The War of Liberation

When Aoun announced a War of Liberation on March 14, 1989, the vast majority of the Christian population lived in East Beirut and the northeastern suburbs of Greater Beirut. These areas were surrounded by Syrian troops, which were based in West Beirut, Mount Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut, and the Northern Metn. Aoun’s declaration of war, which was followed by an official letter on March 27 calling for the withdrawal of Syrian troops, resulted in a Syrian siege of this enclave, with daily, massive bombardments. The Lebanese Army, under Aoun’s command, carried out heavy artillery shelling of residential areas controlled by the Syrian Army, including densely populated West Beirut.
Many civilians were killed by the bombings as well as from a lack of medicine and health care in East Beirut.