ATGM Launcher\75 missiles \ - Some BGM-71A\C TowTowIn the composites industry, a tow is an untwisted bundle of continuous filaments, and it refers to man-made fibres, particularly carbon fibres ....
ATGMs - Some AT-3 SaggerAT-3 SaggerThe 9K11 Malyutka is a Manual Command to Line-of-Sight wire-guided anti-tank guided missile developed in the Soviet Union. It was the first man-portable anti-tank guided missile of the Soviet Union and is probably the most widely produced ATGM of all time—with Soviet production peaking at...
- M72M72M72 or M-72 may refer to:* Messier 72, a globular cluster in the constellation Aquarius* M72 LAW, a United States Army anti-tank weapon* Zastava M72, a Yugoslav copy of the RPK* M-72 , a state highway in Michigan...
LawLawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
light ATRLs - IMIIsrael Military IndustriesIsrael Weapons Industries , formerly the "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. is an Israeli firearms manufacturer. In 2005, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized....
B-300B-300The B-300 is a reuseable man-portable anti-tank weapon system developed by Israeli Military Industries in the late 1970s for use by the Israel Defence Force. The B-300 can be carried and operated by a single operator and is effective to approximately 400 meters...
iight ATRLs - RPG-7RPG-7The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...
- M40M40 recoilless rifleThe M40 recoilless rifle was a lightweight, portable, crew-served 105 mm weapon intended primarily as an anti-tank weapon made in the United States...
A1C-1 106mm RCLs - Some D-4885 mm antitank gun D-48The 85-mm antitank gun D-48 was a Soviet 85-mm calibre antitank gun used after World War II. It was designed as the replacement for the 100 mm field gun M1944 . Distinguishing features of the D-48 include a very long barrel and a pepper-pot Muzzle brake. The D-48 was itself replaced in the 1960s...
85mm towed anti tank gun
Artillery
- 6 BM-21BM-21The BM-21 launch vehicle , a Soviet truck-mounted 122 mm multiple rocket launcher, and a M-21OF rocket were developed in the early 1960s. BM stands for boyevaya mashina, ‘combat vehicle’, and the nickname means ‘hail’. The complete system with the BM-21 launch vehicle and the M-21OF rocket...
Grad 122mm MRLs - 5 Model M50 155mm towed howitzer
- 5 M-46130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46)The 130 mm towed field gun M-46 M1954 is a manually loaded, towed 130 mm artillery piece, manufactured in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. It was first observed by the west in 1954...
130mm towed gun - 10 D-30 122mm towed howitzer
- 20 M-66Soltam M-66M-66 is a 160 mm mortar manufactured by Soltam of Israel. The weapon was based on an earlier design of the 160mm M-58 mortar by Vammas of Finland...
160mm SP-Heavy mortar Makmat - Some SoltamSoltamSoltam Systems is an Israeli Defense company located near Yokneam. The company has been developing and manufacturing advanced artillery systems, mortars, ammunition and peripheral equipment since 1952. Soltam Systems serves armed and special forces in more than 60 countries...
120mm Heavy mortar (some SP on M-3M3 Half-trackThe Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armored vehicle used by the United States, the British Empire and the other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. Nearly 43,000 were produced, and supplied to the U.S...
half-truck \)
Missiles
- Some Kilshon AGM-45 ShrikeAGM-45 ShrikeAGM-45 Shrike is an American anti-radiation missile designed to home in on hostile antiaircraft radars. The Shrike was developed by the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake in 1963 by mating a seeker head to the rocket body of an AIM-7 Sparrow. It was phased out by U.S...
missile launcher on Super Sherman M51M51M51 or M-51 may refer to:* M-51 , a state highway in Michigan* M51 SLBM, a French nuclear ballistic missile* BMW M51, a 1991 straight-6 Diesel engine* Eidgenössischer Stutzer 1851, a historical service rifle of the Swiss Army...
\
Anti Aircraft Weapons
- Some SA-7 Grail MANPADs (ex- Lebanon Army).
