Evening star., 1962-01-01
Lebanon Nips
RevoItQuick|y,
Jai|s Scores
5 Reported Killed
In Brief Fighting;
Leaders Hunted

(AP).-PreSldent Fuad Che
hab's government, generally
friendly to the West, has
crushed a revolt aimed at put
ting Lebanon solidly into the
Northern Arab bloc and hasI
Jailed scores of members of the
rebellious party.
Five persons were reported
killed and several wounded in
half a day of fighting. The
insurgents were members of
the rightist Popular Social
Party (PPS), two army cap
tains and about 40 soldiers.
Security forces hunted high
in the Lebanese mountains to-
day for the two captains who
fled after spearheading the un-
successful coup.
The soldiers attacked the
Defense Ministry yesterday and
seized eight high-ranking Off
GERS as hostages, including a
cousin of President Chehab.
Dramatic Clashes
The plot led to large-scale
arrests and a dramatic series
of clashes as the hostages won
their freedom.
Three were riding in the au-
tomobile of PPS leader Abdul
lah Saade when they were
rescued. Mr.. Saade was stopped
at a roadblock and was ar
rested. Scores of PPS members
also were under arrest.
The coup itself was crushed
by the army in few hours.
BY late yesterday afternoon it
was finished, save for the
flight of the captains.
The rising began a few hours
after midnight yesterday with
moves on two main fronts.
One armed group stormed
the Defense Ministry in south
east Beirut. Loyal army Off
GERS, alerted in advance by
army intelligence, fought them
off in a floor-to-floor battle.
Reinforcements arrived, sur
rounded the building and cap
tured some of the rebels.
Military Leaders Seized
At the same time another
group surrounded the homes of |
prominent military leaders and |
kidnapped eight of them. With
some of their hostages they
made their way to Wadi Ell
Karin, a mountain village 80
miles north of Beirut they had
turned into their stronghold.
The two rebel catains we're
identified as Fuad Awae, 80,
and ShakWi Kairala, 35, both |
sympathizers with the Popular
Socialists. Awae, commander
Of the Tyre garrison in south
ern Lebanon, had led eight
armed cars to the Defense Min
istry in Beirut. telling his SOL
diers it was an official mission.
To prevent their escape from
Lebanon, the Syrian border
was closed as patrols searched
the snowcapped highlands
overlooking Beirut.
Held for more than IL hours
yesterday by the rebels were
1t. Col. Youssef Sumeit, army
chief of staff: 1t. Col. Abdel
Kader Chehab, commander of
the Beirut garrison, and a cou-
sin of the president; Col. Mi
chael HAWAI-, chief of police
forces; Maj. Toufic Galbout,
chief of security, and four other
high officers.
Stopped at Roadblock
Coils. Sumeit, Chehab and
HAWAI- at first were taken to
the rooms of the Popular So
cialist leaders in the village of
Deik el Mahdi.
They were in rebel leader
Saade's Car at the crossroad
of the coast, near Lebanon's
famed Casino when stopped by
a roadblock and freed.
Another hostage, Capt. Numir
Sardoux of the presidential
guard, hid a gun in his clothes
and shot his way free when his
captors stopped to refuel their
car.
A large force of loyal army
tanks, armored cars and truck
loads of troops converged on
Wadi el Karin. Thus sur
rounded, the rebels gave up.
The hostages were released and
the army said they "have re-
sumed their duties at their
posts"
BY the time most citizens
awoke, Beirut was calm. Strong
troop contingents and tanks at
See LEBANON, Page A-6