Lebanon: The South Lebanese Army (SLA) military structure and names of high ranking officers; whether the length of service in the South Lebanese Army (SLA) determines the sentences handed down by Lebanese Military Court (1997-2000)

For recent information on the treatment of SLA defectors by the Lebanese authorities and the Hezbollah as well as on the sentences given to ex-SLA members by the Military Court, please consult LBN33466.E of 17 January 2000 and LBN33465.E of 13 January 2000.

No reports on the relationship between the length of service in the SLA and the sentencing handed down by the Lebanese Military Court could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

According to the 28 July 1999 Lebanon Bulletin, Tony Nasr, who was a main South Lebanon Army (SLA) officer was sentenced to 10 years with hard labour by the Beirut Military Court. Other persons not identified with the SLA were also sentenced to ten years with labour.

It might be of interest to know that in a 26 May 1999 article in the Beirut-based Al-Safir newspaper, Hezbollah Deputy Leader Shaykh Na'im Qasim stated that there are three types of SLA members:

1) those who have joined it with full conviction in the Israeli plan, a small number of SLA men;

2) those who have joined for financial reasons;

3) those who were forcibly recruited.

The Hezbollah leader commented on the fact that the last two categories would benefit from leniency because "they have gathered together without any attachment to the Israeli plan." (ibid).

In a long 1 November 1997 article on the future of the SLA, the newspaper Al-Majallah provided the following information on the Lebanese military men in the occupied portion of South Lebanon;

Since the establishment of the Army of Free Lebanon by a nucleus of the Lebanese Army in 1976, many members of the Lebanese Army remained in the occupied area. Although they joined the militia, the Lebanese Army command dealt with them as Lebanese soldiers and continued to pay their salaries until the end of 1985. The army command then released most of them because they had reached the retirement age and did not appoint officers to replace them.

Following the unification of the army in 1990, the army command issued an order transferring the military personnel from the occupied area to areas outside it. The army command held rehabilitation courses for them. Military personnel who chose to remain in the occupied area were divided into two groups:

1. Those who did not join the militia and did not accept the army command's offer were released.

2. Those who joined the militia were released and referred to a military court for trial.

Many sentences have recently been issued against military personnel who joined the militia. Some were sentenced up to 15 years in jail with hard labor. It should be recalled that a Lebanese Army unit is stationed in the Jazzin area, which is not under the control of the Lebanese Government.

The SLA controls this area, which Israel indirectly defends.

Al-Majallah also provided information on the military structure and names of high ranking officers of the SLA:

The Military Structure

The SLA is similar to other armies in its administrative and military structure. The "regular army" is deployed on the fronts and in the barracks. Special services are responsible for internal security. Like the Israeli military structure, the SLA relies on the system of regions and sectors established by Gen. David Agmon, a former Israeli chief liaison officer, who was in charge of training and equipping the militia members, using a specialized team from the Israeli Army.

The military sectors are the following:

1. The Western Sector: Its headquarters is in Bint Jubayl. It is under the command of former Lebanese Army Sergeant 'Aql Hashim, who was promoted by the occupation forces to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He is considered the strongest candidate to succeed Antoine Lahd. The operational area of the western sector extends from the coastal town of al-Naqurah to the outskirts of Marj 'Uyun.

2. The Eastern Sector: Its headquarters is in Marj 'Uyun, where the headquarters of the SLA and Lahd is also located. This sector is under the command of Karamallah Sa'id.

3. The Jazzin Sector: Its headquarters is in Jazzin and is under the command of Emil Nasr.

4. The Hasbayya Sector: Its headquarters is in Hasbayya and is directly subordinate to the Israeli intelligence.

Each sector consists of eight battalions; each battalion consists of three companies; and each company consists of three platoons. There are only two battalions in Marj 'Uyun and Hasbayya.

The pyramid structure of the militia is as follows:

1. Army Commander: Gen. Antoine Yusuf Lahd from Kafr Qatrah in the al-Shuf region of Jabal Lubnan (not under occupation). His headquarters is in Marj 'Uyun. He has a house in Marj 'Uyun and another in Jazzin. The Lebanese authorities referred him to trial and a Lebanese military court sentenced him to death after finding him guilty of collaborating with Israel.

2. Assistant army commander and chief of staff: Major Karamallah Sa'id from al-Qulay'ah.

3. The Secretariat: Maj. Michel Nahra from al-Qulay'ah.

4. The Treasury: Captain Marun Abu-Rizq from Marj 'Uyun.

5. Military Intelligence: Capt. Fu'ad Shadid from al-Jarmaq. He is assisted by First Lieutenant Elie Sham'un from eastern Sidon. The Military Intelligence Department has its own secretariat.

