When Lebanon's Cedars Became a Weapon: The 1973 Fire Campaign

In the spring of 1973, as Lebanon's political system cracked under demographic pressure, a mysterious wave of forest fires swept the Chouf and Matn mountains. Thousands of acres of ancient cedar and pine groves—some centuries old—went up in smoke. The fires were not natural; they were strategic. This episode follows the arson campaign that targeted Druze and Maronite villages alike, the failed response by the Forestry Department, and the political firestorm that followed. We explore how the cedars, Lebanon's national symbol, became a tool of intimidation and displacement in the run-up to civil war. Featuring the testimony of forestry engineer Michel Sfeir, the little-known role of the Lebanese Army's Second Bureau, and the environmental scars that remain visible from space. A story of sabotage, survival, and the slow-burning fuse that lit the mountain.

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