On January 25, 1976, Al-Qabas reported on the Lebanese scene, which saw an attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Rashid Karami, who refused to resign after the President of the Republic rejected his resignation. Mr. Abdel Halim Khaddam was also present in the car with him. Moreover, there was violence in Beirut, Ain Rummaneh, and Sadiyat, resulting in the burning of Mr. Camille Chamoun’s palace, who was the Minister of Interior. Presidents Hafez al-Assad and Suleiman Franjieh also had a telephone conversation, during which the Syrian President reiterated his commitment to helping Lebanon overcome its crisis. Assad requested the Syrian delegation to extend its stay in Lebanon until calm was established, and Syria would spare no effort in providing assistance.
The report reads as follows: Yesterday afternoon, Lebanese Prime Minister Mr. Rashid Karami and Syrian Foreign Affairs Minister Mr. Abdel Halim Khaddam survived an assassination attempt. According to an urgent news report from Beirut by the French Press Agency, unidentified armed elements fired on the car carrying both officials to the presidential palace in Baabda. The incident occurred on a hill overlooking Beirut in Hadath but did not result in any casualties.
Compared to the preceding ten days, the second day of the ceasefire was relatively encouraging. However, there was an incident in the Chiyah-Ain Rummaneh front that led to 10 deaths and 25 injuries. A Palestinian spokesman claimed that the incident was contained, and its aftermath was limited. Each party blamed the other.
According to a joint forces spokesman, the battalions began the conflict by repeatedly firing snipers at targets in Chiyah. They then escalated the situation by using machine guns and mortars, forcing the joint forces to retaliate.
A spokesman for one of the battalions stated that the leftist forces attempted to blow up a battalion site in Ain Rummaneh, leading to the conflict.
Meanwhile, the French Press Agency reported that the incident happened due to a misunderstanding. An informed source stated that one of the parties wanted to station themselves in a location where they believed they had the right to stay.
The Saadiyat Palace, owned by Mr. Camille Chamoun, Minister of Interior and President of the Free Patriots Party, was invaded and set on fire by fighters of the Joint People’s Forces, along with a group of supporting military personnel. A spokesman for Chamoun confirmed that the palace’s contents were emptied before being burned, and the Minister of Interior commented on the incident, saying, “It doesn’t matter… I built the palace, not he who built me.”
Sources from the joint forces confirmed the destruction of the palace and reported that a large quantity of weapons and ammunition had been confiscated from it.
Yesterday, for the first time, Shimon expressed his approval of the Saudi initiative and stated, “I have accepted the Syrian initiative in principle because I believe that cooperation and Arab brotherhood should be maintained, even if the current situation arouses suspicion. I would welcome this initiative with greater satisfaction if it knew how to heal wounds.”
On the other hand, Mr. Zuhair Mohsen, head of the military department of the Palestine Liberation Organization, condemned the attack on the palace and considered it a violation of the ceasefire agreement. He added, “We regard the perpetrators as immoral and without honor, and we will track them down and bring them to trial.”
Otherwise, calm prevailed throughout Lebanon. For the first time, units of the Palestine Liberation Army appeared on the streets of Beirut, with orders to shoot anyone who violated the agreement.
It was decided during a meeting held on Friday afternoon, attended by the three Syrian envoys Abdel Halim Khaddam, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Major General Hikmat Shihabi, Chief of Staff, and Naji Jamil, Deputy Minister of Defense, and representatives of all Palestinian organizations and progressive Lebanese forces, to intervene with regular Palestinian units in neighborhoods west of Beirut.
This Palestinian force includes soldiers from the Yarmouk Brigade of the Palestine Liberation Army. It is also planned to form a special force in areas supervised by the battalions and their allies. A battalion source announced yesterday that discussions are underway to form such a force.
An official Lebanese source announced that these special forces, formed by all concerned parties, will receive a temporary mandate during the transitional period that the country needs in order to regroup and organize the internal security forces so that they can carry out their mission again. The duration of this period has not been specified.
Calls for military personnel to join their barracks.
The General Directorate of Internal Security Forces has issued repeated calls to security force members who were unable to reach their centers in Beirut and the suburbs to immediately join the Sayar regiment barracks on Verdun Street or the headquarters barracks near Hotel Dieu. The Lebanese-Syrian-Palestinian Joint Committee has also issued the following statement:
“To inform citizens of all developments taking place in various areas during this period, the Joint Supreme Military Committee will issue ongoing statements through various media outlets. Therefore, the Joint Supreme Military Committee is the only source of information that adopts honesty and truth in all its statements and information issued by it.”
On Friday night and Saturday, the Army Command called on all military personnel who were unable to join their units due to insecurity in different areas to return to their barracks or the nearest military station as soon as possible.
Karami retracts his resignation
With the relative calm, Mr. Rashid Karami returned yesterday from his resignation submitted nine days ago, as a result of the mediation of the Syrian delegation.
Mr. Khaddam, Shahabi, and Naji Jamil met yesterday morning with a delegation representing Muslim leaders and clerics at the Mufti’s house. They then held a similar meeting with Mr. Karami. After the two meetings, the Syrian delegation, accompanied by the resigned Prime Minister, went to the Presidential Palace where another meeting was held under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic. After which, a statement was issued by President Franjieh stating that “the President of the Republic has rejected the resignation of Mr. Rashid Karami. He asked him and his cabinet members to continue to assume the responsibility of the ministry.”
The statement also mentioned that during the interview, President Franjieh informed Mr. Karami of his understanding of the considerations that led him to submit his resignation. He expressed his appreciation to him and the members of his government for accepting the responsibilities of governance in the delicate circumstances in which they took over the functions of government, and for their sincere efforts and attempts to address the current situation.
After the meeting, Karami announced his response to President Franjieh’s request and said, “I take responsibility because the future requires working for the unity of the class, cooperation, and concerted efforts.”
The General Directorate of Internal Security Forces has issued repeated calls to members of the security forces who were unable to reach their centers in Beirut and the suburbs to join the Sayar regiment barracks (on Verdun Street) or the headquarters barracks near Hotel Dieu immediately. The Lebanese-Syrian-Palestinian Joint Committee has also issued the following statement: In order to inform citizens of all developments taking place in various areas during this period, the Joint Supreme Military Committee will issue statements on an ongoing basis through various media outlets. Therefore, the Joint Supreme Military Committee is the only source of information that adopts honesty and truth in all its statements and information issued by it. On Friday night – Saturday, the Army Command called on “all military personnel who were unable to join their units due to insecurity in different areas to return to their barracks or to the nearest military station as soon as possible.
President Karami announced that, after the developments that took place to reach a ceasefire, put an end to the fighting, and remove armed manifestations in preparation for political reform action, he met with President Suleiman Franjieh. In the public interest and in support of the efforts made in this regard, Franjieh refused to resign. Therefore, in response to what happened, despite all special considerations, I will continue to work officially and participate in everything that would achieve what everyone wants, which is to return to stability.
Mr. Karami added in his statement, “With this position, I have consulted with my colleagues and we have agreed to keep in touch, as their support is crucial for all the efforts made. The stage requires unity and joint action because the country needs everyone’s solidarity and cooperation, and the post-crisis phase requires great efforts.”
In other news, an American mercenary who fought with the battalions was killed. A Soviet newspaper called “Salskaya Hepsen” revealed yesterday that a French soldier, Dominique Burrell, who obtained American citizenship by helping the CIA in Vietnam, was killed in Beirut while wearing a battalion uniform. The newspaper said that Burrell has participated in several wars and has always fought alongside the losing team.