7:00AM. General Selim Kallas jumps out of his bed. "Syrian fighters!" he notices. From his house in Hazmieh, at the 4th floor, a few hundred meters from Baabda, he can see the Sukhois.
Telephone rings. Aoun is on the line.
"Selim, what is happening ?
- What do you mean what is happening ? The Syrian aviation is bombarding Baabda and Yarze. They are above your head."
Aoun does not give orders. Kallas understands that the General is consulting his chiefs and wants to evaluate their position.
"Selim, what do you plan to do ?
- They have decided to enter, they will enter. Better to avoid the bloodbath. For my part, I will order my men to regroup at their bases, at Dbaye and Antelias."
Kallas had just finished speaking that the first bomb hits his children's bedroom. Luckily he had sent them with their mother to the USA. He has enough time to jump into his pants that another bomb opens a hole in the wall where he was standing. Then a third one. No doubt: The house was targeted.
At the stairs, neighbors and soldiers quickly head to the lower floors.
7:07AM. French embassy. The phone rings in the room of Rene Ala. At the end of the line, the heavy and anxious voice of General Aoun:
"Do you know what is happening ?
- I think so.
- The Syrian aviation is bombarding me. That means there are no more red lines. The Syrians are bombarding at an infernal rate. All the fronts are under direct attack. It is a general attack.
- Do you know what type of planes are doing the assault ?
- I think they are Sukhois. Maybe ten of them... In any case they are Syrian."
The general seems upset. The Sukhois are seven, but that was not known then. After an exchange of technical information, the french ambassador promises: "I will see what I can do."
Around the embassy at Mar Takla, the shells were pounding like rain. All the region Baabda, Yarze, Fayadieh, Hazmieh is being shelled.
In his pyjamas, sitting on the floor, next to a bed, a telphone in each hand, alone, no secretary, Rene Ala calls Paris. At 7:10AM - 5:10AM in the French capital -, he enters in contact with Quai d'Orsay. He awakens the director of the cabinet of Roland Dumas and informs him of what is happening.
The French had investigated all the possible scenarios, including a helicopter-based operation behind the lines of Aoun, but not the one using the air force. Despite the rumours, they did not believe it.
Outside, the explosions continue. The walls, the windows, the ground shakes with no interruption. The Ambassador had just hanged up the phone that phone calls started to come in. Lebanese. Either to take news, or the ask for intervention. A number of supporters of the General, members of the new Lebanese-Front and other groups.
7:30AM. Aoun is again on the line:
"Given the fact that the Syrian aviation has entered into play and that no one has done anything to stop them, and given that the attack is launched on all fronts and that any pursuit of combat, given the intensity of attack, would not serve but to make more casualties, we must preserve life and save what can be saved. I ask for a ceasefire. Do something Mr. Ambassador, to put an end to the combats."
And he adds, in a whisper:
"I consider myself defeated."
The diplomat does not ignore how much it cost the General to say the evident. "I consider myself defeated!". A terrible reality for a military.
"Give me some time to do the necessary leg work." replies Ala. Then he enters in contact with president Hrawi, together with the Defense Minister Albert Mansour and the commander of the army Emile Lahoud to give them the news that Aoun asks for a ceasefire.
Just like by miracle, all the phone lines start to work: Baabda, Yarze and Ramlet al Baida. TO think that the bombings have reestablished the phone lines.
"Is he with you ? asks the President.
- No, but we are in contact by telephone answers the diplomat
- Let him announce on the radio that he has asked for a ceasefire, and let him go to you, to the embassy. He has fooled us many times that I cannot trust him."
Visibly, the President wants to cut all retreat from the General and not to allow him to use any strategic move.
New contact between Ala and Aoun to communicate the conditions of Hrawi: "They demand your presence here, with me, in order to negociate the ceasefire."
Aoun: "How can I come ? There is no way to put a nose outside."
A fire belt encircled the Palace.
Ala tries, with no luck, to obtain a stop on the bombings or at least some space in between so that the General can come to the embassy. He calls Aoun and trasmits the message: There will be no ceasefire as long as he has not regained the residence of the Ambassador of France.
7:50AM. The General Aoun calls the director of his station, "Radio-Liban", Rafic Chlala at Fanar. Chlala is the old information counsel of Amine Gemayel, who became, like many others, Aounist.
"I am leaving the palace at this instant, he tells him. Announce that I have gone to the Embassy of France to negociate a ceasefire."
7:55AM. The General calls the operation room of the Army and talks to its HQ chief, General Jean Farah. He tells him to wait for his instructions.
8:13AM. Escorted by Colonel Michel Lahoud, Captains Nicholas Aramouni and habib Fares, Lieutenant Samir Abou Eid as well as two soldiers, Aoun heads into one of the undergrounds of the palace. He boards with his escort two VTT M-113. He leaves his wife and daughters in safety in one of the undergound bunkers, convinced that this is an affair of a few minutes, a few hours maximum and that after the ceasefire he would be back.
8:20AM. The convoy enters quickly the French Embassy. Aoun rejoins the Ambassador at the entry of his residence. Ala dials the number of the President of the Republic.
"Mr. President, the General is here. Do you want me to pass him to you ?
- No, I prefer to talk via you
- At what time will the ceasefire take effect ? There is no time to waste since the General is here with me.
- The Defense Minister will enter in contact with you."
Effectively a few minutes later, Alber Mansour is on the line and demands that Aoun orders personally by radio all his troops to rally behind General Lahoud and to place themselves under his command.
The Ambassador becomes nervous: The presence of the General at his place isn't it a sufficiant guarantee of the word given in what concerns the ceasefire ?
Mansour insists: It is a must, he says, that we hear the voice of Michel Aoun on the radio; without this, no ceasefire. He understands thatthat the order will be more credible for his soldiers, but it is also evident that they want to eliminate Aoun politically and to present him as defeated. How else to explain this insistance as in these hours of battle the soldiers are next to their radios ?
The French Ambassador and Aoun take notice that they have been had. What the Hrawi regime is asking for is the total surrender. Also the General must accept to voice his surrender on the radio. But the end of the battles, unecessary, is the priority. Aoun convinces himself.
Holding his phone, he enters in contact with General Farah.
"Do not be surprized, do not panic. I am going to lauch an appeal for a ceasefire, he announces. It is from Lahoud that you will take orders from now on."
8:45AM. They call "Radio-Liban" from the palace of Baabda. Rafic Chlala tries to enter in contact with the French Ambassador for an important message. After many failed attempts - the station is under the attack from the Syrian and the Lebanese Forces at the same time and that telecommications are impossible - Chlala ends up having Aoun on the line.
A moment of emotions. What ? Record on the telephone the last appeal of the General, to capture his capitulation ? One must imagine the face of the defeated and honest Chlala, the crushed voice of the General who announces his surrender "to avoid all bloodshed, limit the damage and to save what remains." Imagine the words at the instant where Aoun asks his HQ to take orders from the "commander in chief of the Army, General Emile Lahoud."
Nothing remains from the humiliation but maybe to break the sabre of the vanquished on his knees...
9:20AM. The inferno of the day has just begun.
Their throats and their hearts tightened, the Lebanese - in East Beirut primarily but also in West Beirut, Christians and also Moslems, unconditional supporters or sworn ennemies of the General - heard a read statement broadcast every hour, the surrender of Aoun.
The fear, the anguish, the bitterness, the dream suddenly shattered, the brutal resignation, the sentiment to have lost the country and liberty, the wanting to leave, the anger against the one who nourished the people with illusions, the deception. The relief as well, unconsciously. All this, and a lot more, was beating under the blue sky, on this day of October 13 where the Lebanese blood fell, in an ultimate and unecessary battle. Except for honor...
