Adib Shishakli
In mid May 1948, the village was defended by the Arab Liberation Army's Second Yarmuk Battalion, commanded by Lt. Col. Adib Shishakli, who later served as president of Syria. The initial resistance was reported by the American newspaper" "The New York Times" "in Damascus to have been a success, with the ALA claiming victories at Harrawi and al-Malikiyya, located 5 km to the northwest. However, any early successes were short-lived; Harrawi, along with the nearby villages of Mallaha and Baysamun fell to the Israeli Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach May 25.