Popular Nasserist Organization

{{more citations needed|date=August 2012}} {{Infobox political party | colorcode = {{party color|Popular Nasserist Organization}} | name = Popular Nasserist Organization | native_name = التنظيم الشعبي الناصري | logo = | leader = [[Osama Saad]] | abbreviation = PNO | founder = [[Maarouf Saad]] | native_name_lang = ar | foundation = 1973 | ideology = [[Nasserism]] [[Arab socialism]] [[Arab nationalism]] [[Pan-Arabism]] [[Anti-Zionism]] [[Left-wing nationalism]] | position = [[Left-wing politics|Left-wing]] | country = Lebanon | national = | regional = [[Progressive Socialist Organizations of the Mediterranean|PSOM]] (historical) | headquarters = [[Sidon]] | seats1_title = [[Parliament of Lebanon]] | seats1 = {{Composition bar|1|128|{{party color|Popular Nasserist Organization}}}} | seats2_title = [[Council of Ministers of Lebanon|Cabinet of Lebanon]] | seats2 = {{Composition bar|0|24|{{party color|Popular Nasserist Organization}}}} | flag = [[File:Flag of the Popular Nasserist Organization.svg|200px|border]] }}

The '''Popular Nasserist Organization – PNO''' ({{langx|ar|التنظيم الشعبي الناصري|translit=Al-Tanzim al-Sha'aby al-Nassery}}) is a [[Sidon]]-based [[Nasserism|Nasserist]] party originally formed in 1973 by [[Maarouf Saad]], a [[Sunni Islam in Lebanon|Sunni Muslim]] [[Pan-Arabism|pan-Arab]] politician and member of Parliament (MP) later killed by the [[Lebanese Armed Forces|Lebanese Army]] during a February 1975 dock strike held in that port city.<ref>Deeb, ''The Lebanese Civil War'' (1980), pp. 68–69.</ref>

==Military structure and organization== {{infobox war faction | name = National Liberation Army | native_name = جيش التحرير الوطني | native_name_lang = | image = | caption = | active = 1975–1990 | ideology = [[Nasserism]] [[Arab socialism]] [[Arab nationalism]] [[Pan-Arabism]] [[Anti-Zionism]] | leaders = [[Mustafa Saad]] [[Osama Saad]] | clans = | headquarters = Sidon | area = | size = 500–1,000 figthers | partof = [[Lebanese National Movement]] (LNM) [[Lebanese National Resistance Front]] (Jammoul) | predecessor = | successor = | allies = {{flagicon|PLO}} [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) {{flagicon|PLO}} [[Palestine Liberation Army]] {{flagicon image|Flag of Mourabitoun.svg}} [[Al-Mourabitoun]] {{flagicon image|Flag of the Lebanese Communist Party.svg}} [[Lebanese Communist Party]] (LCP)/[[Popular Guard]] [[File:Arab Socialist Action Party Lebanon flag.jpg|22px]] [[Arab Socialist Action Party – Lebanon]] (ASAP–L) {{flagicon image|Flag of the Progressive Socialist Party.svg}} [[Progressive Socialist Party]] (PSP)/[[File:People's Liberation Army (Lebanon).jpg|22px]] [[People's Liberation Army (Lebanon)|People's Liberation Army]] {{Flagicon image|Former Flag of the Lebanese Army.svg|size=23px}} [[Lebanese Arab Army]] (LAA) [[File:Flag of the Amal Movement (version).svg|22px|border]] [[Lebanese Resistance Regiments|Amal Movement]] {{flagicon image|Flag of the United Arab Republic (1958–1971), Flag of Syria (1980–2024).svg}} [[Syrian Arab Armed Forces]] | opponents = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Lebanese Forces.svg|border}} [[Lebanese Forces (militia)|Lebanese Forces]] {{flagicon image|Lebanesearmyfirstflag.png}} [[Army of Free Lebanon]] {{flagicon image|Flag of the Guardians of the Cedars.svg}} [[Guardians of the Cedars]] (GoC) [[File:Flag of NLP Tigers Militia.jpg|22px|border]] [[Tigers Militia]] [[South Lebanon Army]] (SLA) {{flagicon|Israel}} [[Israel Defense Forces]] (IDF) | battles = [[Lebanese Civil War]] | url = }}

