The Safra massacre, or the Day of the Long Knives, occurred in the coastal town of Safra (north of

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

) on 7 July 1980, during 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 ...

, as part of Bashir Gemayel's effort to consolidate all the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

fighters under his leadership in the

Lebanese Forces The Lebanese Forces ( ar, القوات اللبنانية '')'' is a Lebanese Christian-based political party and former militia during the Lebanese Civil War. It currently holds 19 of the 128 seats in Lebanon's parliament and is therefore th ...

. The Phalangist forces launched a surprise attack on the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

, a 500-man militia that was the armed force of the National Liberal Party of former Lebanese President

Camille Chamoun Camille Nimr Chamoun OM, ONC ( ar, كميل نمر شمعون, ''Kamīl Sham'ūn''; 3 April 1900 – 7 August 1987) was a Lebanese politician who served as President of Lebanon from 1952 to 1958. He was one of the country's main Chris ...

. The attack was supposed to be conducted at around 4:00 a.m., but in order to spare the life of Camille's son and commander of the Tigers Dany Chamoun, the attack was postponed to 10:00 a.m. to make sure that Dany left for Fakra. The attack claimed the lives of roughly 83 people. Prior to the attack,

decided to disarm the militia in order to avoid further bloodshed from both the Phalangists and the Tigers. Since that time, the National Liberal Party has survived only as a political party although the Tigers were virtually wiped out.

References

Short article on the Day of the Long Knives
Conflicts in 1980 Massacres in 1980 Battles of the Lebanese Civil War Massacres of the Lebanese Civil War 1980 in Lebanon Massacres in Lebanon Keserwan District {{massacre-stub

See also

References