Sons of the South
Encyclopedia
The Sons of the South – SotS (Arabic: Abna’a Al-Orkoub) were a small and obscure Lebanese Christian terrorist faction based in southern Lebanon, allegedly funded and trained by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) intelligence service. Believed to be a mere cover for the Guardians of the Cedars
(GoC) or South Lebanon Army
(SLA), the Sons of the South were formed in 1983 and usually operated in the Jabal Amel
region close to the Israeli-controlled ‘Security Zone’. The group emerged in July 1984, when they kidnapped Sheikh Mohammed Hassan Amin, a preeminent Shiite cleric of Southern Lebanon
whom the IDF accused of inciting guerrilla attacks on Israeli and SLA soldiers. Since this incident, the SotS have not been held responsible for further terrorist attacks or kidnappings and it is believed that this group was disbanded around the mid-1990s, possibly by order of the Israeli authorities. They are no longer active.
Guardians of the Cedars
The Guardians of the Cedars – GoC , also designated Gardiens du Cedre or Gardiens des Cèdres in French, are a far-right ultranationalist Lebanese party and former militia in Lebanon...
(GoC) or South Lebanon Army
South Lebanon Army
The South Lebanon Army , also "South Lebanese Army," was a Lebanese militia during the Lebanese Civil War. After 1979, the militia operated in southern Lebanon under the authority of Saad Haddad's Government of Free Lebanon...
(SLA), the Sons of the South were formed in 1983 and usually operated in the Jabal Amel
Jabal Amel
Jabal Amel or Amil is a mountainous region of Southern Lebanon.The region is named after the Banu 'Amilah, a Yemenite tribe who, along with the kindred tribes of Hamadan, Lakhm, and Judham, settled in Syria, Palestine, parts of Jordan, and Lebanon. The area was known in ancient times as Jabal...
region close to the Israeli-controlled ‘Security Zone’. The group emerged in July 1984, when they kidnapped Sheikh Mohammed Hassan Amin, a preeminent Shiite cleric of 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...
whom the IDF accused of inciting guerrilla attacks on Israeli and SLA soldiers. Since this incident, the SotS have not been held responsible for further terrorist attacks or kidnappings and it is believed that this group was disbanded around the mid-1990s, possibly by order of the Israeli authorities. They are no longer active.
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...
- Lebanese ForcesLebanese ForcesThe Lebanese Forces is a Lebanese political party. Founded as a militia by Bachir Gemayel during the Lebanese Civil War, the movement fought as the main militia within the Christian-dominated Lebanese Front...
- South Lebanon ArmySouth Lebanon ArmyThe South Lebanon Army , also "South Lebanese Army," was a Lebanese militia during the Lebanese Civil War. After 1979, the militia operated in southern Lebanon under the authority of Saad Haddad's Government of Free Lebanon...
- Guardians of the CedarsGuardians of the CedarsThe Guardians of the Cedars – GoC , also designated Gardiens du Cedre or Gardiens des Cèdres in French, are a far-right ultranationalist Lebanese party and former militia in Lebanon...
- Lebanese Liberation FrontLebanese Liberation FrontThe Lebanese Liberation Front – LLF , Front de Liberation Libanais in French was an underground terrorist group of nationalist trend formed in February 1987...
- Popular Revolutionary Resistance OrganizationPopular Revolutionary Resistance OrganizationDespite the deceiving ‘leftist’ trend of its title, the Popular Revolutionary Resistance Organization – PRRO or Organisation de la Resistance Populaire Révolutionnaire in French was a Phoenicist-oriented, anti-Syrian Lebanese Christian underground terrorist group that emerged in March 1987, being...
- Liberation BattalionLiberation BattalionThe Liberation Battalion – LB or Battalion de la Liberation in French was a small, shadowy terrorist organization dedicated to attacking Syrian Army forces in Lebanon during the mid-late 1980s...