Former commander of the now-defunct South Lebanon Army Antoine Lahad died at 88 in Paris on Friday. Lahad commanded the SLA from 1984 until Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000. After he was faced with life imprisonment in Lebanon on treason charges, Lahad moved with his family to Tel Aviv, where he opened a restaurant. Lahad had trouble adjusting to life in Israel and moved to Paris a few years later. Upon news of his death, dozens of former SLA officers gathered in the northern Israeli city of Nahariya to commemorate Lahad. Deputy Minister of Regional Cooperation Ayoob Kara attended the event, calling Lahad and his soldiers "heroes to whom the residents of Israel and southern Lebanon owe their lives." Former GOC Northern Command Maj. Gen. (res.) Yossi Peled, who now serves as CEO of the Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Company, said, "The State of Israel owes Lahad a tremendous moral debt."
Former commander of South Lebanon Army dies at 88
Antoine Lahad commanded the SLA from 1984 until Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 • Dozens of former SLA officers gather in the northern Israeli city of Nahariya to commemorate him • Lahad died in Paris after briefly living in Tel Aviv.
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