8:45AM, the two minsiter-officers, Edgar Maalouf and Issam Abou Jamra join Aoun at the French Embassy, along with two other officers, among the closest: Colonel Adel Sassine and Captain Antoine Abou Samra.
Many minutes passed after the General's appeal. Rene Ala is anxious: the bombardments have not ceased. Two shells, fired from the Syrian positions, score a direct hit and devastate the consular office and many others fall around the Embassy. Two guards are wounded by the shrapnel. Sudeenly an explosion even stronger than the earlier ones. The walls of the Embassy shake. Sounds of broken glass, and falling stones. Dust instantly invades the room. "A shell has devastated the living room" cries out a guard. The French Ambassador gets on the phone and calls Ramlet el-beida: "Mr. President, why, despite the appeal of the General, the fire has not stopped ?"
The chief of the state promises him that in "ten minutes, everything will end".
General Aoun decides to call his HQ. He confirm to Farah his order to rally his troops with Lahouds. To many other officers, he shouts out very firm orders. For many minutes he shouts in Arabic to put an end to the combats. Then he hangs up. Every sentence, every word that he uttered on the telphone since his arrival at the Embassy was recorded. These recordings saved constitute the ultimate truth of what happened that day.

Wearing his uniform over his bullet proof vest, the General Emile Lahoud progresses with his men on the axis Kfarshima - Hadeth - Galerie Semaan. Having taken position in a Range Rover next to his driver, he thinks: This is not really how he thought the operations would take place. The plan was that they would go in from the southern suburbs of Beirut with speakerphones destined to reassure the population and to call on the military units facing them to join their ranks. Then they would head to the Defense Ministry at Yarze. It was him who was supposed to be at the front lines, or at the very least him to reach first Baabda and Yarze. The Syrian troops were not supposed to break the front lines, even less to enter the Presidential Palace or the Defense Ministry.
Surely the coordination between the two armies, Syrian and Lebanese was not done at the high levels: him, Lahoud, had not met personally with General Aslane when he came to Beirut to visit his troops. But the Syrians had promised that they would not come down from Aley, where the bulk of their troops were stationed, except to link up with him in case of difficulties.
But what was happening at this moment, is that the Aounist troops were giving the Syrians an excuse to forge ahead: they opposed, despite the order of their chief, to cease the hostilities. They formed a resistance in the High Metn and even more at Souk el-Gharb. Lahoud was confused. Is this the result of some hard headed fighters or the secret orders of Michel Aoun ? Hadn't the soldiers heard the radio message ? What is the Aounist HQ up to ? Hadn't they convened the officers so that there would not be bloodshed ? Why this incredible clashes of artillery ?
9:30AM. One of the Lieutenants of the 8th brigade calls General Kallas on his Motorola. He is saddened: "General Aoun has taken refuge at the French Embassy. He has ordered that we join Lahoud."
Kallas had not heard the appeal...
"This is not possible, Georges. The General is at the palace.
- No my General. You can verify.
Kallas dials the number of Baabda. The Colonel Abou Rizk answers.
"Michel, give me the General.
- Impossible, he is busy
- You tell this to me ? I want to talk to him, I am telling you.
- The thing is ... he is not here. He is at the French Embassy."
Kallas hangs up and calls the Embassy to ask to speak with Aoun. They tell him that this is impossible, that the General cannot receive phone calls.
"Listen to me, insists Kallas to the anonymous voice, I am the commander of the 8th brigade and I am telling you that I must speak with him. I must hear his voice, he must answer me."
Hesitation at the other end of the line. A few seconds later, Aoun in on the line.
"My General, is it true that you have given the orders to join the ranks with Lahoud ? asks Kallas.
- Yes this is exact, ansers Aoun with a neutral voice
- I want you to repeat what you have said on the radio, I want to hear it with my own ears. I want to receive the order from you directly."
Then Aoun: "Selim, I order you to receive your orders from General Lahoud."
- So it is true ? Everything is finished ?
- We cannot do anything. We are facing an international agreement.
