Beirut 1970: The Black September Hijackings That Changed Lebanon

In September 1970, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) hijacked three planes and flew two of them to a desert airstrip in Jordan, but the drama didn't stay there. This episode follows the hijackings' immediate aftermath in Beirut, where the PFLP's George Habash and Bassam Abu Sharif had deep roots. We explore how the PFLP's radical tactics, including the Dawson's Field hijackings, triggered the Black September conflict in Jordan and forced Lebanon to host a newly radicalized Palestinian resistance. Beirut's fragile sectarian balance—between Maronites, Sunnis, Shia, and Druze—was strained as the PLO shifted its base from Amman to Beirut. We discuss the Cairo Agreement of 1969, which had already granted Palestinians autonomy in Lebanon, and how the 1970 crisis accelerated Lebanon's descent toward civil war. The episode also touches on the role of the Lebanese army under General Emile Bustani, the reaction of Prime Minister Rashid Karami, and the quiet fears of the Christian establishment. A story of diplomacy, hijackings, and a country caught between regional storms.

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