Souk El Gharb Souk El Gharb ( also spelled Suk , Sug al , ul , Suq ) is a village in the Mount Lebanon Governorate , Aley District , in the country of Lebanon . The name of the village translates to " Western Market . " Before the Lebanese Civil War , it was a prosperous mountain resort , nestled in the Chouf Mountain of Mount Lebanon in a pine forest and overlooking Saint George Bay and Beirut . Being only a few kilometers from the mountain city of Aley , it is considered today one of Aley ' s suburbs . The villages that lie between Aley and Souk El Gharb are Bmakine and the two Ains ( the modern spelling in Lebanese is 3ayn ) : Ain el - Sayydé ( our Lady ' s spring ) , and Ain el - Rimmané ( the spring of the pomegranate ) . South of Souk El Gharb lies the village of Kaifun . Note , An abbey is a place of worship associated with a monastery . Schools . Souk El Gharb was famous for several schools : The Souk El Gharb Presbyterian School ( alumni include Abraham Rihbany ) , The Souk El Gharb College of Lebanon , The Souk El Gharb Technical Institute and College , The Souk el Gharb School for English Instruction , and The Souk El Gharb Boarding School for Boys . History . There are identifiable Roman ruins in the town . There are buildings dating back at least to the 16th Century . The town was the scene of many notable battles during the Civil War , its notability arising from being actually held long - term by the Lebanese Army rather than a militia . This was sometimes against great odds and against the backing of the Syrian forces . General Michel Aoun ' s Eighth Brigade squared off against the Progressive Socialist Party ' s " PSP " militia and their allies for many years . Unfortunately for the civilian population , it led to the destruction of the town . In June , 2005 parliamentary elections were held in the village for the first time since the withdrawal of Syrian forces . One resident put it this way : " For me , ballot box battles are for sure much better than gunbattles . . . " Battle of Souk El Gharb of September 1983 . Souk - El - Gharb figured prominently in the Civil War but during this particular timeframe the town attracted worldwide attention due to the involvement of American Naval Forces . The backdrop for the battle was the Israeli invasion of Lebanon . In August 1983 , Israel withdrew from the Chouf District ( southeast of Beirut ) , thus removing the buffer between the Druze and the Christian militias and triggering another round of brutal fighting . By September , the Druze had gained control over most of the Chouf . However , it was the nominally non - sectarian Lebanese Army ( LAF ) that acted as a blocking force in Suk El Gharb during September , 1983 thwarting militia passage to the presidential palace in Baabda . Baabda lay downhill on the Beirut - Aley - Damascus highway . The militias coming up from the south had to traverse Suk El Gharb to get to the Beirut - Aley road . Moreover , Suk El Gharb controlled a ridge that overlooked Baabda , Yarze which was the location of the Ministry of Defence , and East Beirut . From that ridge , the Militia gunners could shoot directly downhill at those locations with artillery . The Lebanese Army chief tried to get the Americans involved , reasoning with them that they should since the Syrians were backing Militias . At first , the Americans refused but eventually agreed when told Suk El Gharb was in danger of getting overrun . The USS " Virginia " ( CGN - 38 ) , USS " John Rodgers " ( DD - 983 ) , USS " Bowen " , and USS " Arthur W . Radford " fired 338 rounds from their five inch ( 127 mm ) guns in support of Lebanese Army forces defending Suk El Gharb . The LAF were able to hold the town . It ' s an open question whether they would have held it without the naval support . Much of the town was destroyed during these hostilities . Some authors , including Thomas Friedman point to the use of this naval gunfire as the beginning point of the U . S . forces being seen as participants in the civil war rather than peace keepers and opening them up to retaliation . Much use was made of landmines in the vicinity of the town and demining is an ongoing concern . A certain position known as Hill 888 was extensively mined . References . [ Souq Elgharb ] http : / / www . souqelgharb . com