List of massacres in Lebanon
The following is a list of massacres that have occurred in Lebanon :
Name | Date | Location | Deaths | Victims | Perpetrators | Notes |
Siege of Tyre | 332 BC | Tyre | 2,000 | Tyrians | Ancient Macedonian army | 2,000 Tyrians crucified on the beach by Alexander the Great's army |
1860 Mount Lebanon civil war | Beirut and Damascus, Syria | 7,000–25,000 | Christians | Druze | A civil war between Druze and Christians in Mount Lebanon where large massacres of Christians at Deir al-Qamar, Hasbaya, Rashaya and elsewhere took place. The conflict spilled over to Damascus where Druze and Sunni Muslim paramilitary groups organized pogroms against Christian residents and refugees; 326 villages, 560 churches, 28 colleges, 42 convents, and 9 other religious establishments were completely destroyed. Many Druze and Muslims were also killed during the conflict. | |
Hula massacre | Hula | 35–58 | Lebanese | Carmeli Brigade, Israel Defense Forces | Hula, located in Lebanon, was captured on October 24 by the Carmeli Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces without any resistance. The women and children were expelled, most of the men aged between 15 and 60 were shot. In total between 35 and 58 men were executed in a house which was later blown up on top of them. | |
Bus massacre | Beirut | 300 | PLO | Phalange | 27 PLO armed members travelling in a bus in the Ain el Rummaneh area of Beirut planned to murder the Lebanese President Bashir Gemayel were killed by Christian Phalangists in the initial attack, many more people were killed in subsequent fighting in other areas of the city | |
Karantina massacre | Beirut | 300–1,500 | Phalange | Karantina was a predominantly Muslim slum -with Lebanese, Palestine refugees and other people- in northeastern Beirut, and was overrun by the Lebanese Christian militias. | ||
Damour massacre | Damour | 684 | Christians | Palestine Liberation Organisation | Palestine Liberation Organisation units attacked a Christian town, purportedly as revenge of the earlier Karantina massacre by Christian militias. Among those killed were Phalangist militiamen and family members of Christian militia leader Elie Hobeika and his fiancée. Hobeika later led the Phalangists in the Sabra and Shatila massacre, with aid of Israeli army. | |
Tel al-Zaatar massacre | Beirut | 1,500–5,000 | Phalange | Christian Phalangists and other right wing Christian militias besieged Tel al-Zaatar, and after heavy fighting, they killed Palestinian civilian refugees and PLO feddayeen or fighters. 4,000 injured | ||
Aishiyeh massacre | October 19-21, 1976 | Aishiyeh | 60–80 | Christians | Fatah, As-Sa'iqa | Fatah and As-Sa'iqa massacred the predominantly Christian village, including 7 under 16, though it was overshadowed by the massacres of Tel al-Zaatar and Damour earlier the same year. |
Ehden massacre | Ehden | 40 | Phalange | |||
Safra massacre | Safra | 83 | Phalange | |||
Sabra and Shatila massacre | West Beirut | 460–3,500 | Phalange | Sabra and Shatila were Palestinian refugee camps with both Sunni and Christian Palestinian refugees, as well as some poor Lebanese and Kurds. | ||
Mountain war massacres | South Mount Lebanon | 500–1,500 | Christians | Druze | Druze forces massacred hundreds of Christian civilians ethnically cleansing South Mount Lebanon from Christian presence. | |
1983 United States embassy bombing | Beirut | 63 | Lebanese and Americans | Islamic Jihad Organization | Islamic militants bombed United States embassy | |
1983 Beirut barracks bombing | Beirut | 307 | Americans, French and Lebanese | Islamic Jihad Organization | Victims were mostly American Marines. | |
War of the Camps | West Beirut | 3,781 | Sabra, Shatila and Burj el-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camps were besieged and bombed by the Shi'ite Amal militia, with Syrian Army support. 6,787 injured. Some activity occurred after May 1985 | |||
October 13 massacre | Beirut | 740–940 | Lebanese | Syrian Armed Forces | 2000 injured; Maronite Lebanese soldiers and civilians were killed by Syrian forces after surrender | |
Qana Massacre | April 18, 1996 | Qana | 106 | Lebanese | Israel Defense Forces | The Israel Defense Forces fired artillery shells at a United Nations compound, which had taken refuge of 800 Lebanese civilians. 116 injured. |