Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions
Encyclopedia
The Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions – LARF (Arabic: Jabhat al-Musalha al-Thawri al-Lubnaniyya) or Factions Armés Révolutionnaires Libanaises (FARL) in French
, was a small Marxist-Leninist guerrilla group which played an active rôle in the Lebanese civil war
.
/Palestinian
radical guerrilla faction, upon the death of its leader and founder Wadi Haddad in March 1978. In the 1980s it was responsible for a series of attacks on French
, American
, and Israel
i officials in Lebanon
and Western Europe
. LARF's leader, Georges Ibrahim Abdallah
, was sentenced to life imprisonment in France
in 1987, and the group's attacks ceased soon after.
activists who had previously fought with the PLO, led by the Maronite Georges Ibrahim Abdallah
(noms de guerre “Salih al-Masri”, “Abdul-Qadir Sa’adi”), a former school teacher; after being arrested by the French authorities in 1984, he was replaced by a colective leadership trio formed by his younger brothers’ Robert, Maurice, and Emile. Based at his home town of Kobayat
in the Akkar region of northern Lebanon and financed by Syria
, the LARF aligned by 1981 some 30 active members specialized in urban guerrilla warfare
, organized into scattered cells of three to five militants.
In addition to the Palestinians and Syria
, the group forged close ties with other similar groups in Lebanon
and abroad, such as the French
‘Direct Action’ (Action Directe), the Italian
‘Red Brigades
’ (Brigate Rosse), and the Armenia
n ASALA
, and is also suspected of contacts with Hezbollah and other Iran
ian-backed elements.
) and the Lebanese National Salvation Front (LNSF) in their guerrilla campaigns against Israeli occupation forces in southern Lebanon
, but also played an active role outside the Middle East
.
Between 1982 and 1987 they were held responsible for 18 bombings, political assassinations, and kidnappings targeting French, US and Israeli officials in both Lebanon
and Western Europe
. These include the assassinations in Paris
of the assistant US military Attaché to the American embassy, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles R. Ray
in January 1982, followed in April of that year by the Israeli diplomat Yaakov Barsimantov. The LARF was also allegedly behind the assassination of US citizen Leamon Hunt, the director of the multinational observer force in the Sinai
in February 1984 in Rome
, as well as a failed attempt on the US Consul-General in Strasbourg
, Robert Homme, and the kidnapping late that year of the director of the French Cultural Center in Beirut
, Gilles Peyroles.
Although the capture of Georges Abdallah by French authorities in late 1984 led to a temporary hiatus in LARF activities, it is believed that the group was behind a bombing campaign that rocked the French capital in September 1986, killing 15 people and wounding over 150 others. These bombings were carried out by the so-called Committee for Solidarity with Arab and Middle Eastern Political Prisoners – CSAPP or Comité de soutien avec les prisonniers politiques et arabes et du Moyen-Orient (CSPPA) in French
, allegedly a covert ‘working title’ for an alliance that gathered the LARF, ASALA and pro-Iranian Islamic operatives. Led by the Shiite militant Fouad Ben Ali Saleh, it was formed in February 1986 in Paris
with the aim of forcing the release of Abdallah from prison.
. By early 1988, the LARF had virtually ceased all external operational activity and it kept a low profile for the remainer of the Lebanese civil war
.
Military inactive since 1990, the group appears to have renounced violence and remains politically active in Lebanon
, its members now campaigning for the release of Georges Abdallah (held in the Fresnes prison since September 2002
) and Fouad Ben Ali Saleh, along with other Lebanese prisoners still detained in French prisons.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, was a small Marxist-Leninist guerrilla group which played an active rôle in the Lebanese civil war
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
.
Origins
Formed in 1979, the LARF emerged from the break-up of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-External Operations (PFLP-EO), a joint LebaneseLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
/Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
radical guerrilla faction, upon the death of its leader and founder Wadi Haddad in March 1978. In the 1980s it was responsible for a series of attacks on French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i officials in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
. LARF's leader, Georges Ibrahim Abdallah
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah is a Lebanese militant. He joined the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Faction when the group formed following the discontinuation of PFLP-SOC. He became leader of the organisation, and conducted its operations from France, where he used the aliases Salih al-Masri and...
, was sentenced to life imprisonment in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1987, and the group's attacks ceased soon after.
Structure and organization
Modelled after parent western militant leftist/urban guerrilla organizations, the LARF was made of left-wing ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
activists who had previously fought with the PLO, led by the Maronite Georges Ibrahim Abdallah
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah is a Lebanese militant. He joined the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Faction when the group formed following the discontinuation of PFLP-SOC. He became leader of the organisation, and conducted its operations from France, where he used the aliases Salih al-Masri and...