The PNO's military wing, the '''National Liberation Army – NLA''' ({{langx|ar|جيش التحرير الوطني|translit=Jayish al-Tahrir al-Watani|links=no}}) or '''Armée de Liberation Nationale (ALN)''' in [[French language|French]], was founded in March 1975 at Sidon by [[Mustafa Saad]], son of the late Maarouf. Secretly trained and armed by [[Fatah]], the NLA was initially financed by [[Yasser Arafat]]'s organization and [[Libya]], later replaced in the mid-1980s by the Sidon-born Saudi-Lebanese millionaire [[Rafic Hariri]], in order to protect his business interests in the Sidon area.<ref>Traboulsi, ''Identités et solidarités croisées dans les conflits du Liban contemporain; Chapitre 12: L'économie politique des milices: le phénomène mafieux'' (2007), parte III.</ref><ref name=gary2001july>{{cite journal|last=Gambill|first=Gary C.|author2=Ziad K. Abdelnour |title=Dossier: Rafiq Hariri|journal=[[Middle East Intelligence Bulletin]]|date=July 2001|volume=3|issue=7|url=http://www.meforum.org/meib/articles/0107_ld1.htm|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140508004255/http://www.meforum.org/meib/articles/0107_ld1.htm|archive-date= 8 May 2014 }}</ref> A small but disciplined fighting force, predominately [[Sunni Islam in Lebanon|Sunni Muslim]] with some [[Shia Islam in Lebanon|Shia Muslims]] and [[Christianity in Lebanon|Christians]], the NLA comprised some 500-1,000 uniformed male and female fighters<ref>Makdisi and Sadaka, ''The Lebanese Civil War, 1975-1990'' (2003), p. 44, Table 1: War Period Militias.</ref> organized into conventional '[[Commando]]', [[Infantry]], [[Signals (military)|Signals]], and [[Military Police]] branches.

===Weapons and equipment=== Most of the NLA's own weapons and equipment were provided by the [[Palestine Liberation Organization|PLO]], [[Libya]] and [[Ba'athist Syria|Syria]] or pilfered from [[Lebanese Armed Forces]] (LAF) and [[Internal Security Forces]] (ISF) reserves after their collapse in January 1976. Additional weaponry, vehicles and other, non-lethal military equipment were procured in the international [[black market]].

====Small-arms==== PNO/NLA infantry and 'Commando' units were provided with a variety of small arms, comprising [[MAT-49]] and [[PPSh-41]]<ref>McNab, ''Soviet Submachine Guns of World War II: PPD-40, PPSh-41 and PPS'' (2014), p. 68.</ref> submachine guns, [[MAS-49 rifle|MAS-49]],<ref name="Scarlata">{{cite magazine|first=Paul|last=Scarlata|title= Military rifle cartridges of Lebanon Part 2: from independence to Hezbollah.|magazine=[[Shotgun News]]|date=July 2009|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Military+rifle+cartridges+of+Lebanon+Part+2%3A+from+independence+to...-a0203540052}}</ref> [[M1 Garand]] (or its Italian-produced copy, the Beretta Model 1952) and [[SKS]]<ref name="Scarlata"/> [[semi-automatic rifle]]s, [[AMD-65]] assault carbines, [[Heckler & Koch G3]],<ref>Thompson, ''The G3 Battle Rifle'' (2019), p. 29.</ref><ref name="Scarlata"/> [[FN FAL]],<ref name="Scarlata"/> [[M16 rifle|M16A1]],<ref name="Scarlata"/> [[AK-47]] and [[AKM]] assault rifles<ref name="Scarlata"/> (other variants included the [[Zastava M70 (assault rifle)|Zastava M70]], Chinese [[Type 56 assault rifle|Type 56]], Romanian [[Pistol Mitralieră model 1963/1965]], Bulgarian AKK/AKKS and former East German MPi-KMS-72 assault rifles).

