7th Infantry Brigade (Lebanon)

7th Infantry Brigade
7th Infantry Brigade
Active	1983 – present
Country	Lebanon
Allegiance	Lebanon
Branch	Lebanese Ground Forces
Type	Forward observer; Maneuver warfare; Raiding; Reconnaissance; Urban warfare
Size	Brigade
Engagements	Lebanese Civil War Mountain War; War of Liberation (1989-1990); October 13 Massacre; Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Qalamoun offensive (June–August 2014) Battle of Arsal; ; Qalamoun offensive (July–August 2017);
Commanders
General	Nadim al-Hakim
Colonel	Issam Abu Jamra
Colonel	Faris Lahud
Colonel	Sami Rihana

The 7th Infantry Brigade (Lebanon) is a

Lebanese Army unit that fought in the Lebanese Civil War

, being active since its creation in June 1983.

Origins

In the aftermath of the June–September 1982

Druzes from the Chouf District, which became on June 20, 1983, at Scout City – Batroun, the 7th Infantry Brigade.^[2]

The Brigade's emblem is characterized by an Arabic numeral (7) symbolizing victory, with a green cedar tree set in the middle and symbol of persistence, both encircled by a rampart representing an historical fortress with the motto "all for Lebanon" written in Arabic script. The black background is a symbol of endurance.^[3]

Structure and organization

The new unit grew from an understrength battalion comprising three rifle companies to a fully equipped mechanized infantry brigade, capable of aligning a Headquarters' (HQ) battalion, an armoured battalion (74th) equipped with

Druze General Nadim al-Hakim, who was concurrently the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Chief-of-Staff,^[10] later replaced by Colonel Issam Abu Jamra (former commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade), who was in turn succeeded by Col. Faris Lahud, formerly the head of the Brigade's logistics battalion. In 1989, the latter was replaced by Col. Sami Rihana, previously the commander of the 9th Brigade

.

Combat history

Lebanese Civil War

The Mountain War 1983-1984

During the

Shia Muslim 97th Battalion deserted en bloc to the Shi'ite 6th Infantry Brigade and the Amal Movement militia.^[12]^[13]^[14]

The post-Chouf years 1984-1990

By 1987, the 7th Infantry Brigade was composed of 1,700 men under the command of Colonel

Lebanese Forces militia' Supreme Commander Samir Geagea, who maintained there his retinue.^[16]

During General

Lebanese Forces militia Command in Amsheet, the former instructed the 7th Brigade to conduct night security patrols with their military vehicles in the region of Byblos, Amsheet and Nahr Ibrahim

to help maintain order.

The post-civil war years 1990-present

Upon the end of the war in October 1990, the 97th Battalion was returned to the 7th Brigade, which was re-integrated into the structure of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).

Notes

^ Barak, The Lebanese Army – A National institution in a divided society (2009), p. 123.
^ John Pike. "Lebanon - Mechanized Infantry Brigades". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
^ "7th Infantry Brigade | Official Website of the Lebanese Army". Lebarmy.gov.lb. 1983-06-20. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
^ Dunstan, Panhard Armoured Car: 1961 Onwards (AML 60, AML 90, Eland), Enthusiasts' Manual (2019), p. 154.
^ Zaloga, Tank battles of the Mid-East Wars (2) (2003), p. 53.
^ Kinnear, Sewell & Aksenov, Soviet T-54 Main Battle Tank (2018), Appendix eight: known customers and users of the T‑54 medium tank, p. 182.
^ Kinnear, Sewell & Aksenov, Soviet T-55 Main Battle Tank (2019), Appendix six: known client users of the T‑55 medium tank, p. 160.
^ Zaloga, Tank battles of the Mid-East Wars (2) (2003), p. 56.
^ "Annex C Appendix II". US Army Technical Manual of Foreign Military Sales: Battlefield Damage Assessment and Repair (PDF). Washington, D.C. 18 December 1987. p. 262. TM 9-2320-356-BD. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2013.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ ^a ^b O'Ballance, Civil War in Lebanon (1998), pp. 131–132.
^ Hokayem, L'armée libanaise pendant la guerre: un instrument du pouvoir du président de la République (1975-1985) (2012), p. 86.
^ O'Ballance, Civil War in Lebanon (1998), p. 137.
^ Nerguizian, Cordesman & Burke, The Lebanese Armed Forces: Challenges and Opportunities in Post-Syria Lebanon (2009), pp. 56-57.
^ Hokayem, L'armée libanaise pendant la guerre: un instrument du pouvoir du président de la République (1975-1985) (2012), p. 87.
^ Barak, The Lebanese Army – A National institution in a divided society (2009), p. 155.
^ Collelo, Lebanon: a country study (1989), pp. 223-224.