(noms de guerre “Salih al-Masri”, “Abdul-Qadir Sa’adi”), a former school teacher; after being arrested by the French authorities in 1984, he was replaced by a colective leadership trio formed by his younger brothers’ Robert, Maurice, and Emile. Based at his home town of Kobayat
Kobayat
Al Qoubaiyat Al Qoubaiyat Al Qoubaiyat (Arabic: القبيات; is the biggest Christian village in Akkar District of North Governorate, Lebanon. All its population are Maronites numbering around 12000 persons according to the civil state registers. (among them were 8300 registered voters in 1992)...
in the Akkar region of northern Lebanon and financed by Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, the LARF aligned by 1981 some 30 active members specialized in urban guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
, organized into scattered cells of three to five militants.
In addition to the Palestinians and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, the group forged close ties with other similar groups in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and abroad, such as the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
‘Direct Action’ (Action Directe), the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
‘Red Brigades
Red Brigades
The Red Brigades was a Marxist-Leninist terrorist organisation, based in Italy, which was responsible for numerous violent incidents, assassinations, and robberies during the so-called "Years of Lead"...
’ (Brigate Rosse), and the Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n ASALA
Asala
Asala may refer to:* Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia, a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla organization.* Asalah Nasri, Syrian singer* Al Asalah, a Salafist political party in Bahrain...
, and is also suspected of contacts with Hezbollah and other Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian-backed elements.
Activities in Europe 1982-1988
Despite its small size, the group not only joined both the Lebanese National Resistance Front - LNRF (Arabic acronym: JammoulJammoul
The Lebanese National Resistance Front – LNRF or Front National de la Résistance Libanaise in French, but best known by its Arabic acronym, ‘Jammoul’ was an underground guerrilla alliance active in Lebanon in the 1980s...
) and the Lebanese National Salvation Front (LNSF) in their guerrilla campaigns against Israeli occupation forces in southern Lebanon
Southern Lebanon
Southern Lebanon is the geographical area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. These two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s...
, but also played an active role outside the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Between 1982 and 1987 they were held responsible for 18 bombings, political assassinations, and kidnappings targeting French, US and Israeli officials in both Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
. These include the assassinations in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
of the assistant US military Attaché to the American embassy, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles R. Ray
Charles R. Ray
Colonel Charles R. Ray was a US Army officer and Assistant Army Attache stationed in Paris. He was murdered by a terrorist affiliated with the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Faction on January 18, 1982 in Paris, France....
in January 1982, followed in April of that year by the Israeli diplomat Yaakov Barsimantov. The LARF was also allegedly behind the assassination of US citizen Leamon Hunt, the director of the multinational observer force in the Sinai
Multinational Force and Observers
The Multinational Force and Observers is an international peacekeeping force overseeing the terms of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.-Background:...
in February 1984 in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, as well as a failed attempt on the US Consul-General in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, Robert Homme, and the kidnapping late that year of the director of the French Cultural Center in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Gilles Peyroles.
Although the capture of Georges Abdallah by French authorities in late 1984 led to a temporary hiatus in LARF activities, it is believed that the group was behind a bombing campaign that rocked the French capital in September 1986, killing 15 people and wounding over 150 others. These bombings were carried out by the so-called Committee for Solidarity with Arab and Middle Eastern Political Prisoners – CSAPP or Comité de soutien avec les prisonniers politiques et arabes et du Moyen-Orient (CSPPA) in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, allegedly a covert ‘working title’ for an alliance that gathered the LARF, ASALA and pro-Iranian Islamic operatives. Led by the Shiite militant Fouad Ben Ali Saleh, it was formed in February 1986 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with the aim of forcing the release of Abdallah from prison.
Decline and demise 1988-1990
However, after Abdallah was sentenced by a French court to life imprisonment in March 1987 his group’s actions in Europe sharply declined, and the subsequent disbandment of the CSAPP forced most of its members to return to LebanonLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. By early 1988, the LARF had virtually ceased all external operational activity and it kept a low profile for the remainer of the Lebanese civil war
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
.
Military inactive since 1990, the group appears to have renounced violence and remains politically active in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, its members now campaigning for the release of Georges Abdallah (held in the Fresnes prison since September 2002
September 2002
September 2002: January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December- September 1, 2002 :...
) and Fouad Ben Ali Saleh, along with other Lebanese prisoners still detained in French prisons.
See also
- Lebanese civil warLebanese Civil WarThe Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
- Arab Communist OrganizationArab Communist OrganizationThe Arab Communist Organization – ACO or Organisation Communiste Arabe in French was a short-lived, underground terrorist group which operated briefly in both Lebanon and Syria during the mid-1970s....
- Lebanese National Salvation Front
- JammoulJammoulThe Lebanese National Resistance Front – LNRF or Front National de la Résistance Libanaise in French, but best known by its Arabic acronym, ‘Jammoul’ was an underground guerrilla alliance active in Lebanon in the 1980s...
External links
- Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Faction profile at the Terrorism Knowledge Base