The 3rd Infantry Brigade (Lebanon) is a

Lebanese Army ) , founded = 1 August 1945 , current_form = 1991 , disbanded = , branches = Lebanese Ground Forces Lebanese Air Force Lebanese Navy , headquarters = Yarze, Lebanon , flying_hours = , websi ...

unit that fought in the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...

, being active since its creation in January 1983 until its disbandment in December 1984, being subsequently re-formed in June 1991.

Origins

In the aftermath of the June–September 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, President

Amin Gemayel Amine Pierre Gemayel ( ar, أمين بيار الجميٌل ; (born 22 January 1942) is a Lebanese Maronite politician who served as President of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988. Born in Bikfaya, his father was Pierre Gemayel, the founder of the K ...

, convinced that a strong and unified national defense force was a prerequisite to rebuilding the nation, announced plans to raise a 60,000-man army organized into twelve brigades (created from existing infantry regiments), trained and equipped by

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. In late 1982, the 3rd Infantry Regiment was therefore re-organized and expanded to a brigade group numbering 2,000 men, mostly

Sunni Muslims Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

from

Southern Lebanon Southern Lebanon () is the area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. The two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s. The Rashaya and Western Beqaa Districts, the southernmost distri ...

, which became on January 18, 1983, at the southern port city of

Sidon Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast ...

, the 3rd Infantry Brigade.

Emblem

The Brigade's emblem consists of a silvered sword that symbolizes law and strength, emerging from the brown soil of the country, held firmly by the hands of the 3rd Brigade soldiers in the defense of their homeland. The sword is embraced by a blazing flame symbolizing sacrifice, which enlightens Lebanon's blue sky and burns the enemy with his flames, so that the green cedar tree remains eternal, uniting all Lebanese in its heart, the same as the

Arabic numeral Arabic numerals are the ten numerical digits: , , , , , , , , and . They are the most commonly used symbols to write decimal numbers. They are also used for writing numbers in other systems such as octal, and for writing identifiers such as c ...

(3) inserted at the center of the cedar. The emblem also bears the motto "Our land is ours" written in Arabic script.

Structure and organization

The new unit grew from an understrength battalion comprising three rifle companies to a fully equipped mechanized infantry brigade, capable of aligning a Headquarters' (HQ) battalion, an armoured battalion (34th) equipped with Panhard AML-90 armoured cars,

AMX-13 The AMX-13 is a French light tank produced from 1952 to 1987. It served with the French Army, as the Char 13t-75 Modèle 51, and was exported to more than 26 other nations. Named after its initial weight of 13 tonnes, and featuring a tough and re ...

light tanks A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movements in and out of combat, to outmaneuver heavier tanks. It is smaller in size with thinner armor and a less powerful main gun, tailored for better tactical mobility and ease o ...

(replaced in the 1990s by

T-55A The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks ...

tanks donated by Syria) and M48A5

main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the role of armor-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension s ...

s (MBTs), three mechanized infantry battalions (31st, 32nd and 33rd) issued with M113 armored personnel carriers (APC), plus an artillery battalion (35th) fielding US

M114 155 mm howitzer The M114 is a towed howitzer developed and used by the United States Army. It was first produced in 1942 as a medium artillery piece under the designation of 155 mm Howitzer M1. It saw service with the US Army during World War II, the Korean ...

s. The Brigade also fielded a logistics battalion, equipped with US M151A2 jeeps, Land-Rover long wheelbase series III, Chevrolet C20 and Dodge Ram (1st generation) pickups, and US M35A2 2½-ton (6x6) military trucks. Headquartered at the Mohamed Zogheib Barracks near

, in 1983 it was initially placed under the command of Colonel

Nizar Abdelkader Nizar or Nezar or Nezzar or Nazar ( ar, نزار, nizār) may refer to: Ancient and medieval people * Nizar ibn Ma'ad, ancestor of Muhammad and most of the Adnanite tribes *Abu Mansur Nizar al-Aziz Billah (955–996), fifth Caliph of the Fatimi ...

, later replaced by Col. Said al-Qaqur, in turn succeeded in 1984 by Col. Adnan el-Khatib.

Combat history

The Lebanese Civil War

Commanded by Colonel

, the Third Brigade during the

Mountain War The Mountain War ( ar, حرب الجبل , ''Harb al-Jabal''), also known as the War of the Mountain and Guerre de la Montagne in French, was a subconflict between the 1982–83 phase of the Lebanese Civil War and the 1984–89 phase of the ...

was split into two separated commands deployed at different locations: some of its battalions were positioned in east Beirut, at the

Hadath Al-Ḥadath al-Ḥamrā' (Arabic for "Hadath the Red") or Adata ( el, ) was a town and fortress near the Taurus Mountains (modern southeastern Turkey), which played an important role in the Byzantine–Arab Wars. Location The town was located ...

and the

Faculty of Sciences Science education is the teaching and learning of science to school children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education includes work in science content, science process (the scientific method), som ...

sectors leading to the southern suburbs of the Lebanese Capital, while the other units remained stationed at

. During the Battle for west Beirut on February 6, 1984, the Third Brigade's battalions stationed at Beirut's eastern sector provided support to the other Lebanese Army units deployed in the western sector of the city fighting the anti-Government Muslim militias. In late February-early March 1984, the Third Brigade was placed under the command of Col. Said al-Qaqur and its units previously stationed at east Beirut were transferred back to Sidon, taken by ship under the auspices of the Lebanese Navy. At that time, it was presumed that the Brigade would eventually patrol the Southern regions along the Israeli border. Until early 1983, the Sidon-based units of the Brigade could not leave Israeli-controlled areas for training, but that was no longer the case by mid-year. Confined to barracks for most of the time and forced into inactivity, the Third Brigade was finally disbanded on December 1, 1984, by order of the

Lebanese Armed Forces ) , founded = 1 August 1945 , current_form = 1991 , disbanded = , branches = Lebanese Ground Forces Lebanese Air Force Lebanese Navy , headquarters = Yarze, Lebanon , flying_hours = , websi ...

