1860 civil conflict in Mount Lebanon and Damascus

1860 civil conflict in Mount Lebanon and Damascus

The ruins of the Christian quarter of Damascus in 1860
Date23 May – 11 July 1860
Location
Result
  • Initial Druze military victory
  • Massacres of Christians in Mount Lebanon and Damascus
  • French military intervention
Belligerents

Maronites and allies

Supported by:

Rural Druze clans

Supported by:

Commanders and leaders
  • Sa'id Jumblatt
  • Khattar Imad
  • Ali Imad 
  • Qasim Imad
  • Bashir Nakad
  • Kenj Ahmad
  • Hasan Agha al-Tawil
  • Isma'il al-Atrash
Strength
c. 50,000 (claimed) c. 12,000 (Druze)
Casualties and losses

Mount Lebanon: 12,000 Christians and Druze fighters and civilians killed (10,000 of which Christians)[1][2][3]

Damascus: 12,000 people, mostly Christian civilians, killed[1]

The 1860 civil conflict in Mount Lebanon and Damascus, also known as the 1860 Syrian Civil War and the 1860 Christian–Druze war, was a civil conflict in Mount Lebanon during Ottoman rule in 1860–1861 fought mainly between the local Druze and Christians.[4] Following decisive Druze victories and massacres against the Christians, the conflict spilled over into other parts of Ottoman Syria, particularly Damascus, where thousands of Christian residents were killed by Muslim and Druze militiamen. The fighting precipitated a French-led international military intervention.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Fawaz, 1994, p. 226.
  2. ^ Fawaz, Leila Tarazi (1995). Occasion for War: Civil Conflict in Lebanon and Damascus in 1860 (illustrated ed.). I.B.Tauris & Company. p. 320. ISBN 978-1-86064-028-5.
  3. ^ "Lebanon - Religious Conflicts". 2016-11-03. Archived from the original on 2016-11-03. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
  4. ^ "The Civil War in Syria". The New York Times. 21 July 1860. Retrieved 9 April 2018.

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