The Arab Deterrent Force (ADF; ) was an international
peacekeeping
Peacekeeping comprises activities, especially military ones, intended to create conditions that favor lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed w ...
force created by the
Arab League
The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, ...
in the
extraordinary Riyadh Summit on 17–18 October 1976, attended only by heads of state from Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. It decided to transform the 'token' Arab Security Force into the Arab Deterrent Force. A week later, the conclusions of the Riyadh Summit were endorsed and implemented by the Arab League's
Cairo summit on 25–26 October 1976.
As the
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon.
The religious diversity of the ...
escalated in 1976, the
Arab League
The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, ...
created an intervention force composed almost entirely of forces of
Ba'athist Syria
Ba'athist Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR), was the Syrian state between 1963 and 2024 under the One-party state, one-party rule of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region, Syrian regional branch of the Ba'ath Party (Syri ...
with token contributions from other Arab states, including
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
and
Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
. Although nominally present at the behest of the government of
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
, the force was under the direct command of Syria. The ADF initially consisted of more than 35,000 troops of which 30,000 were provided by Syria.. On 15 November, the ADF with Syrian forces occupied Beirut enforcing a truce effectively ending the
civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
which had lasted 19 months at that point despite the occupation force consisting mostly of the Syrian Army. In late 1978, after the Arab League had extended the mandate of the Arab Deterrent Force, the
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
ese, the Saudis and the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
announced intentions to withdraw troops from Lebanon, extending their stay into the early months of 1979 at the Lebanese governments request. The Libyan troops were essentially abandoned and had to find their own way home (if at all), and the ADF thereby became a purely Syrian force (which did include the
Palestinian Liberation Army (PLA)).
The ADF mandate was to deter the conflicting sides from resorting to conflict again, including the tasks of maintaining cease-fire, collecting heavy weapons and supporting the Lebanese government in maintaining its authority.
Robert Fisk
Robert William Fisk (12 July 194630 October 2020) was an English writer and journalist. He was critical of United States foreign policy in the Middle East, and the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians.
As an international correspo ...
wrote:
..Since the summer of 1976, the Syrians had controlled the Bekaa Valley. The headquarters of their 'Arab Deterrent Force' was at the Bekaa market town of Chtaura and their troops were billetted all the way up the valley, around the Greek Orthodox
Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...
town of Zahle - where Cody and I had seen the Syrians and Phalangists
The Kataeb Party (), officially the Kataeb Party – Lebanese Social Democratic Party ( '), also known as the Phalangist Party, is a right-wing politics, right-wing Christianity in Lebanon, Christian political party in Lebanon founded by Pier ...
cooperating in 1976 - at the airbase at Rayak, in Baalbek
Baalbek (; ; ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In 1998, the city had a population of 82,608. Most of the population consists of S ...
, and Hermel.
In 1981, the Syrian forces fought the
Battle of Zahleh. R.D. Mclaurin wrote '..At the height of the battle, several
Syrian Army units, totalling about 20,000 troops, were within an area 10–20 km around Zahleh.' These units included the 35th and 41st Brigades (Special Forces), 47th and 62nd Brigade (Mechanised Infantry), 51st Brigade (Ind. Armoured), and 67th Brigade, of which the last was along the border with Syria, southwest of Medina Sinaia.
A year after
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
invaded and occupied
Southern Lebanon during the
1982 Lebanon War
The 1982 Lebanon War, also called the Second Israeli invasion of Lebanon, began on 6 June 1982, when Israel invaded southern Lebanon. The invasion followed a series of attacks and counter-attacks between the Palestine Liberation Organization ...
, the Lebanese government failed to extend the ADF's mandate, thereby effectively ending its existence, although not the Syrian or Israeli military presence in Lebanon. Eventually the Syrian presence became known as the
Syrian occupation of Lebanon
The Syrian occupation of Lebanon lasted from 31 May 1976, beginning with the Syrian intervention in the Lebanese Civil War, until 30 April 2005. This period saw significant Syrian military and political influence over Lebanon, impacting its g ...
.
Operations and Peacekeeping
At 4:30 AM Monday November 15, 1976 The Arab Deterrent Forces consisting of 5,000 Sudanese, Saudi and Emirati Soldiers and 25,000 Syrian Soldiers deployed in and around Beirut in an attempt to cease hostilities between the
Kataeb/Phalangist Lebanese government and the
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ) is a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian nationalist coalition that is internationally recognized as the official representative of the Palestinians, Palestinian people in both the occupied Pale ...
. The
Syrian peacekeepers began distributing weapons and support to pro-Syrian factions within both parties in Beirut at the time which lead to accusations that Syria was acting more as an occupying force and less as a
peace-keeping force. On July 21, 1977, The Lebanese and Palestinian factions agreed on a compromise that would see the withdrawal of all PLO soldiers inside a 15 kilometer zone just off the Israeli Border and the Lebanese government would work in conjunction with the Arab Deterrent Force to ensure security of Lebanon. on July 30, 1977, Syrian soldiers were deployed in The
Beqaa Valley
The Beqaa Valley (, ; Bekaa, Biqâ, Becaa) is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon and its most important farming region. Industry, especially the country's agricultural industry, also flourishes in Beqaa. The region broadly corresponds to th ...
and near
Tripoli. June 1983 would seem the fracturing of the compromise between the Lebanese Government, the Arab Deterrent Forces and the Syrian Peacekeepers especially after the
1982 Israeli Invasion of Lebanon
The 1982 Lebanon War, also called the Second Israeli invasion of Lebanon, began on 6 June 1982, when Israel invaded southern Lebanon. The invasion followed a series of attacks and counter-attacks between the Palestine Liberation Organization ...
.
Notes
Telegram from the Department of State to the Embassy in Syria, March 1978(document 237)
References
* Claudio Lo Jacono, ''"L’intervento della Siria in Libano"'', in: ''Oriente Moderno'', LVI, 1976, pp. 379–399.
1976م: قوات الردع العربية تدخل بيروت في محاولة لإيقاف الحرب الأهلية" Arab Deterrent Forces enter Beirut in an attempt to stop the civil war"
Further reading
*J-P Issele, 'The Arab Deterrent Force in Lebanon, 1976-1983,' in A. Cassese, 'The Current Legal Regulation of the Use of Force,' Leiden: Nijhoff, 1986, 179 at 186-7.
*Istvan Pogany, The Arab League and Peacekeeping in the Lebanon, Palgrave Macmillan (December 1987), , .
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Arab League
Lebanese Civil War
Multinational units and formations">Lebanese Civil War">Arab League
Lebanese Civil War
Multinational units and formations
Military units and formations of Syria
Military units and formations established in 1976
Middle East peace efforts
Lebanon–Syria relations