(LAF) Command in east Beirut and by 1987 its units had been dispersed.

The post-civil war years 1990–present

Upon the end of the war in October 1990, the LAF Command proceeded to reorganize and expand the

's battered mechanized infantry brigades structure, with the Third Brigade being officially re-established in Sidon on June 1, 1991.

Notes

References

* Aram Nerguizian, Anthony H. Cordesman & Arleigh A. Burke, ''The Lebanese Armed Forces: Challenges and Opportunities in Post-Syria Lebanon'', Burke Chair in Strategy, Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), First Working Draft: February 10, 2009. �

* Are J. Knudsen, ''Lebanese Armed Forces: A United Army for a Divided Country?'', CMI INSIGHT, November 2014 No 9, Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), Bergen – Norway. �

* Denise Ammoun, ''Histoire du Liban contemporain: Tome 2 1943–1990'', Éditions Fayard, Paris 2005. (in French language, French) �
Histoire du Liban contemporain, tome 2: 1943–1990
*

Edgar O'Ballance Major Edgar “Paddy” O'Ballance (17 July 1918, Dublin, Ireland – 8 July 2009, Wakebridge, Derbyshire, England) was an Irish-born British military journalist, researcher, defence commentator and academic lecturer specialising in inter ...

, ''Civil War in Lebanon 1975–92'', Palgrave Macmillan, London 1998. * Éric Micheletti and Yves Debay, ''Liban – dix jours aux cœur des combats'', RAIDS magazine n.º41, October 1989 issue. (in French language, French) * James Kinnear, Stephen Sewell & Andrey Aksenov, ''Soviet T-54 Main Battle Tank'', General Military series, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2018. * James Kinnear, Stephen Sewell & Andrey Aksenov, ''Soviet T-55 Main Battle Tank'', General Military series, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2019. * Joseph Hokayem, ''L'armée libanaise pendant la guerre: un instrument du pouvoir du président de la République (1975–1985)'', Lulu.com, Beyrouth 2012. , (in French language, French) �
L'armée libanaise pendant la guerre: un instrument du pouvoir du président de la République (1975–1985)
* Ken Guest, ''Lebanon'', in ''Flashpoint! At the Front Line of Today’s Wars'', Arms and Armour Press, London 1994, pp. 97–111. * Matthew S. Gordon, ''The Gemayels'' (World Leaders Past & Present), Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. * Oren Barak, ''The Lebanese Army – A National institution in a divided society'', State University of New York Press, Albany 2009. �
The Lebanese Army: A National Institution in a Divided Society
* Rex Brynen, ''Sanctuary and Survival: the PLO in Lebanon'', Boulder: Westview Press, Oxford 1990. �

*

Robert Fisk Robert Fisk (12 July 194630 October 2020) was a writer and journalist who held British and Irish citizenship. He was critical of United States foreign policy in the Middle East, and the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians. His stan ...

, ''Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War'', London: Oxford University Press, (3rd ed. 2001). �
Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War
* Samer Kassis, ''30 Years of Military Vehicles in Lebanon'', Beirut: Elite Group, 2003. * Samer Kassis, ''Véhicules Militaires au Liban/Military Vehicles in Lebanon 1975–1981'', Trebia Publishing, Chyah 2012. * Samuel M. Katz, Lee E. Russel, and Ron Volstad, ''Armies in Lebanon 1982–84'', Men-at-Arms series 165, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1985. * Samuel M. Katz and Ron Volstad, ''Arab Armies of the Middle East wars 2'', Men-at-Arms series 194, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1988. * Steven J. Zaloga, ''Tank battles of the Mid-East Wars (2): The wars of 1973 to the present'', Concord Publications, Hong Kong 2003. �
Tank Battles of the Mid-East Wars : (2) The Wars of 1973 to the present
*Simon Dunstan, ''Panhard Armoured Car: 1961 Onwards (AML 60, AML 90, Eland), Enthusiasts' Manual'', Haynes Publishing UK, Somerset 2019. * Thomas Collelo (ed.), ''Lebanon: a country study'', Library of Congress, Federal Research Division, Headquarters, Department of the Army (DA Pam 550-24), Washington D.C., December 1987 (Third edition 1989). �

External links

Histoire militaire de l'armée libanaise de 1975 à 1990
(in French language, French)
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Official Website

CIA – The World Factbook – Lebanon

Global Fire Power – Lebanon Military Strength

Lebanon army trying to rearm and modernize itself

{{DEFAULTSORT:3rd Infantry Brigade (Lebanon) Military units and formations of Lebanon Military units and formations established in 1983 1983 establishments in Lebanon Military units and formations disestablished in 1984 1991 establishments in Lebanon bn:লেবাননের সামরিক বাহিনী fr:Armée libanaise