Several models of handguns were used, such as [[Colt Cobra]] .38 Special snub-nose revolvers, [[M1911 pistol|Colt M1911A1]], [[TT pistol|Tokarev TT-33]], [[Makarov pistol|Makarov PM]], [[CZ 75]], [[Browning Hi-Power|FN P35]] and [[MAB PA-15 pistol]]s. Squad weapons consisted of [[RPK]], [[RPD machine gun|RPD]], [[PK machine gun|PK/PKM]], [[FN MAG]] and [[M60 machine gun|M60 light machine guns]], with heavier [[M1919 Browning machine gun|Browning M1919A4 .30 Cal]], [[M2 Browning|Browning M2HB .50 Cal]],<ref>El-Assad, ''Civil Wars Volume 1: The Gun Trucks'' (2008), pp. 62–63.</ref> [[SG-43 Goryunov|SG-43/SGM Goryunov]] and [[DShK|DShKM]]<ref>El-Assad, ''Civil Wars Volume 1: The Gun Trucks'' (2008), pp. 25; 27.</ref> machine guns being employed as platoon and company weapons.

Grenade launchers and portable anti-tank weapons included [[M203 grenade launcher|M203 grenade launchers]], and [[M72 LAW]] and [[RPG-7]] [[Anti-tank rocket|rocket launchers]], whilst crew-served and indirect fire weapons comprised [[B-10 recoilless rifle|B-10 82mm]],<ref>Zaloga, ''Tank battles of the Mid-East Wars (2)'' (2003), p. 52.</ref><ref>El-Assad, ''Civil Wars Volume 1: The Gun Trucks'' (2008), pp. 32–35.</ref> [[B-11 recoilless rifle|B-11 107mm]] and [[M40 recoilless rifle|M40A1 106mm]]<ref>El-Assad, ''Civil Wars Volume 1: The Gun Trucks'' (2008), pp. 28–31.</ref> [[recoilless rifle]]s (often mounted on [[Technical (vehicle)|technicals]]).

====Armoured and transport vehicles==== Like other Lebanese militias, the NLA fielded a 'mechanized' corps provided with a single [[Thyssen Henschel UR-416|UR-416]] [[Armored car (military)|armoured car]] seized from the [[Lebanese Forces (militia)|Lebanese Forces]] in 1985,<ref>Zaloga, ''Tank battles of the Mid-East Wars (2)'' (2003), p. 56.</ref><ref>Kassis, ''30 Years of Military Vehicles in Lebanon'' (2003), p. 72.</ref><ref>El-Assad, ''Civil Wars Volume 1: The Gun Trucks'' (2008), pp. 124–127.</ref> plus 40 [[all-terrain vehicles]] converted into [[Technical (vehicle)|technical]]s. The latter consisted mostly of [[Suzuki Jimny|Suzuki Jimny LJ20 1st generation]] [[off-road vehicle|off-road]] [[mini SUV]]s,<ref>Kassis, ''30 Years of Military Vehicles in Lebanon'' (2003), p. 74.</ref> [[Land Rover series|Land-Rover series II-III]],<ref>El-Assad, ''Civil Wars Volume 1: The Gun Trucks'' (2008), pp. 29–31; 47; 53.</ref> [[Toyota Land Cruiser (J40)|Toyota Land Cruiser (J43)]],<ref>Zaloga, ''Tank battles of the Mid-East Wars (2)'' (2003), p. 52.</ref><ref>El-Assad, ''Civil Wars Volume 1: The Gun Trucks'' (2008), p. 27.</ref> [[Toyota Land Cruiser (J70)]], [[Toyota Land Cruiser (J70)|Toyota Land Cruiser (J75)]],<ref>El-Assad, ''Civil Wars Volume 1: The Gun Trucks'' (2008), pp. 24–27.</ref> [[GMC (automobile)|GMC]] Sierra Custom K25/K30, [[Datsun Truck#Datsun 620|Datsun 620]]<ref>El-Assad, ''Civil Wars Volume 1: The Gun Trucks'' (2008), pp. 77–79.</ref> and [[Datsun Truck#Datsun/Nissan 720|Datsun 720 pickup trucks]],<ref>El-Assad, ''Civil Wars Volume 1: The Gun Trucks'' (2008), pp. 55–57.</ref> and [[Dodge Power Wagon|Dodge Fargo/Power Wagon W200 light truck]]s<ref>El-Assad, ''Civil Wars Volume 1: The Gun Trucks'' (2008), p. 63.</ref> armed with [[heavy machine-gun]]s, [[recoilless rifle]]s and [[anti-aircraft]] [[autocannon]]s.

