The Brutal Lebanese Civil War in Photographs, 1975-1989

Inevitably, the conflict was not quite over. Maronite military leader Michel Aoun, whose appointment as prime minister of a military government the previous year had been widely contested, denounced those who signed the agreement as traitors. The fighting that ensued between Aoun’s forces and the Christian Lebanese Forces militia destroyed much of Christian East Beirut.

Aoun’s revolt, and the civil war itself, ended on Oct. 13, 1990, when Syrian troops attacked the presidential palace in Baabda. Aoun fled and was granted political asylum in France. After 15 years and six months, the war was finally over. During that time, more than 150,000 people were killed, hundreds of thousands were displaced from their homes, and an estimated 250,000 Lebanese emigrated.

August 28, 2025 | 10:50 pm