Israel will unveil a monument for fallen South Lebanon Army (SLA) soldiers on Sunday at a memorial service in the northern city of Metulah, according to a press release.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi will present medals to some SLA commanders who fought with IDF soldiers during Israel’s occupation of Southern Lebanon between 1982 and 2000.
The monument will be located near the “Good Fence,” the barrier between Israel and the Free Lebanon State, that was run by the SLA. Many people and goods crossed the fence into Israel until Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000.
This is the second Israeli SLA monument. The first was inaugurated in May, 2000 in Marjaayoun, a Lebanese mountain city about six miles (9 kilometers) north of the current border with Lebanon. Hezbollah destroyed it two days after Israel withdrew from the territory.
The Ministry of Defense also announced that they composed a new version of the Yizkor memorial prayer for SLA fighters, according to Yisrael HaYom. It will be recited at the memorial service.
The SLA was founded in 1976 due to the Lebanese Civil War. Led by Major Saad Haddad, they established “Independent Free Lebanon” in 1979, along with IDF support (Israel invaded southern Lebanon in 1978). The two armies fought alongside one another during the South Lebanon conflict until Israel’s withdrawal in 2000.
After the withdrawal, Israel offered SLA fighters full citizenship. The Knesset finance committee also approved 40,000 shekel payments to each SLA veteran family in 2006. 2,700 of the 6,500 SLA fighters who took the offer decided to live in Israel permanently, and are concentrated in northern Israeli cities like Ma’alot Tarshiha, Kiryat Shmona and Nahariya.
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The service will begin at 6:30 p.m. Israel time and can be livestreamed here.
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