====Artillery==== Soviet [[ZPU|ZPU-1 and ZPU-2 14.5mm]]<ref>El-Assad, ''Civil Wars Volume 1: The Gun Trucks'' (2008), pp. 33–39; 74–75.</ref> and [[ZU-23-2|ZU-23-2 23mm]] Anti-aircraft [[autocannon]]s (mostly mounted on [[Technical (vehicle)|technicals]]) were employed in both [[Anti-aircraft warfare|air defense]] and direct fire supporting roles. In addition to AA autocannons, the NLA also fielded a few ex-PLO [[BM-21 Grad|BM-11 122mm]] [[multiple rocket launcher]]s.<ref>Cooper & Sandler, ''Lebanese Civil War Volume 2: Quiet before the Storm, 1978-1981'' (2021), p. 58; Plate i.</ref>

===Uniforms and insignia=== {{Expand section|date=May 2025}}

== The PNO and NLA in the Civil War 1975–1990 == [[File:A Syrian armored personnel carrier patrols the streets of Lebanon, 1978.jpg|200x200px|thumb|A Syrian BTR-152 armoured personnel carrier patrols the streets of the Lebanese port city of Saida (Sidon), March 1978.]] Closely allied with the [[Al-Mourabitoun]], the PNO/NLA joined the [[Lebanese National Movement]] (LNM) in April 1975,<ref>McGowan, Roberts, Abu Khalil, and Scott Mason, ''Lebanon: a country study'' (1989), p. 243.</ref> playing a somewhat significant role in the controversial siege of the [[Christianity in Lebanon|Christian]] coastal town of [[Damour]] alongside the Al-Mourabitoun, the PLO and [[Palestine Liberation Army]] units on 20–22 January 1976.<ref>Fisk, ''Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War'' (2001), pp. 99-100.</ref><ref>Labaki & Abou Rjeily, ''Bilan des guerres du Liban (1975-1990)'' (1993), p. 57.</ref> It later took part in the 'Spring offensive' held in March of that year on the [[Mount Lebanon]] region.

Forced to go underground during the [[1982 Lebanon War|June 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon]] when the [[Israel Defence Forces]] (IDF) occupied Sidon, in July 1983 the PNO/NLA joined the [[Lebanese National Salvation Front]] (LNSF), a Palestinian- and Syrian-backed military coalition that rallied several Lebanese Muslim and Christian parties and militias opposed to the U.S.-sponsored [[May 17 Agreement]] with [[Israel]]. The NLA resurfaced in the wake of the Israeli pull-out from southern Lebanon in March–April 1985, and fought alongside the [[Palestinian people|Palestinians]] at the battles for [[Kfar-Fallus]] and [[Jezzine]] against the Israeli-backed [[South Lebanese Army]] (SLA).

