Taybeh Operation 1995 and the Eight Tunisian Martyrs | From Djerba and Sfax to South Lebanon

In January 1995 fighters, among them the Tunisians Sami ben al-Taher al-Hajj Ali and Riyad ben al-Hashemi ben Jamaa, ambushed a Zionist convoy on the road between the south Lebanese town of Taybeh and the colony of Misgav Am, and both were martyred in it. ^[1][2][3]

In July 2008 Tunisia received the remains of eight of its sons, among them the two, as part of the exchange between Hezbollah and Israel. These eight did not fall in a single operation but in separate operations between 1987 and 1996. ^[4][1]

Contents

1. At a glance
2. The two martyrs
3. The eight Tunisian martyrs
4. The return of the remains
5. Timeline
6. Frequently asked questions about the Taybeh operation and the eight Tunisian martyrs

At a glance

^[1][2][3]

The two martyrs

Sami al-Hajj Ali was born in Djerba in 1967 and was martyred in an ambush on a convoy on the road between the Taybeh area and the colony of “Makaf”, according to Tunigate. ^[2]

Riyad ben Jamaa was born in Sfax in 1968, studied history and geography at the Faculty of Arts in Manouba, volunteered with the Palestinian factions, and was martyred in the “Taybeh operation” alongside Sami al-Hajj Ali. ^[2]

The eight Tunisian martyrs

The eight whose remains returned in 2008 are Miloud ben Najeh, Omran al-Kilani al-Muqaddimi, Khaled ben Salah al-Jalassi, Faisal al-Hashayshi, Sami ben al-Taher al-Hajj Ali, Riyad ben al-Hashemi ben Jamaa, Kamal ben al-Saoudi Badri and Baligh ben Mohamed Anwar al-Lajmi. According to Al Jazeera Net they were martyred in northern Palestine between 1988 and 1996. ^[4][1]

^[1][3][4]

The return of the remains

Tunisia received the remains of the eight in July 2008 within the exchange between Israel and Hezbollah. They arrived at Tunis–Carthage airport on a private plane and were received by relatives and representatives of associations; the coffins, wrapped in the Tunisian flag, were driven away, and the eight were buried the same day in the cemeteries of their home towns, as Al Jazeera Net reported from al-Musawwar. ^[4][1]

Timeline

Frequently asked questions about the Taybeh operation and the eight Tunisian martyrs

Where did the Taybeh operation take place?

On the road between the town of Taybeh in south Lebanon and the colony of Misgav Am. ^[1][2]

When did it take place?

On 11 January 1995, per Noon Post and the Al Jazeera blog. ^[1][3]

Did the eight fall in one operation?

No. They fell in separate operations between 1987 and 1996 and were included together in the 2008 exchange. ^[4][1]

When did their remains return?

In July 2008 within the Hezbollah–Israel exchange, and they were buried in their home towns. ^[4]

Sources and references

1. Noon Post, “al-Zouari was not the first: the Tunisians who were martyred for Palestine” (in Arabic).
2. Tunigate, “Tunisians on the road to Jerusalem” (in Arabic).
3. Fakhr al-Din Ben Malek, “Tunisians on the road of resistance”, Al Jazeera blogs, 2016 (opinion blog, in Arabic).
4. Al Jazeera Net, “Tunisia receives the remains of eight of its martyrs included in the exchange deal”, 29 July 2008 (in Arabic).