Sons of the South
The Sons of the South – SotS (Arabic: أبناء العرقوب transliterated Abna'a Al-Orkoub) were a small mixed religion militant faction based in southern Lebanon, active during the Lebanese Civil War.
| Sons of the South | |
|---|---|
| أبناء العرقوب | |
| Dates of operation | 1987–1995 |
| Ideology | Lebanese nationalism Secularism |
| Part of | Guardians of the Cedars South Lebanon Army |
| Allies | Israel Defense Forces |
| Opponents | Syrian Arab Armed Forces Hezbollah |
| Battles and wars | Lebanese Civil War South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000) |
Activities 1983-1995
Allegedly funded and trained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intelligence service (Hebrew: Aman), and believed to be a mere cover for the Guardians of the Cedars (GoC) or the South Lebanon Army (SLA), the Sons of the South were formed in 1983 and usually operated in the Jabal Amil region close to the Israeli-controlled 'Security Zone'. The group emerged in July 1984, when they kidnapped Sheikh Mohammed Hassan Amin, a prominent Shi'ite cleric of Southern Lebanon whom the IDF accused of inciting guerrilla attacks on Israeli and SLA soldiers. Since this incident, the Sons of the South have not been held responsible for further terrorist attacks or kidnappings and it is believed that this group was disbanded around the mid-1990s, possibly by order of the Israeli authorities. They are no longer active.
See also
- Guardians of the Cedars
- Lebanese Civil War
- Lebanese Forces
- Lebanese Liberation Front
- Liberation Battalion
- South Lebanon Army
- Popular Revolutionary Resistance Organization
References
- Edgar O'Ballance, Civil War in Lebanon, 1975-92, Palgrave Macmillan, London 1998. ISBN 978-0-333-72975-5
- Rex Brynen, Sanctuary and Survival: the PLO in Lebanon, Boulder: Westview Press, Oxford 1990. ISBN 0 86187 123 5 – [1]
- Robert Fisk, Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War, London: Oxford University Press, (3rd ed. 2001). ISBN 0-19-280130-9 – [2]