Simultaneously, during the [[Coastal War]] they joined in another Syrian-backed coalition with the [[Druze in Lebanon|Druze]] [[Progressive Socialist Party]] (PSP), the [[Sunni Islam in Lebanon|Sunni]] [[Al-Mourabitoun]] and the [[Shia Islam in Lebanon|Shi'ite]] [[Lebanese Resistance Regiments|Amal Movement]], which defeated the Christian [[Lebanese Forces (militia)|Lebanese Forces]] (LF) attempts to establish bridgeheads at Damour and Sidon.<ref>O'Ballance, ''Civil War in Lebanon'' (1998), p. 156.</ref>

==The post-war years== The PNO is led today by Osama Saad, who is an MP in the [[Parliament of Lebanon|Lebanese Parliament]], and is active in the city of [[Sidon]]. It was affiliated with the [[March 8 Alliance]] until the [[17 October Revolution|2019 protests in Lebanon]], which the party supports.

== See also == *[[Arab Socialist Union (Lebanon)]] *[[Al-Mourabitoun]] *[[Damour massacre]] *[[Lebanese National Movement]] *[[Lebanese Civil War]] *[[List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War]] *[[List of weapons of the Lebanese Civil War]] *[[Mountain War (Lebanon)]] *[[Nasserism]] *[[People's Liberation Army (Lebanon)]] *[[3rd Infantry Brigade (Lebanon)]]

==Notes== {{reflist}}

==References== {{refbegin|30em}} *Afaf Sabeh McGowan, John Roberts, As'ad Abu Khalil, and Robert Scott Mason, ''Lebanon: a country study'', area handbook series, Headquarters, Department of the Army (DA Pam 550-24), Washington D.C. 1989. - [https://cdn.loc.gov/master/frd/frdcstdy/le/lebanoncountryst00coll/lebanoncountryst00coll.pdf] *Boutros Labaki & Khalil Abou Rjeily, ''Bilan des guerres du Liban (1975-1990)'', Collection "Comprendre le Moyen-Orient", Éditions L'Harmattan, Paris 1993. {{ISBN|978-2738415257}} (in [[French language|French]]) * Chris McNab, ''20th Century Military Uniforms'' (2nd ed.), Grange Books, Kent 2002. {{ISBN|978-1-84013-476-6}} * Chris McNab, ''Soviet Submachine Guns of World War II: PPD-40, PPSh-41 and PPS'', Weapon series 33, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2014. {{ISBN|978-1-78200-794-4}} *Denise Ammoun, ''Histoire du Liban contemporain: Tome 2 1943-1990'', Fayard, Paris 2005. {{ISBN|978-2-213-61521-9}} (in [[French language|French]]) – [https://books.google.com/books?id=aGHk5M0CGcoC&pg=PT234] *[[Edgar O'Ballance]], ''Civil War in Lebanon, 1975-92'', Palgrave Macmillan, London 1998. {{ISBN|0-333-72975-7}} *Fawwaz Traboulsi, ''Identités et solidarités croisées dans les conflits du Liban contemporain; Chapitre 12: L'économie politique des milices: le phénomène mafieux'', Thèse de Doctorat d'Histoire – 1993, Université de Paris VIII, 2007. (in [[French language|French]]) – [http://www.111101.net/Writings/Author/Fawwaz_Traboulsi/] *Joseph Hokayem, ''L'armée libanaise pendant la guerre: un instrument du pouvoir du président de la République (1975-1985)'', Lulu.com, Beyrouth 2012. {{ISBN|9781291036602}}, 1291036601 (in [[French language|French]]) – [https://books.google.com/books?id=ct_jAwAAQBAJ&dq=histoire+de+la+guerre+du+liban+jean+sarkis&pg=PA8] *Marius Deeb, ''The Lebanese Civil War'', Praeger Publishers Inc., New York 1980. {{ISBN|978-0030397011}} *Moustafa El-Assad, ''Civil Wars Volume 1: The Gun Trucks'', Blue Steel books, Sidon 2008. {{Listed Invalid ISBN|9953-0-1256-8}} *[[Mordechai Nisan]], ''The Conscience of Lebanon: A Political Biography of Etienne Sakr (Abu-Arz)'', Frank Cass Publishers, London 2003. {{ISBN|978-0-7146-8378-2}} * Rex Brynen, ''Sanctuary and Survival: the PLO in Lebanon'', Boulder: Westview Press, Oxford 1990. {{ISBN|0 86187 123 5}} – [https://prrn.mcgill.ca/research/papers/brynen2.htm] *[[Robert Fisk]], ''Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War'', London: Oxford University Press, (3rd ed. 2001). {{ISBN|0-19-280130-9}} – [https://books.google.com/books?id=VrXpeELOUNsC&pg=PA145] *Samer Kassis, ''30 Years of Military Vehicles in Lebanon'', Beirut: Elite Group, 2003. {{ISBN|9953-0-0705-5}} *Samir Makdisi and Richard Sadaka, ''The Lebanese Civil War, 1975-1990'', American University of Beirut, Institute of Financial Economics, Lecture and Working Paper Series (2003 No.3), pp. 1–53. – [https://web.archive.org/web/20170810005110/http://www.aub.edu.lb/fas/ife/Documents/downloads/series3_2003.pdf] *Steven J. Zaloga, ''Tank battles of the Mid-East Wars (2): The wars of 1973 to the present'', Concord Publications, Hong Kong 2003. {{ISBN|962-361-613-9}} – [https://archive.org/details/tankbattlesmidea00zalo_215] *Tom Cooper & Efim Sandler, ''Lebanese Civil War Volume 2: Quiet before the Storm, 1978-1981'', Middle East@War No. 41, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull UK 2021. {{ISBN|978-1-914059-04-9}} *Tom Najem and Roy C. Amore, ''Historical Dictionary of Lebanon'', Second Edition, Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Lanham, Boulder, New York & London 2021. {{ISBN|9781538120439}}, 1538120437 {{refend}}

