Lebanese Forces (Lebanon)

Quwwat al-Lubnaniya

Last modified: 2007-08-18 by eugene ipavec
Keywords: lebanese forces | quwwat al-lubnaniya | cedar (green) | tree: cedar (green) | circle (red) | cross: voided (red) |
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image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 Aug 2005	image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 Aug 2005

• Introduction
• Flag With Cedar in Ring
• Flag with Pointed, Voided Cross

See also:

• Political Parties (Lebanon)
• Lebanon

The Lebanese Forces are a Lebanese political party and former militia, which played a major role in the civil war which ravaged Lebanon from 1975 to 1990. After the civil war ended, the movement reinvented itself as a political party, although its activities were severely restricted by the pro-Syrian government until the Cedar Revolution in early 2005 resulted in a withdrawal of Syrian troops. The movement is officially secular, but in practice has always been supported almost exclusively by Christians, especially Maronites. At some points during the war the LF acted together with the Guardians of the Cedars militia, but the a split took place in 1989.

The "Lebanese Forces" was created as a result of the excruciating circumstances in Lebanon in the late seventies, when the Lebanese Christian community felt the need to defend itself against impending internal and external dangers and threats. These dangers were amplified by the fact that the government with its entire infrastructure proved to be impotent in containing the Palestinian military presence in Lebanon, which threatened Lebanon' sovereignty and independence. The resistance forces consisted of several separate factions: the Phalangists, the National Liberal Party, the Al-Tanzeem Party and the Guardians of the Cedars, who took a multi-lateral decision on August 1976 to consolidate the war efforts and to establish a unified resistance military council under the command of the late Lebanese president Bashir Gemayel. Gemayel was later killed upon being ellected Prime Minister. His successor was Samir Geagea, imprisioned and recently pardoned (July 2005).

Esteban Rivera, 27 Aug 2005

The official Lebanese forces website is www.lebanese-forces.com and not "www.lebanese-forces.org". Lebanese-forces.org is a hijacked site and should not be referred to as the official website of the Lebanese Forces Political Party.

The flag of the Lebanese Forces is white with the a green cedar at the center – same cedar as in the national flag – and a red circle around it. Under the cedar, the words "Lebanese Party" in Arabic. Source: Lebanese Forces website.

Jac Asmar, 27 Jul 2002

A photo of an LF flag.

Bill Garrison, 27 Nov 2007

Note that the cedar trunk is brown, unlike the all-green cedar on the national flag.

Eugene Ipavec, 27 Aug 2005

Flag with Pointed, Voided Cross

Yesterday on SBS news, they showed a rally of South Lebanese Christians. All were waving a flag that I have included. I am not sure about the exact dimension of the flag but it was probably 2:3 or 1:2. The commentator did not say if it was a political one or an ethnic one. Some were also waving a variant which was vertical with the cross pointing downward and a longer height, probably 4:1.

Marc Pasquin, 21 Sep 2000

From the Lebanese Forces website:

The Meaning of the Lebanese Forces Cross

Inspired from the eastern crosses and symbolizes 3 things:

1. The Cross of our savior Jesus Christ: In red, the sign of martyrdom and glory.
2. The bearing cross of the Lebanese Christians: The sign of their suffering throughout history.
3. The Diagonal cut at the base of the cross: It symbolizes the strength of the Lebanese Christians' will and their determination to keep the cross planted in this region of the world.

Date of its release: This cross has been launched by the Department of Faith in the Lebanese Forces on "Resistant Prayer day" in the Church on St Charbel, Annaya, Lebanon on April 19, 1984.

Santiago Dotor, 03 Jan 2006

The Flag with pointed, voided cross is not the official flag of the Lebanese Forces party. This cross has been launched by the Department of Faith in the Lebanese Forces on "Resistant Prayer day" and was considered as the symbol or emblem of the "Lebanese Resistance" and not as the flag of the "Lebanese forces."

Many serious problems have taken place because of the supposedly "Lebanese Forces" dagger-cross.

Variants

image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 Aug 2005	image by Eugene Ipavec, 27 Aug 2005

Some interesting photos at the Lebanese Forces website: one, two, three and four. Seems that the cross is an alternate symbol.

Dov Gutterman, 03 Jan 2006

There seem to be four variants of the LF flag:

1. Cedar-in-ring logo with Arabic inscription
2. Red voided cross with pointed lower arm alone on white flag
3. Cedar-in-ring logo without Arabic inscription
4. Cedar-in-ring merged with pointed, voided cross, inscription below

The "cedar-in-ring" logo is visible here.