- TCM-20 2x20mm AAGs \ (Some SP on M3M3 Half-trackThe Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armored vehicle used by the United States, the British Empire and the other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. Nearly 43,000 were produced, and supplied to the U.S...
half truck \) - ZU-23 2x23mm AAGs
Logistic and Engineering equipment
- M113\M579 Fitter APC
- M3M3 Half-trackThe Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armored vehicle used by the United States, the British Empire and the other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. Nearly 43,000 were produced, and supplied to the U.S...
Half-truck Fitter-Eyal \ - M32M32M32 may refer to:* Messier 32, an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Andromeda* M32 motorway, a motorway in Bristol, England* M-32 , a state highway traversing northern lower Michigan from the town of East Jordan to the city of Alpena...
Super Sherman recovery tank \ - M50M50M50 or M-50 may refer to:In transportation:* M-50 , a state highway in Michigan* M50 motorway , a motorway in England* M50 motorway , a motorway in Ireland* BMW M50, a 1989 automobile piston engine...
Super Sherman Ambulance Tank \ - BTR-152BTR-152The BTR-152 was a non-amphibious Soviet wheeled armored personnel carrier that entered Soviet service in 1950. By the early 1970s it had been replaced in the infantry vehicle role by the BTR-60...
Fitter 6x6 \ - BTR-152BTR-152The BTR-152 was a non-amphibious Soviet wheeled armored personnel carrier that entered Soviet service in 1950. By the early 1970s it had been replaced in the infantry vehicle role by the BTR-60...
6x6 towing APC - T-55T-55The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a series of main battle tanks designed in the Soviet Union. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945, just before the end of the Second World War. The T-54 entered full production in 1947 and became the main tank for armored units of the Soviet Army, armies of...
Instractor training tank \ - M50 Super Sherman Instructor training tank \
- IMIIsrael Military IndustriesIsrael Weapons Industries , formerly the "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. is an Israeli firearms manufacturer. In 2005, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized....
Nochri Mine clearing - IMIIsrael Military IndustriesIsrael Weapons Industries , formerly the "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. is an Israeli firearms manufacturer. In 2005, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized....
KMT - IMIIsrael Military IndustriesIsrael Weapons Industries , formerly the "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. is an Israeli firearms manufacturer. In 2005, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized....
Dozers (for MBTs\APCs) - M-325 Towing- command car
- M54M54 (truck)The M54 Truck, officially designated Truck, Cargo, 5 Ton 6×6 M54, is a heavy cargo truck developed by, and deployed primarily with, the United States Armed Forces. The vehicle is a member of the M39 series of trucks. It is rated for five-ton cargo loads, cross-country, and ten-ton cargo loads,...
A2 truck with crane - M149 Trailer
- M3M3 Half-trackThe Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armored vehicle used by the United States, the British Empire and the other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. Nearly 43,000 were produced, and supplied to the U.S...
"Half-Track" compressor \ - M3M3 Half-trackThe Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armored vehicle used by the United States, the British Empire and the other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. Nearly 43,000 were produced, and supplied to the U.S...
"Half-Track" Gichner Ramim communication APC \ - D-8HCaterpillar D8The Caterpillar D8 is a large track-type tractor designed and manufactured by Caterpillar.Though it comes in many configurations it is usually sold as a bulldozer equipped with a detachable large blade and a rear ripper attachment.-History:...
Bulldozer
Vehicles
- Ford M151M151The M151 MUTT was the successor to the Korean War M38 and M38A1 jeep Light Utility Vehicles. It was produced from 1959 through 1982 and served in the Vietnam War. The M151 utilized a monocoque design making it roomier than previous jeep designs, and incorporated an independent suspension with coil...
A2 MUTT - DodgeDodgeDodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
M38 - Toyota Land Cruiser
Japan - Land RoverLand RoverLand Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
DefenderDefenderDefender usually refers to a position in association football .Defender or The Defender may also refer to:-Film and television:* The Defender or The Bodyguard from Beijing, a film starring Jet Li...
- AIL M-325 Command-car
- DodgeDodgeDodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
WC51 - GMC CCKW
- DodgeDodgeDodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
M37 - Mercedes Benz UnimogUnimogUnimog is a range of multi-purpose auto four wheel drive medium trucks produced by Mercedes-Benz, a division of Daimler AG. The name Unimog is pronounced in German and is an acronym for the German "UNIversal-MOtor-Gerät", Gerät being the German word for machine or device...
- ReoREO Motor Car CompanyThe REO Motor Car Company was a Lansing, Michigan based company that produced automobiles and trucks from 1905 to 1975. At one point the company also manufactured buses on its truck platforms.REO was initiated by Ransom E. Olds during August 1904...
M35 - M54M54 (truck)The M54 Truck, officially designated Truck, Cargo, 5 Ton 6×6 M54, is a heavy cargo truck developed by, and deployed primarily with, the United States Armed Forces. The vehicle is a member of the M39 series of trucks. It is rated for five-ton cargo loads, cross-country, and ten-ton cargo loads,...
A-2 - Mercedes Benz Safary troop carrier truck
- MAN trucks
Other Equipment
- TadiranTadiranTadiran refers to a former Israeli conglomerate, which was founded in 1962 by the merger of two companies, Tadir and Ran...
Radio equipment - M845 SLS night vision equipment
- Trainer Seats for M50\T55
- Projectors
- Ligthouse
- RO-201 Helmet
- Bulletproof Vests
Helicopters
- 1x AerospatialeAérospatialeAérospatiale was a French aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale...
SA-342L GazelleGazelleA gazelle is any of many antelope species in the genus Gazella, or formerly considered to belong to it. Six species are included in two genera, Eudorcas and Nanger, which were formerly considered subgenera...
- 1x AgustaAgustaAgusta is an Italian helicopter manufacturer. It is based in Samarate, Northern Italy. It is a subsidiary of Finmeccanica. The company was founded by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923, who flew his first airplane in 1907...
-BellBell-Sound and music:* Bell , a percussion instrument, usually cup-shaped* Bell * Bell cymbal* Bell effect, a musical technique* Bell Orchestre, a six-piece instrumental band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
AB-212
Italy\
Patrol Crafts
- 2x IAI\Ramta Dvora class PCs
- Some ZodiacZodiacIn astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude which are centred upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year...
See also
- Army of Free LebanonArmy of Free LebanonThe Army of Free Lebanon – AFL or ‘Colonel Barakat’s Army’ , also designated Armée du Liban Libre or ‘Armée du Colonel Barakat’ in French, was a predominantely Christian splinter faction of the Lebanese Army that came to play a major role in the 1975-77 phase of the Lebanese Civil War.-Emblem:Upon...
- JammoulJammoulThe Lebanese National Resistance Front – LNRF or Front National de la Résistance Libanaise in French, but best known by its Arabic acronym, ‘Jammoul’ was an underground guerrilla alliance active in Lebanon in the 1980s...
- Lebanese Army
- Lebanese ForcesLebanese ForcesThe Lebanese Forces is a Lebanese political party. Founded as a militia by Bachir Gemayel during the Lebanese Civil War, the movement fought as the main militia within the Christian-dominated Lebanese Front...
- Lebanese FrontLebanese FrontThe Lebanese Front or Front libanais in French, also known as the "Kufur Front", was a coalition of mainly Christian parties formed in 1976, during the Lebanese Civil War...
- Sabra and Shatila massacreSabra and Shatila massacreThe Sabra and Shatila massacre took place in the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut, Lebanon between September 16 and September 18, 1982, during the Lebanese civil war. Palestinian and Lebanese civilians were massacred in the camps by Christian Lebanese Phalangists while the camp...
- UNIFIL
External links
- The Official Website of the South Lebanese Army.
- Web site devoted to SLA and military vehicles
- The website of the Government of Free Lebanon in Exile
- Photos of the withdrawal from BBC
- BBC Article
- The quandary of an SLA amnesty by Nicholas Blanford, The Daily StarDaily Star (Lebanon)The Daily Star is a pan-Middle East English language newspaper edited in Beirut. It was founded in 1952 by Kamel Mrowa, the publisher of the Arabic daily Al-Hayat to serve the growing number of expatriates brought by the oil industry...
, August 16, 2005. - Analysis: Role of the SLA by Martin Asser, The BBC news, 23 May 2000.