إيلي حبيقة
On 15 January 1986, the 8th Brigade was ordered to contain the schismatic internal fighting inside the Lebanese Forces upon the signature of the so-called "Tripartite Accord" in Damascus by Elie Hobeika, the commander of the Maronite Christian Lebanese Forces militia, Walid Jumblatt of the Druze Progressive Socialist Party/People's Liberation Army (PSP/PLA), Nabih Berri of the Shia Muslim Amal Movement militia and the Syrian government. The deputy chief of the Lebanese forces Samir Geagea opposed the agreement and led a coup to remove Elie Hobeika from his command. Elie Hobeika conceded to hand over his authority to Samir Geagea and to leave the Christian zones. The 8th Brigade strived to safely remove Elie Hobeika and his men from their headquarters in East Beirut to the Ministry of Defense in Yarze, in order to be deported to the Christian town of Zahle in the Syrian-controlled Beqaa Valley. After ten days of Elie Hobeika's deportation, fighters from the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) militia supported by Syrian Army tanks and field artillery devastated the Lebanese Army positions on the Hills overlooking Bikfaya, the home town of President Amine Gemayel, in the Northern Matn district. The 8th Brigade was ordered to swiftly counterattack and block the SSNP militiamen from progressing deeper towards Bikfaya. After three days of fierce fighting, the Brigade stemmed the advance, restored the Army defensive lines, and drove the SSNP fighters back to their original positions in the Dhour El Choueir village.