Fatah Special Operations Group

Last updated

The Fatah Special Operations Group (Fatah-SOG), Martyrs of Tel al-Za'tar , Amn Araissi or Hawari Group was a Palestinian militant faction associated with Fatah, the main group of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

The group was led by Fatah colonel Abdullah Abd al-Hamid Labib, known as Colonel Hawari. Its members were drawn from Fatah and more radical Palestinian groups, such as members of the 15 May Organization after it disbanded in the mid-1980s. [1]

Fatah-SOG carried out bombings and other attacks against international targets, especially Israeli and Syrian (in 1976 and 1984–90, Syria and allied Lebanese militias attacked the PLO and Palestinian refugee communities in Lebanon); but it is also believed to have attacked European and American interests. It is suspected of bombing TWA Flight 840 in 1986. The exact relations between Fatah-SOG and the PLO leadership of Yasser Arafat remain unclear. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fatah</span> Palestinian nationalist political party

Fatah, formally the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist and social democratic political party. It is the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the second-largest party in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, is the chairman of Fatah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestine Liberation Organization</span> Palestinian nationalist coalition

The Palestine Liberation Organization is a Palestinian nationalist coalition that is internationally recognized as the official representative of the Palestinian people in both the Palestinian territories and the diaspora. It is currently represented by the Palestinian Authority based in the West Bank city of Al-Bireh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yasser Arafat</span> President of Palestine (1929–2004)

Yasser Arafat, also popularly known by his kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, President of the State of Palestine from 1989 to 2004 and President of the Palestinian Authority (PNA) from 1994 to 2004. Ideologically an Arab nationalist and a socialist, Arafat was a founding member of the Fatah political party, which he led from 1959 until 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Nidal</span> Palestinian militant, founder of The Abu Nidal Organization

Sabri Khalil al-Banna, known by his nom de guerreAbu Nidal, was a Palestinian militant. He was the founder of Fatah: The Revolutionary Council, a militant Palestinian splinter group more commonly known as the Abu Nidal Organization (ANO). Abu Nidal formed the ANO in October 1974 after splitting from Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command</span> Syrian-based Palestinian nationalist organisation

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command or PFLP-GC is a Palestinian nationalist militant organisation based in Syria. It is a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestinian Liberation Front</span> Palestinian political faction

The Palestinian Liberation Front, also known as the Palestine Liberation Front - Abu Abbas Faction or Palestine Liberation Front, is a minor left-wing Palestinian political faction. Since 1997, the PLF has been a designated terrorist organization by the United States and by Canada since 2003. The PLF has also been banned in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Civil War</span> 1975–1990 conflict in Lebanon

The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">As-Sa'iqa</span> Political party in Palestine

As-Sa'iqa, officially known as Vanguard for the Popular Liberation War - Lightning Forces, is a Palestinian Ba'athist political and military faction created by Syria. It is linked to the Palestinian branch of the Syrian-led Ba'ath Party, and is a member of the broader Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), although it is no longer active in the organization. Its Secretary-General is Dr. Mohammed Qeis.

The War of the Camps, was a subconflict within the 1984–1990 phase of the Lebanese Civil War, in which the Sunni Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut were besieged by the Shia Amal militia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damour massacre</span> Massacre during the Lebanese Civil War

The Damour massacre took place on 20 January 1976, during the 1975–1990 Lebanese Civil War. Damour, a Maronite Christian town on the main highway south of Beirut, was attacked by left-wing militants of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and as-Sa'iqa. Many of its people were killed in battle or in the massacre that followed, and others were forced to flee. According to Robert Fisk, the town was the first to be subject to ethnic cleansing in the Lebanese Civil War. The massacre was retaliation for the Karantina massacre by the Phalangists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestinian political violence</span> Political violence by Palestinian nationalists

Palestinian political violence refers to acts of violence or terrorism committed by Palestinians with the intent to accomplish political goals, and often carried out in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Common objectives of political violence by Palestinian groups include self-determination in and sovereignty over all of the region of Palestine, or the recognition of a Palestinian state inside the 1967 borders. This includes the objective of ending the Israeli occupation. More limited goals include the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and recognition of the Palestinian right of return.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestinian Popular Struggle Front</span> Political party in Palestine

The Palestinian Popular Struggle Front is a Palestinian political party. Samir Ghawshah was elected secretary-general of PPSF in 1971 and led it until his death in 2009. He was succeeded by Ahmed Majdalani on 8 August 2009.

Fatah al-Intifada is a Palestinian militant faction founded by Said Muragha, better known as Abu Musa. Officially it refers to itself as the Palestinian National Liberation Movement - "Fatah", the identical name of the major Fatah movement. Fatah al-Intifada is not part of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israeli–Lebanese conflict</span> Conflict involving Israel and Lebanon-based paramilitary groups

The Israeli–Lebanese conflict, or the South Lebanon conflict, is a long-running conflict involving Israel, Lebanon-based paramilitary groups, and sometimes Syria. The conflict peaked during the Lebanese Civil War. In response to Palestinian attacks from Lebanon, Israel invaded the country in 1978 and again in 1982. After this it occupied southern Lebanon until 2000, while fighting a guerrilla conflict against Shia paramilitaries. After Israel's withdrawal, Hezbollah attacks sparked the 2006 Lebanon War. A new period of conflict began in 2023, leading to the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fatah al-Islam</span> Palestinian militant group

Fatah al-Islam is a Sunni Islamist militant group established in November 2006 in a Palestinian refugee camp, located in Lebanon. It has been described as a militant jihadist movement that draws inspiration from al-Qaeda. It became well known in 2007 after engaging in combat against the Lebanese Army in the Nahr al-Bared UNRWA Palestinian refugee camp. Following its defeat at Nahr el-Bared, the group relocated to the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon in 2008. As of 2014, after the death or capture of many members, most of the surviving members of Fatah al-Islam are thought to have joined other groups in Lebanon and Syria including the Free Syrian Army, Al-Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Lebanon conflict</span> Conflict in Lebanon in 2007

The 2007 Lebanon conflict began when fighting broke out between Fatah al-Islam, an Islamist militant organization, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on May 20, 2007 in Nahr al-Bared, a UNRWA Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli.

Force 14 is the aerial arm of the Fatah, the largest Palestinian faction within the Palestine Liberation Organization. Envisioned as the nucleus of a future Palestinian Air Force, Force 14 personnel included both fighter, helicopter and transport pilots. Nevertheless, its main role within the PLO has been political rather than military, and its activities centered on cargo and transportation. It is not known to have participated in any operations against Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon</span> 1968–1982 conflict

The Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon was a multi-sided armed conflict initiated by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) against Israel in 1968 and against Lebanese Christian militias in the mid-1970s. PLO's goals evolved during the insurgency; by 1977, its goal was to pressure Israel into allowing a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon and expelled the PLO, thereby ending the insurgency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine</span> Palestinian Marxist–Leninist organization

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist and revolutionary socialist organization founded in 1967 by George Habash. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the largest being Fatah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine</span> Palestinian Marxist–Leninist organization

The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist and Maoist organization. It is also frequently referred to as the Democratic Front, or al-Jabha al-Dīmūqrāṭiyya. It is a member organization of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Alliance of Palestinian Forces and the Democratic Alliance List.

References

  1. "15 May Organization". GlobalSecurity.org . Retrieved 14 July 2006.
  2. Schweitzer, Yoram (7 June 1998). "The Arrest of Mohammed Rashid - Another Point for the Americans". International Institute for Counter-Terrorism. Archived from the original on 25 August 1999. Retrieved 14 January 2006.