The Martyrs of October 13, 1990: Michel Aoun’s Betrayal of Them and of Lebanon, and His Descent into the Illusions of Power and Money Elias Bejjani/October 13/2026
The martyrs blessed us with their sacrifice and freely and joyfully gave us their lives because they believed in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Surely, the heroic martyrs of October 13, from their graves, are crying out in thunderous voices: “Not a single leader has ever passed by our graves without each one of us shouting in his face: ‘Where is my blood, you man? Where is the justice for which I died?’”
The height of hypocrisy is for some people to commemorate the martyrs of October 13 and raise their banners while, today, they are allied with those who killed them, slaughtered them, and desecrated their bodies. This is self-deception, political depravity, deadly narcissism, and a desecration of the sanctity of martyrdom. Today, with sorrow and grief, we remember the righteous martyrs who fell on October 13, 1990, along with all the heroic martyrs of the Land of the Cedars, who watered Lebanon’s soil with their pure blood.
We remember the civilians and military personnel who were martyred with courage and bravery as they confronted the invading and occupying Syrian Baathist army, accompanied by its columns of Trojan collaborators and local mercenaries. They fought in defense of the Land of the Cedars, its mission, history, humanity, and independence. Today, we also remember, with bitterness and anguish, the hundreds of our people—monks, military personnel, and civilians—who were abducted by the Syrian occupation army and its mercenaries and transferred to the Nazi-like detention centers of the Assad regime. Their fate remains unknown to this day.
We recall their heroism and imagine them today, in our hearts and minds, turning restlessly in their graves in anger and sorrow over what has become of their beloved homeland, whose soil they watered with their blood and for which they sacrificed their lives.
The martyrs of October 13, and all the martyrs of the Land of the Cedars who preceded and followed them, must surely be cursing, from their resting places as they await the Resurrection, every ruler, politician, party official, power broker, and citizen who has forgotten their sacrifices and failed to honor their blood. These modern-day Judases trade in the blood of the martyrs to serve their own agendas of power rather than the interests of the homeland and its people.
These Judases among the rulers and the merchants of political parties have trampled over the blood of the martyrs, sold out dignity and independence, bartered sovereignty for political seats, and surrendered to the fait accompli in humiliation and submission. They have learned to coexist with the Iranian occupation, its weapons, and its state within a state, their consciences anesthetized after losing their national and spiritual compass. They have sunk into the mire of tribal instincts and collaboration, following the broad roads against which the Holy Gospel warned us.
Yet, thanks to the sacrifices of these righteous martyrs, including those who fell on October 13, 1990, and despite all the hardships and suffering, as well as the reality of the Iranian occupation and the terrorism imposed upon our homeland, we continue to enjoy complete freedom within ourselves, in our consciences, and in our faith. Our dignity remains intact, and our heads remain held high.
The martyrs are the grain of wheat that fell into the earth and died to bear much fruit. They are the leaven that continually renews the determination, pride, conscience, and spirit of Lebanon’s free people, enabling them to continue, with faith, courage, piety, and dedication, along the path of martyrdom, Calvary, crucifixion, and Resurrection.
Lebanon, the Land of the Cedars, is the land of holiness, redemption, and mission; the den of the free and the martyrs, and a refuge for every oppressed and weary soul. This is what Lebanon has always been, and this is what it shall remain until the last day and the Resurrection.
It is the duty of every believing and freedom-loving Lebanese citizen to bear witness to the truth without fear or hesitation and to raise high the banners of faith, brotherhood, freedom, love, generosity, and tolerance.
Saint Paul the Apostle says in his Letter to the Romans (8:31–32):
“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
In conclusion, yes, God is with us, and Lebanon is in His heart. He stands with every free and sovereign-minded Lebanese citizen confronting the Iranian occupation, its Trojan collaborators, and its local instruments.
Therefore, no matter how varied their colors and weapons may be, the wicked, the demonic factions, the terrorists, the fundamentalists, and the isolationists will never succeed in breaking our spirit, imposing their diabolical will upon us, or forcing us to accept their rigid and intolerant way of life.
Thank you to every martyr who took up the arms of love and offered his life as a sacrifice upon the altar of the Land of the Cedars so that Lebanon might remain free, sovereign, and independent.
Thank you to the families of these great martyrs, distinguished by their faith and patriotism, for bringing such righteous heroes into the world. And thank you to Lebanon’s sacred soil, which gave birth to martyrs and embraced their pure remains.
Note: This article and its accompanying video are from the 2025 archive.
List of the Martyrs of October 13, 1990
Martyred Lieutenant Colonel George Za’arab
Martyred Major Albert Tannous
Martyred Captain Ali Abou Ali
Martyred Captain George Nasrallah
Martyred Captain Robert Abou Serhal
Martyred First Lieutenant George Abou Halloun — missing martyr
Martyred First Lieutenant Tanios Zoghieb — missing martyr
