Beirut 1978: The Hundred Days War and the Fall of the Old Order

In early 1978, as Lebanon's civil war entered a new phase, the Syrian army turned on its former allies in a brutal siege of Beirut's Christian heartland. The Hundred Days War pitted Syrian troops against the Lebanese Front militias, led by Bashir Gemayel's Kataeb, in a desperate fight for control of the capital. The conflict reshaped alliances, deepened sectarian divides, and set the stage for the Israeli invasion four years later. This episode follows the key battles in Ashrafieh and the Kantari district, the role of Syrian General al-Shawkat, and the political machinations of Camille Chamoun and Pierre Gemayel. We explore how the war transformed Bashir Gemayel from a local militia leader into a national figure, and how the siege's failure to dislodge the Christians ultimately led to Syria's strategic shift. Drawing on rare accounts from residents and militia fighters, we reconstruct the hundred days that broke the old Lebanese order.

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