Beirut 1958: The Forgotten Civil War That Nearly Broke Lebanon

When Lebanon's 1958 civil war erupted, it pitted the pro-Western president Camille Chamoun against a coalition of pan-Arabists, Druze, and Muslims led by Rashid Karami and Kamal Jumblatt. The crisis was triggered by Chamoun's decision to accept the Eisenhower Doctrine and his attempt to amend the constitution for a second term. As street battles raged in Beirut and Tripoli, the U.S. launched Operation Blue Bat—landing 14,000 marines on beaches near Beirut. But the intervention was as much about diplomacy as firepower: diplomat Robert Murphy brokered a compromise that saw Chamoun step down and Fuad Chehab elected. This episode explores the political fault lines, the role of the CIA and Nasser, the clashes in the souks and Basta district, and how the crisis ultimately reshaped Lebanon's fragile sectarian pact. No prior episode has focused on this pivotal but often overlooked conflict.

#Lebanon #Beirut #1958civilwar #CamilleChamoun #RashidKarami #KamalJumblatt #EisenhowerDoctrine #OperationBlueBat #RobertMurphy #FuadChehab #GamalAbdelNasser #UnitedArabRepublic #CIA #Maronite #Druze #Sunni #MiddleEastHistory #FexingoHistory #Phoenicians #LebaneseCivilWar

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