Marada in Lebanese History
During the Lebanese civil war, Zgharta being the frontline and Christian stronghold of the north, it was the frontline in the war for northern Lebanon as the Zgharta-based Marada Brigade militia successfully repulsed and responded with attacks on Muslim LNM and PLO militias from neighboring Tripoli.
In March 1976, they supported the hard-pressed Republican Guard battalion in defending the Presidential Palace at Baabda from a two-pronged combined LNM-LAA assault, though prior to the attack the President had decamped to the safety of Jounieh.
They were initially allied with the Kataeb but in 1978 the year when Suleiman Frangieh's son Tony Frangieh was murdered, Frangieh became firmly pro-Syrian and stopped attending meetings with the Lebanese Front. After the killing of a Kataeb member in the district of Zgharta Zawie, the latest being Jude Al-Bayeh, the Kataeb party decided to react. On 13 June 1978, at 4am while everyone was sleeping, the Kataeb, launched a surprise attack on Tony's summer mansion in Ehden. About 28 guards were killed. About 10 Kataeb members were killed in the attack. The Marada's top commander, Suleiman Franjieh's son Tony, his wife Vera and their 3-year-old daughter, were also killed. The incident is known as Ehden massacre. Kataeb member at the time Samir Geagea was the leader of one of the attacking groups. Samir Geagea denies that he took part in the murder since he was injured in his right hand before getting to the castle and was taken to the hospital. Elie Hobeika has always denied taking part in the killing although this also was never proven. Bashir Gemayel denied being responsible for the killing.
There are many current political identities who admitted to the fact that Bashir Germayel was the one who ordered the attack on their allies.
After Tony's assassination, Tony's brother Robert took control of the Marada and nowadays Suleiman Frangieh, Jr., Tony's son, controls the Marada. He is a close personal friend of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He was serving as Interior Minister, one of the most powerful positions in the Lebanese government, when Rafiq al-Hariri was assassinated on 14 February 2005.
After the 2005 legislative elections, the Marada became member of the opposition alliance (pro-Syrian) together with Hizbullah.
In June 2006, the Marada Movement was officially launched as a political party during a ceremony attended by supporters and representatives from Hizbullah, Amal Movement, the Free Patriotic Movement, and some pro-Syrian political figures.
Read more about this topic: Marada Movement
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