Draft:Battle for East Saida and Maghdousheh
Submission declined on 31 May 2025 by Ibjaja055 (talk).
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
|  |
Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest policy, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Estaz12 (talk) 10:40, 31 May 2025 (UTC)
| Battle for East Saida and Maghdousheh | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of War of the Camps and the Lebanese Civil War | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Fatah, PFLP, DFLP, other pro-Arafat factions | Amal Movement | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Approx. 1,500 fighters | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
| 200+ killed (combined), large-scale civilian displacement | |||||||||
The Battle of East Saida and Maghdousheh was a key confrontation during the latter phase of the War of the Camps in late 1986. The conflict took place in southern Lebanon, near the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh, and pitted Palestinian militias led by Fatah against the Shiite Amal Movement. The battle was one of several clashes in the broader Lebanese Civil War and reflected growing tensions between various Lebanese and Palestinian factions.[1]
Background
[edit]By late 1986, tensions between the Amal Movement and Palestinian factions, especially Fatah, had escalated significantly. The War of the Camps, which began in 1985, had already led to widespread violence and displacement. Amal, with support from the Syrian government, sought to curtail the armed Palestinian presence in Lebanon, particularly in the south, while Palestinian factions resisted attempts to limit their autonomy.[2]
East Saida and the nearby town of Maghdousheh became strategic targets due to their proximity to the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, a stronghold of Palestinian fighters.[3]
Events
[edit]Fighting began in November 1986, when Fatah and its allies launched coordinated attacks on Amal positions in East Saida and Maghdousheh. Heavy clashes ensued, involving small arms, artillery, and sporadic tank fire. Reports indicated intense urban combat as both sides vied for control of key positions.[4]
Amal initially held ground but faced stiff resistance and eventual counterattacks from better-organized Palestinian units. Over the course of several weeks, Fatah forces made strategic gains, capturing most of East Saida and encroaching on Maghdousheh. Civilian populations in both areas suffered due to shelling and the destruction of infrastructure.[4]
Aftermath
[edit]The battle concluded in December 1986 with a nominal Palestinian victory. While Fatah secured significant territorial gains, the conflict led to widespread destruction and further inflamed sectarian and political tensions in southern Lebanon. The clash weakened Amal's influence in the region temporarily, though the broader conflict continued into 1987.[1]
This battle underscored the fragmentation of authority in Lebanon during the civil war and highlighted the intense rivalry between Palestinian groups and Shiite militias. It also demonstrated the limitations of Syrian influence, as Damascus was unable to fully control its allied militias.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Armed Struggle and the Search for State: The Palestinian National Movement, 1949-1993 (review)". Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies. 18 (2): 169–171. December 2000. doi:10.1353/sho.2000.0006. ISSN 1534-5165.
- ^ a b "Beyond the Lines: Social Networks and Palestinian Militant Organizations in Wartime Lebanon". Project MUSE.
- ^ "Reuters Archive Licensing". Reuters Archive Licensing. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ^ a b "Palestinians battle for a southern base". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
Works
[edit]- \"Palestinians battle for a southern base.\" *The Christian Science Monitor*, Dec 1, 1986
- Middle East International, Issues No. 289 (Dec 5, 1986) and No. 290 (Dec 19, 1986)
- \"Beyond the Lines.\" Project MUSE
- Reuters Archive footage, Nov 24, 1986
- Reuters Archive footage, Dec 1, 1986
- Moulahazat Blog, “The War Files Part XI”, April 2015
- Maghdouché – Wikipedia https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/12/23/palestinians-victories-in-lebanon-mark-arafats-resurging-influence/fd2130f5-7795-423a-8707-a2f28c19fada/'
- Sayigh, Yezid (1997). Armed Struggle and the Search for State: The Palestinian National Movement, 1949-1993. Oxford University Press. OCLC 36776362.
- "Fatah and the War of the Camps". Project MUSE.
https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/255/oa_monograph/chapter/3295446
- in-depth (not just passing mentions about the subject)
- reliable
- secondary
- independent of the subject
Make sure you add references that meet these criteria before resubmitting. Learn about mistakes to avoid when addressing this issue. If no additional references exist, the subject is not suitable for Wikipedia.