Conflict Incident Report

Fighting resumed in Zahleh, Tripoli, and Zgharta, with heavy weaponry. Most Christians fled from Tripoli as well as the Christian villages in the Akkar, and they headed toward the Christian-populated region of Kesrouan, in the northern suburbs of Mount Lebanon. In parallel, tension was on the rise in the capital, paving the way for a resumption of violence. On September 13, 1975, the Dekwaneh-Tel al-Zaatar front in East Beirut flared up, and in the following days, clashes spread to front-line zones, namely Ain al-Remmaneh-Chiyah and—for the first time—downtown Beirut. Snipers, positioned at all the city’s main entry points, were shooting at children, women, and men. Some historians reported that scores of civilians were killed at crossroads, under the bridges, and especially in the areas separating Christian areas from Muslim ones.