Kallas whispers: "Thank you, my General". He hangs up and orders his men the following:
"The Syrian army that is advancing is a friendly army. The army of General Lahoud is our army. I demand that all guns be silent. You will leave the principal front lines and you will regroup in your barracks. You are uniquely authorized to defend yourselves. If they come close to you fire at will. Otherwise, nothing."
There were many protests:
"We will fight, we will stop the Syrians from entering"
The commander of the 8th shouts out: "You are not going to do anything. General Aoun has taken refuge in the Embassy of France. It is over."
Now, we must call General Lahoud. This is not easy. He is somewhere on the front. Finally his voice: "Yes Selim"
- My General, I am joining you with my brigade. What do you expect from me ?
- Nothing Selim. Keep your quarters. Thank you.
- One more thing. I demand the honor of my men to be preserved. We will not accept any attempt to our dignity
- Your honor, General, is mine" replies simply Lahoud.
at the Aounist HQ, it is the confusion. General Jean Farah, who is the chief, did not give the ceasefire, despite Aoun's orders, until 12:30. It is only at this time that a military source at Yarze announces the end of the combats. While waiting for this order, the men had the mission to resist. Luckily most of the troops - the 5th, the 8th and the 9th as well as the commandos - had been informed directly of Aoun's orders. During the interval and before giving the ceasefire, Farah attempts to unleash them.
"What are you waiting for ? addressing himself to the HQ of the 8th. The ennemy is progressing on all axes. You must fight. Give your orders.
- General, we will receive our orders from the commander in chief, General Lahoud
Farah will also hit the same refusal onthe part of the other brigades. But the small units (mainly of the 10th) spread all over the front facing the Syrians are not aware of what has happened. They will pay the ultimate price. Cut out from everyone, not having heard Aoun's message, nor having received the order to stop the combat, some elements of the 10th, the helicopter-brigade, are battling ferociously. A brigade counter-attacks on Deir al-Qalaa, at Beit-Mery, they manage to repell the Syrians. At Douar, on the Bikhfaya front, the commandos oppose the Syrians tanks with an unexpected resistance. On the hill of the Prince, at Souk al-Gharb, the cadets of the military Academy, assisted by soldiers of the 10th give the assailants much difficulty.
The disaster will happen at Dahr el Wahch, half way between Kahale and Aley, where a tough unit of the 10th brigade, the 102nd has decided to fight to the end. The Syrian column that is coming from Aley advances with no problems until reaching the Lebanese soldiers who had placed white flags to remove all hesitation. Encouraged, the Syrians approach. They are accompanied with Lebanese soldiers, the 6th brigade (mostly Shiite), one of them, holding a speakerphone, advances to the front and cries to the military men: "Brothers, we are one army. We do not want to fight against you. Surrender."
A Lieutenant of the 102nd stands out and responds:
"Brothers, if you had come alone, we would not fight. But we will not surrender to the Syrians."
THe minute he uttered those words that his men open up fire on the uncovered soldiers facing them, who receive canon salvos and RPG fire. The Syrian officers cannot hold their men many of whom, trying to proceed straight ahead, are blown up while stepping on mines of the defense line. They turn around Dahr el-Wahch via the village of Bsous where they take their anger on the local population. Fifteen citizens are brutally murdered majority of them from the family Sayyah.
The Syrians finally get their way, and the resistance of the Lebanese military at Dahr El Wahsh is defeated. Then start the executions at the borders of Souk el-Gharb. The 102nd is decimated. There will be only one survivor, who succeeds in escaping. The government hospital will receive alone 80 bodies of soldiers, a large number of them with hands tied behind their backs, their heads and chests cribbled with bullets.
The battle of Dahr el-Wahch had cost the lives of more than a hundred Syrian soldiers.
Lahoud is taken by the events. There is a tragic turn of the events. Under a constant artillery fire, the Syrian army has started to deploy itself in the free regions. The Aounists effort had given them the excuse to go into Baabda and Yarze. The commander in chief wants general.