6. The Military Police: Capt. Ghazi al-Dawi from al-Qulay'ah. He is assisted by 1st Lt. Jamil al-Tayyar from Marj 'Uyun.

7. Military Security: Capt. 'Id Musallam from al-Qulay'ah. He is assisted by Jihad Tawabiyah.

8. Operations: Maj. Samir al-Shufi from Marj 'Uyun.

9. The Logistics Brigade: Capt. Khayrallah al-Tuhayli from Jazzin. He is assisted by Jubran 'Assaf from Marj 'Uyun.

10. Ordinance: Maj. Salamah Sulayman from al-Qulay'ah. He is assisted by Capt. Fu'ad Hasbani.

11. The Engineering Corps: Hanna Salamah from al-Qulay'ah.

12. The Medical Corps: Maj. Christian Istifan. He is assisted by a doctor with the rank of lieutenant.

13. The Signal Corps: Capt. Ghassan Ni'mah from Marun al-Ra's. He is assisted by Butrus Nahra from al-Qulay'ah.

14. The Training Department: Capt. Daniel Khuri from Marj 'Uyun. He is assisted by 1st Lt. Nabil Sam'an from al-Qulay'ah.

15. The Prisons Department: Capt. Jean Humsi from Marj al-Mallak and 1st Lt. Samir 'Id Musallam from al-Qulay'ah.

16. The Artillery Corps: Capt. Jiryis Nawfal from Marj 'Uyun. He is assisted by 1st Lt. Andrea Salamah from al-Qulay'ah.

17. The Armor Corps: Capt. Ilyas Salamah Najm. He is assisted by 1^st Lt. Tannus Sa'd.

The SLA's armament is a mixture of weapons left over from Arab-Israeli wars. Military observers say that the militia is unable to absorb all the Israeli-supplied military equipment.

However, the militia has no advanced weapons. Most of them are remnants of Arab-Israeli wars and weapons no longer in use by the Israeli Army. The weapons in the SLA's possession include the following: American Sherman M-48 tanks; Soviet T-54 tanks captured from some pro-Soviet parties during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982; M-30 half-track troop carriers; M-113 armored vehicles; "Command Car" vehicles; 155-mm and 122-mm howitzer field artillery; Korean-made 107-mm launchers; all types of mortar guns; light, medium, and heavy machine guns, including MAC, B.K.C, M-16 [last three abbreviations in English], and the Israeli-made Galilee.

The militia has three training camps:

1. The al-Majidiyah Camp, which specializes in the basic training of recruits.

2. The al-Qulay'ah Camp, which specializes in training unit commanders.

3. The Marj 'Uyun camp.

The officers' graduation camps are under direct Israeli supervision.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Al-Majallah [London, in Arabic]. 1 November 1997. "Lebanon: Future of SLA Discussed." (FBIS-NES-97-337  3 Dec 1997/WNC)

Al-Safir [Beiryt, in Arabic]. 26 May 1999. "Hiuzballah Leader on SLA Deserters, Amnesty." (FBIS-NES-1999-0602

Lebanon Bulletin. 28 July 1999. George Khoury. "Paying the Price of the Alliance with Israel: SLA Soldiers Who Surrendered in Jezzine, Prosecuted, Sentenced."  < http://www.wlo-usa.org/Resistance/Southern/SLA_sentences_7_28_99.html >

[Accessed on 25 Feb. 2000]

Additional Sources Consulted

Arabies [Paris]. 1999-2000

The Jordan Times. 1999-2000

The Daily Star [Beirut]. 1999-2000

L'Orient-le-jour [Beirut]. 1999-2000

Haaretz [Tel Aviv] 1999-2000

The Jerusalem Report. 1999-2000

Les Cahiers de l'Orient. 1999-2000

Monde Arabe Maghreb-Machrek. 1999-2000

Middle East International. 1999-2000

The Middle East Times [Cairo] 1999-2000

World News Connection (WNC)

Internet sites including:

Middle East Daily. < http://www.middleeastdaily.com/ >

Middle East Intelligence Bulletin. < http://www.freelebanon.org/intelligence/ >

Arabic News. < http://www.arabicnews.com/ >

Israel Wire. < http://www.israelwire.com/ >

ShuFiMaFi [Beirut] < http://www.idrel.com.lb/idrel/shufimafi/archives/current.htm >

Search engines including: