____________________________________________ IICC Perspectives A silent prayer accompanied the envoy as he rushed to his destination. The tension in the air was palpable. The al-Mourabitoun movement, "the Independent Nasserites," was Lebanon's strongest Sunni militia and allied with the Palestinian organizations. Its power center was in Sunni West Beirut, where it recruited most of its fighters. Al-Mourabitoun had been active in combat during the Lebanese civil war, fighting alongside the Palestinian organizations, with about 17,000 fighters and several tanks and APCs. Ibrahim Kalilat, Head of the Mourabitoun https://historica.fandom.com/wiki/Ibrahim_Kulaylat After a short negotiation, Abu Ibrahim announced he surrendered to the IDF and would meet our conditions: they would lay down their arms; turn over, within an hour and a half, all their heavy weapons; and allow the Israeli forces to take control of the al-Musseitbe al-Mazraah, Beirut's largest and most densely populated district. In return, he and his men would keep their personal weapons and would not be detained, and the local population would not be harmed. The surrender was confirmed with a handshake. I didn't insist on a written agreement, and in retrospect, judging by the outcome, I think it was the correct decision. The fact that Abu Ibrahim had not been humiliated in front of his men but was treated with respect, and the conditions were met helped build trust and paved the way for future cooperation. The surrender went into effect immediately. The Mourabitoun laid down their arms and ceased all hostile activity. About an hour and a half later, four large pickup trucks drove up packed with weapons, including heavy machine guns, light mortars, and RPGs. By complying with the conditions for surrender within the time frame, the al-Mourabitoun leader proved he was in control, and his intentions were serious. -to-house fighting Preparation for house I used the time while waiting for the heavy weapons to be delivered for a thorough interrogation of Abu Ibrahim. He provided a great deal of information on the al-Mourabitoun militia under his command, the order of combat in the Beirut area, the deployment of the Palestinian organizations in the city, where their headquarters and offices were located, and collaboration among the various local organizations. He also reported that the road along which the IDF brigade was advancing was held by the largest hostile organization, the Arab Socialist Union, an armed Nasserist organization, and a PLO ally financed by Libya. The Union was an umbrella organization for terrorist organizations and local militias and had two leaders, a political secretary named Abd al-Rahim Murad and a military commander named Omar Hussein Harb. Its headquarters, situated about a kilometer from us, served as the main headquarters for all the leftist forces in Beirut. The organization, I was informed, was prepared for battle and, during the night, had positioned snipers and RPG ambushes along the main routes and junctions with the intention of attacking the IDF forces.
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