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Antoine Frangieh (1 September 1941 - 13 June 1978, better known by his diminutive, Tony, طوني فرنجية ) was a Lebanese politician and militia leader during the early years of the Lebanese Civil War.
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Frangieh was educated at the College Des Frères, first in Tripoli then in Beirut, the latter from 1958 to 1960. He was furthering his study before his death.
On 25 October 1970, he succeeded his father, Suleiman Frangieh, as a member of the Lebanese Parliament for Zgharta, following his father's election to the Presidency. He was also appointed Minister of Posts and Telecommunications in his father's government.
In the early 1970s, when factions within Lebanon started to form militias, the Frangieh clan formed the Marada Brigade, also known as the Zghorta Liberation Army, under the command of Tony Frangieh. The Marada mainly operated out of Tripoli and northern Lebanon, the base of the Frangieh clan.
The Lebanese Civil War witnessed many shifting alliances where the allies of today became the enemies of tomorrow. One such falling out occurred between two of the leading Maronite clans, the Frangiehs and the Gemayels. The Frangiehs, who were close to Syria, were critical of Phalangist Kataeb Regulatory Forces' militia leader Bachir Gemayel's growing alliance with Israel. Militiamen from the Phalange RF and Marada also clashed over protection rackets.
This conflict led to the murder of Tony Frangieh, his wife, Vera el-Kordahi,and his four year old daughter Jihane, (his son, Suleiman II was at Beirut during the murder) by Phalangist militiamen.[1][2][3] On the morning of 13 June 1978 at 4am, a Phalange RF 600-men squad[4] led by Samir Geagea and Elie Hobeika attacked Tony Frangieh’s mansion in an attempt to eliminate the Frangieh Clan, Tony Frangieh would be murdered after the assault. Hundreds of both sides were killed in the assassination attempt, but no official investigation was ever made to find out who killed the Frangieh family. Each of Hobeika and Geagea would later accuse the other of the killing and deny any responsibility themselves. Suleiman Frangieh was left as head of the Marada Brigade.
Suleiman Frangieh never vowed revenge. As he stated in a documentary on a Lebanese political channel called 'OTV', "That was the past and it must be forgotten, I do not seek revenge because God is the only judge, thus their conscience will haunt them for the rest of their lives."
Many commentators consider the murder of Tony Frangieh to be one of the factors in the longevity of the Lebanese Civil War and as the starting point of a deep divide between Lebanese Christians.
Frangieh had two children, Suleiman Frangieh, Jr. and Jihane, with Vera el-Kordahi, whom he married in 1962. His son Suleiman first became a Minister of Public Health at the age of 22, and he recently held the ministry of Interior from 2004 to 2005). He is known to have served with the Marada Brigade in the 1980s.