Sohmor Massacre 1984: Villagers Gunned Down in Their Own Square

On 20 September 1984 the Israeli occupation army and Lahd’s proxy militia surrounded the village of Sohmor in the West Bekaa, herded its unarmed men into the village square, and opened fire on them, killing 13 and wounding 27. [1]

The massacre was revenge for the killing of four Lahd militiamen in an ambush near the village. It is one of the occupation’s crimes in Lebanon, alongside the Sidon massacre of 1982 and the Qana massacre of 1996.

The Sohmor massacre at a glance

Sohmor under occupation

Sohmor is a Lebanese village in the West Bekaa, today home to about 8,000 people, neighbouring Yohmor, Qliaa and Zillaya; its people call it “the mother of martyrs.” [2] After the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 the village fell within the occupied zone, where the occupation relied on the “South Lebanon Army” militia led by Antoine Lahd. [1]

The massacre: 20 September 1984

After the resistance killed four Lahd militiamen in an ambush near the village, occupation troops and militiamen surrounded Sohmor and herded its unarmed Shia men, aged between 15 and 60, into the village square. [1]

Militiamen then opened fire on the detained men, killing 13 and wounding 27. [1] Al Jazeera Net says the occupation “executed” Sohmor’s people in the village square. [2]

The occupation and its proxy

The occupation tried to lay the blame on the militia alone. But it was its own army that took part in surrounding the village and rounding up its men in the square before the militiamen fired on them. [1] The militia was the occupation’s instrument, operating in the zone it occupied and under its supervision.

Sohmor after the massacre

The 1984 massacre was not the last of Sohmor’s suffering. In the 1996 aggression 8 of its people were killed, and since the Israeli offensive began on 23 September 2024, air strikes have killed 40 of its people and wounded about 100, destroyed dozens of homes outright, damaged more than 500, and displaced most residents. [2]

Conclusion

The occupation herded Sohmor’s unarmed men into their village square, and its militia opened fire on them, killing 13 and wounding 27. The massacre was a model of what the people of the south and the West Bekaa lived through under occupation between 1982 and 2000.

Frequently asked questions about the Sohmor massacre

When did the Sohmor massacre take place?

It took place on 20 September 1984.

Where is Sohmor?

In the West Bekaa in Lebanon; it lay within the occupied zone.

How many people were killed in the Sohmor massacre?

13 killed and 27 wounded.

Who carried out the Sohmor massacre?

The Israeli occupation army, which surrounded the village and rounded up its men, and Lahd’s proxy militia, which opened fire on them.

What was the pretext for the massacre?

The killing of 4 Lahd militiamen in a resistance ambush near the village.

Sources and references

Arabic-language sources are listed with translated titles.

1. “Thursday, September 20, 1984,” Palestine Chronology, Institute for Palestine Studies.
2. Ahmad Kmouni, “Sohmor in Lebanon’s Bekaa: A History of Israeli Aggression and Sacrifice,” Al Jazeera Net, 1 November 2024.