Battle of the Hotels

Battle of the Hotels
Part of the Lebanese Civil War

The partially damaged Holiday Inn Beirut in the hotel district of Beirut, with the Phoenicia in front of it on the right in 2009
Date23 October 1975 – 2 April 1976
Location
Result

Lebanese National Movement victory

  • Division of Beirut along East-West
  • Expulsion of Muslim/Leftist militias and civilians from East Beirut
  • Expulsion of Christian/Rightist militias and civilians from West Beirut
  • Holiday Inn comes under control of the LNM
Belligerents

Army of Free Lebanon


Lebanese Armed Forces
Internal Security Forces
Commanders and leaders

Kamal Jumblatt
George Hawi
Inaam Raad
Ibrahim Kulaylat
Muhsin Ibrahim
Assem Qanso
Abd al-Rafei
Issam al-Arab


Musa al-Sadr


Hagop Hagopian


Yasser Arafat
George Habash
Nayef Hawatmeh
Abu Abbas
Zuheir Mohsen


Ahmed al-Khatib

Pierre Gemayel
Bachir Gemayel
William Hawi
Camille Chamoun
Dany Chamoun
Etienne Saqr
Tony Frangieh
Obad Zouein
Fawzi Mahfouz
Bachir el-Khoury
Joseph Hanna


Saad Haddad
Antoine Barakat
Strength
LNM: ~2000
PLO: ~1000
Lebanese Arab Army: ~500
LF: ~1,500
Casualties and losses
500 dead and 750 wounded 250 dead and 500 wounded

The Battle of the Hotels (Arabic: معركة الفنادق, Maʿrakah al-Fanādiq) was a subconflict within the 1975–77 phase of the Lebanese Civil War that occurred in the Minet-el-Hosn hotel district of downtown Beirut. This area was one of the first major battles of the war that began in April 1975. The battle was fought for the possession of a small hotel complex, the St. Charles City Center, adjacent to the gilded Corniche seafront area on the Mediterranean, in the north-western corner of the downtown district of Beirut, and it quickly spread to other areas of central Beirut. The often fierce battles that ensued were fought with heavy exchanges of rocket and artillery fire from the various hotel rooftops and rooms. Sniper fire was commonly utilized.