January 20, 1976

Signs of the times

The road sign used to read 'Damour', but a gloating by-passer has scribbled over it "Mou-dammara" - "Destroyed", in Arabic, topped with the word "Fatah". The ruins say it wordlessly.

Christian Towns Massacred

The Christian-populated towns, Damour and Jiyeh, were massacred after a week of siege and intensive shelling on January 20, 1976 by a combined force of leftwing militia fighters, Palestinian terrorists and PLA forces (2,000 Palestine Liberation Army had entered Lebanon from Syria in Late December 1975).

Both towns were pillaged then destroyed, at least 500 people were killed; even the orange trees were stripped of their fruit in the citrus groves. More than 5,000 people fled to safety at ex-President Camille Chamoun's Saadiyat villa, only to find it was already under attack, too. Eventually, they escaped by sea in small rowing boats.

Damour Massacre in Pictures