Word: druzes
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
With that victory, however, the army began to crack along sectarian lines. At the urging of Druze Leader Jumblatt, some 800 Druze soldiers deserted. With the defection of thousands of Shi'ites last week, the army was on the verge of collapse. If Gemayel orders his commanders to retake West Beirut, fighting could easily break out among army regulars...
...Muslim leaders wish to inherit a city more divided than it already is. On Wednesday, after an uneven peace settled over West Beirut, a joint security committee representing Amal, the Druze and the Murabitun issued a set of guidelines. Besides turning West Beirut over to internal police forces, the group outlawed kidnaping, the seizing of homes and the carrying of arms in the area. Muslim militiamen were ordered to return vehicles commandeered during battle and to report to the green line, where sporadic duels with the Phalange and army units still loyal to Gemayel persisted through the week. By Saturday...
Schismatic problems within the Amal may be compounded by growing tensions between Berri and his Druze allies, led by Walid Jumblatt. After joining forces to rout the Lebanese troops from West Beirut, the two factions may soon find themselves jousting for supremacy in a new political order. Now that the Amal has joined the ranks of the principal players in Lebanon, it is discovering the frustrations that come with power...
That night we moved to a Druze-run hotel at some distance from the area of the most concentrated fighting. But we could not escape the sound of warfare. As we reached the seaside hotel, the U.S.S. New Jersey opened up on artillery positions in the hills behind the city. Huge flashes of fire were followed by clouds of orange smoke. With each blast, the light fittings trembled, the windows rattled, and our hearts, for a second, stopped beating...
...casualties, the Israelis decided to withdraw from the Beirut area and the Chouf Mountains to a new line along the Awali River some 17 miles to the south. During their occupation, however, the Israelis had allowed Phalangist militiamen to move into areas of the Chouf previously controlled by the Druze. Fearing an outbreak of hostilities between the two factions, the U.S. urged the Israelis to delay their redeployment until the newly trained Lebanese Army could fill the vacuum. The Israelis postponed their withdrawal by only a few days. As soon as they pulled out on Sept. 4, fighting broke...