Antoine Lahad

Antoine Lahad (; 22 August 1927 – 10 September 2015) was a Lebanese Army Major General, and subsequently the leader of the South Lebanon Army (SLA) from 1984 until 2000, when the SLA withdrew from Southern Lebanon and was dissolved.

A Maronite Christian from the Chouf District, Lahad was a career officer in the Lebanese Armed Forces. He rose to the title of Major General, specialized in intelligence, and commanded key regions before his initial retirement.

In 1984, Lahad took command of the SLA following the death of its founder, Saad Haddad, with backing from former Lebanese President Camille Chamoun. He restructured the militia, integrating Lebanese Druze, Shia, and Sunni Muslim soldiers, expanding the overall rank-and-file force to include thousands of Lebanese militiamen. They fought alongside each other to regain control of Lebanese territory from Palestinian militant factions (and, subsequently, Hezbollah) which dominated much of southern Lebanon. Operating from Marjayoun, he coordinated with the Israel Defense Forces to maintain the southern security belt. He survived a 1988 assassination attempt, which left him partially paralyzed.

After Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in May 2000, the SLA collapsed. He then lived first in Tel Aviv, Israel, and finally in Paris, until his death at 88 years of age in 2015.

Early life Antoine Lahad was born into a prominent Maronite Catholic family in 1927 in the village of Kfar Qatra, located south-east of Beirut within the Chouf District of Lebanon.

Lebanese Armed Forces career He pursued a career in the state armed forces, and graduated from the Lebanese Army Military Academy as a commissioned officer in the Lebanese Armed Forces infantry in 1952. Following his commissioning, he rose through the ranks of the state armed forces. Lahad was selected as his successor, officially taking control of the faction in early 1984. Lahad accepted the position with the endorsement of former Lebanese President Camille Chamoun, and operated from the established military headquarters in Marjayoun.

He maintained open lines of communication with the capital of Beirut, hosting political and religious leaders from various Lebanese factions who sought his assistance on regional matters. Bechara had embedded herself within Lahad's household in Marjayoun by working as an aerobics instructor for his family, and befriending his wife. On the evening of the attack, Bechara shot Lahad twice in the chest with a revolver, before she was apprehended by Lahad's security personnel.

He pleaded for support to maintain the militia first from Israel, saying that if Israel were to send him money to pay his soldiers, provide logistical support and ammunition, and keep the border open so his wounded could be transported to Israel for treatment, he could "hold for 200 years." Panicked frontline SLA outposts abandoned their positions and thousands of militiamen and their families fled across the border into Israel to escape reprisal.

Lahad released a Hebrew-language autobiography in 2004, entitled In the Midst of a Storm: An Autobiography.

In November 2006, Lahad participated in an interview with the Israeli news outlet YnetNews. During the exchange, he opined that Syria was behind the assassination of Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre Amine Gemayel, stating:

Death and legacy On 10 September 2015, Lahad died in Paris at the age of 88 following a sudden heart attack.

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