Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Honoring the Martyrs of October 13, 1990: Michel Aoun’s Betrayal of Their Sacrifice and Lebanon, as He Succumbs to the Illusions of Power and Wealth

Honoring the Martyrs of October 13, 1990: Michel Aoun’s Betrayal of Their Sacrifice and Lebanon, as He Succumbs to the Illusions of Power and Wealth
Elias Bejjani/October 13/2024

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اضغط هنا لقراء المقالة بالعربية

Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Honoring the Martyrs of October 13, 1990: Michel Aoun’s Betrayal of Their Sacrifice and Lebanon, as He Succumbs to the Illusions of Power and Wealth

For our fallen heroes who sacrificed themselves at the altar of Lebanon on October 13, 1990, we offer our prayers and renew our pledge to live with our heads held high, so that Lebanon remains a homeland of dignity and pride, a beacon of truth, the cradle of civility, and a melting pot of culture and civilizations.
From our deeply rooted history, we know without a shred of doubt that patriotic and faithful Lebanese, with God on their side, wielding truth as their weapon and faith as their fortress, shall never be defeated.

On October 13, 1990, the barbaric Syrian Army, along with treacherous local mercenaries, launched a savage attack, occupying the Lebanese presidential palace and invading the last remaining free regions of Lebanon. Hundreds of Lebanese soldiers and innocent civilians were brutally murdered, their bodies mutilated. Tens of soldiers, officers, clergymen, politicians, and citizens were kidnapped, while a puppet regime, fully controlled by Syria’s intelligence headquarters in Damascus, was installed.

Though the Syrian Army was forced to withdraw in 2005 following UNSC Resolution 1559, Lebanon has since been occupied by the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah. This terrorist militia has crippled Lebanon, turning it into an Iranian battleground and impeding the Lebanese people from reclaiming their independence, freedom, and sovereignty. Hezbollah’s crimes, wars, and terror have dismantled Lebanon’s institutions, public and private alike, while entrenching the country in poverty and chaos.

We must never forget that on October 13, 1990, the Lebanese presidential palace in Baabda and the free regions were desecrated by Syrian Baathist gangs, mafias, militias, and mercenaries. Our valiant army soldiers were tortured and butchered in Bsous, Aley, Kahale, and other bastions of resistance. Lebanon’s most precious possession, its freedom, was raped in broad daylight while the world, including the Arab nations, watched in silence.

The memory of the massacre fills us with sorrow for those we lost and for the many who fled to distant corners of the world. Entire lifetimes of work were erased overnight; villages and towns were destroyed, factories closed, fields dried up, and children lost their innocence. Yet we, the patriotic and faithful Lebanese, remain resilient. Despite the pain and sacrifice, we are more determined than ever to reclaim our freedom and bring to justice those who have betrayed our nation since 1976.

The lessons of October 13, 1990, are numerous and glorious. The free Lebanese—civilians, military personnel, ordinary citizens, and leaders alike—stood tall, resisting the invaders with valor and courage. They wrote epics of resistance in their own blood, refusing to sign agreements of surrender or bow to oppression. They spoke out against the shame of capitulation, ensuring that their legacy will be remembered by future generations.

Today, as we commemorate the Syrian invasion of Lebanon’s free regions, we pray for the souls of those who fell in battle, for those still unjustly imprisoned in Syria’s dungeons, for the safe return of our refugees from Israel, and for peace to return to our homeland. We also pray for the repentance of Lebanon’s leaders, who, for personal gain, have betrayed their people, abandoned their convictions, and sided with the Axis of Evil (Syria and Iran) through their alliance with Hezbollah.

Despite the Syrian military’s withdrawal in 2005, old and new Syrian-made Lebanese puppets continue to manipulate public opinion, taking advantage of economic hardships and the absence of law and order. Thanks to Iranian petro dollars, their consciences are numb, their pockets filled. Among them is General Michel Aoun, who, after returning from exile in 2005, transformed from a staunch advocate for Lebanon’s freedom into an ally of Syria and Iran, shamelessly parroting the Axis of Evil’s agenda.

General Aoun, like the rest of the pro-Syrian-Iranian politicians, cares only for his position, family, and personal interests. To the patriotic Lebanese, Aoun and his ilk are nothing but tools of destruction, perpetuating Lebanon’s instability, thwarting the return of peace, and undermining international efforts, particularly UNSC Resolutions 1559 and 1701. These traitorous leaders are hired by foreign powers to keep Lebanon, the land of the Holy Cedars, an arena for proxy wars, a breeding ground for hatred, terrorism, and fundamentalism.

Our martyrs, both living and dead, must be rolling in their graves as they witness leaders like Michel Aoun betray everything they once stood for. Aoun has reversed all his principles, aligning himself with the very forces that invaded free Lebanon on October 13, 1990. He has selectively forgotten who he is and abandoned the cause he once championed.

As we commemorate this year, we honor the memory of the hundreds who sacrificed their lives for Lebanon’s freedom, dignity, and identity. We raise our prayers for the souls of the martyrs and for the safe return of our prisoners still held in Syrian dungeons. We seek consolation for their families, hoping their sacrifices were not in vain, despite the shameful betrayal of leaders and politicians who have joined the killers they once fought against.

What saddens us most is the continued suffering of our refugees in Israel, whose plight remains unresolved due to the servitude of Lebanese leaders. Instead of taking responsibility, these leaders have betrayed the cause of Lebanon, labeling our heroic southern refugees as criminals to appease their alliances with extremists.

These refugees are the true Lebanese patriots, who did nothing wrong but simply fought for 30 years to defend their land, their homes, and their dignity against the onslaught of Syria, fundamentalist militias, and even renegade factions of the Lebanese Army.
God bless the souls of our martyrs. Long live Lebanon.

*The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website: https://eliasbejjaninews.com

Elias Bejjani
Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
Email phoenicia@hotmail.com & media.lccc@gmail.com
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