Bus massacre

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The Bus Massacre (also known as the Ayn Rummaneh incident or Massacre) is commonly presented as the spark that set off the Lebanese Civil War.

On April 13, 1975, members of the Kataeb Party (Phalange) were attacked in a drive-by shooting as they left a church ceremony in Beirut. Four people died, and the attack was believed to have been an attempt on the life of Pierre Gemayel, who blamed it on Palestinians. Hours later, Phalangist militiamen pulled over a bus carrying Palestinian workers back to the refugee camps. The Palestinians were ordered out at gunpoint and then had their throats slit; 27 people died.

As news of the murders spread, Palestinian militias including the radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) went on a rampage through Beirut. Armed clashes with the Phalange erupted throughout the city. Soon Lebanese National Movement militias entered the battle alongside the Palestinians. Numerous ceasefires and political talks prove fruitless. It was the beginning of a long and bloody war that lasted 15 years.