The archive · Chronological
Timeline
Each entry below is one recorded event. Casualty figures are given as ranges where sources disagree; blanks are preserved where records are absent.
May–July 1860
Mount Lebanon & Damascus· Mount Lebanon
Casualties: an estimated 7,000 to 11,000 killed· approximate
The 1860 civil conflict in Mount Lebanon and its aftermath in Damascus killed thousands of Maronite and other Christian villagers and prompted the first international humanitarian intervention in the region.
Sources: Ottoman archives; Churchill, The Druses and the Maronites (1862)
23 October 1975
Aishiyeh· South
Casualties: approximately 70
The isolated Christian village of Aishiyeh, deep in the South, was attacked and its remaining families killed or expelled after months of siege.
Sources: Testimonies collected by the Maronite League, 1976
20 January 1976
Damour· Mount Lebanon
Casualties: estimates range from 150 to 582
A predominantly Christian coastal town south of Beirut was overrun and its civilian population killed, displaced, or taken. Homes, the church, and the cemetery were desecrated.
Sources: Fisk, Pity the Nation (1990); Lebanese Red Cross field reports
March 1977
Southern villages· South
Casualties: unknown — families still submitting names· approximate
A series of small-village killings in the South during early 1977. The archive keeps these entries open pending family submissions.
Sources: Open record — pending
March 1977
Shouf villages· Mount Lebanon
Casualties: figures disputed; dozens killed across several villages· approximate
In March 1977, following the assassination of Kamal Jumblatt, waves of retaliatory killings struck Christian residents of the Shouf. Families in several villages were killed in their homes; others fled and never returned.
Sources: Contemporary press accounts, March 1977; Testimonies collected by displaced Shouf families
13 June 1978
Ehden· North
Casualties: approximately 40
An armed raid on the summer residence of the Frangieh family killed Tony Frangieh, his wife Vera, their three-year-old daughter Jihane, and dozens of household and guards.
Sources: Contemporary reports, L'Orient-Le Jour
1 July 1978
Chekka· North
Casualties: figure disputed; families still seek verification· approximate
Shelling of the coastal town of Chekka and neighboring villages during the Hundred Days' War caused sustained civilian casualties.
Sources: ICRC bulletins, 1978
October 1978
Ashrafieh, East Beirut· Beirut
Casualties: hundreds over the course of the Hundred Days' War
The prolonged shelling of the predominantly Christian district of Ashrafieh during the Hundred Days' War killed civilians in homes, in shelters, and in the streets over three months.
Sources: Le Réveil archives; Fisk (1990)
7 July 1980
Safra· Mount Lebanon
Casualties: estimates vary; dozens killed
An intra-Christian assault on the Tigers Militia headquarters left dozens of fighters and staff dead. The archive holds this event because Christian communities carry both the roles of victim and, at times, aggressor within their own memory.
Sources: Multiple Lebanese press accounts, July 1980
April 1981
Zahlé· Beqaa
Casualties: civilian toll disputed; siege lasted three months
The Christian city of Zahlé in the Beqaa was besieged and shelled for months. Homes, schools, and the seminary were struck; families still submit corrections to the casualty record.
Sources: ICRC, 1981; Zahlé municipal archives
27 June 2016
Al-Qaa· Beqaa
Casualties: 5 killed, at least 28 wounded
Four coordinated suicide bombings struck the Christian border village of Al-Qaa at dawn, followed by four more that evening near the church as villagers gathered. The attack targeted a village that had for decades sheltered refugees crossing from Syria.
Sources: Lebanese Internal Security Forces bulletin, 28 June 2016; L'Orient-Le Jour
4 August 2020
Port of Beirut· Beirut
Casualties: at least 218 killed, over 7,000 injured, 300,000 displaced
The detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely at the port devastated the surrounding Christian districts of Karantina, Mar Mikhael, Gemmayzeh, and Ashrafieh. Homes, churches, hospitals, and heritage buildings were destroyed. No official has yet been held to account.
Sources: Human Rights Watch, 'They Killed Us from the Inside' (2021); Beirut Bar Association filings