===Further reading=== {{refbegin|30em}} * Antoine J. Abraham, ''The Lebanon war'', Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport, Connecticut 1996. {{ISBN|9780275953898}}, 0275953890 * Dima de Clerck & Stéphane Malsagne, ''Le Liban en guerre (1975-1990)'', Hors collection Histoire et géographie, Belin éditeur, Paris 2020. {{ISBN|9782410016987}}, 2410016987 (in [[French language|French]]) * Fawwaz Traboulsi, ''A History of Modern Lebanon: Second Edition'', Pluto Press, London 2012. {{ISBN|978-0745332741}} *Jean Sarkis, ''Histoire de la guerre du Liban'', Presses Universitaires de France - PUF, Paris 1993. {{ISBN|978-2-13-045801-2}} (in [[French language|French]]) *Samir Kassir, ''La Guerre du Liban: De la dissension nationale au conflit régional'', Éditions Karthala/CERMOC, Paris 1994. {{ISBN|978-2865374991}} (in [[French language|French]]) * Walid Khalidi, ''Conflict and Violence in Lebanon: Confrontation in the Middle East'', Cambridge, MA: Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, 1983. {{ISBN|978-0876740378}}, 0876740379 * William W. Harris, ''Faces of Lebanon: Sects, Wars, and Global Extensions'', Princeton Series on the Middle East, Markus Wiener Publishers, Princeton, New Jersey, 1997. {{ISBN|978-1558761155}}, 1-55876-115-2 {{refend}}

==External links== * [https://www.camopedia.org/index.php?title=Lebanon NLA militia camouflage patterns]

[[Category:1973 establishments in Lebanon]] [[Category:Arab nationalism in Lebanon]] [[Category:Arab nationalist militant groups]] [[Category:Factions in the Lebanese Civil War]] [[Category:Nasserist political parties]] [[Category:Nationalist parties in Lebanon]] [[Category:Political parties established in 1973]] [[Category:Socialist parties in Lebanon]]