Etienne Saqr

Étienne Saqr (; born on 26 December 1937; last name also spelt Sakr), also known by his kunya Abu Arz , is a Lebanese nationalist leader and founder of the Guardians of the Cedars militia and political party. Saqr and his militia participated in the Lebanese Civil War in the 1970s and 1980s, and remained militantly active until he was expelled from the country with the flight of the South Lebanon Army, of which he was not a member, in May 2000.

Early life and education Saqr was born in Ain Ebel in 1937 into a Maronite family, one of eleven children, of whom eight were boys and three were girls. His father was a school principal. After Israel's withdrawal from the south in 2000, Saqr left for Israel. In an address to the Knesset a few days later, Saqr argued against the withdrawal saying Israel had "made heroes out of Hezbollah." He has been sentenced to death in absentia by a Lebanese court on charges of collaborating with Israel, and remains in exile in Cyprus.

Personal life Etienne Saqr has two daughters who are both famous Lebanese singers, Karol Sakr and Pascale Sakr, and a son named Arz Sakr.