Saad Haddad Saad Haddad ( 1936 – Jan . 14 , 1984 ) was the founder and head of the South Lebanon Army ( SLA ) during Lebanese Civil War . For years Haddad was closely collaborating and receiving arms and political support from Israel against Lebanese governmental forces , Hezbollah , and Syrian Army . Lebanese Civil War . Since the 1960s there has been a cyclical pattern of guerrilla attacks carried out by Palestinian militia men on Israel and IDF attacks on Palestinian targets . In the aftermath of the 1975 Civil War , Lebanese - generated security concerns grew for Israel . At the same time , the breakdown of Lebanon ' s central government provided opportunities for Israel to act . Around 1975 , Israel sponsored the creation of a surrogate force , Lebanese Christian ( Melkite ) Major Saad Haddad was the first officer to defect from the Lebanese Army to ally himself with Israel . , a defection which led to the formation of the pro - Israel Free Lebanon Army , based in a corridor , the " Security Zone " along Lebanon ' s southern border from 1982 after Israel ' s invasion of Lebanon . This force , which called itself the Free Lebanon Army ( but was later renamed the South Lebanon Army ( SLA ) under leader Antoine Lahad in May 1980 ) , was intended to prevent infiltration into Israel of Palestinian guerrillas . In 1978 , Israel invaded Lebanon , clearing out Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO ) strongholds as far north as the Litani River . On 18 April 1979 , Haddad proclaimed the area controlled by his force " Independent Free Lebanon " . The following day , he was branded a traitor to the Lebanese government and officially dismissed from the Lebanese Army . Another consequence of the Israeli invasion was the establishment in southern Lebanon of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon , whose mission was to separate the various combatants . Haddad ' s militia collaborated with Israel and received the bulk of its arms , equipment , supplies and ordnance from Israel . There are eyewitness accounts that support the claim that Saad Haddad ' s troops were involved in the massacres of Sabra and Shatila in 1982 . In the massacre an estimated 763 - 3 , 500 civilians were killed . In 1984 , Haddad died of cancer . His successor as the head of the SLA was general Antoine Lahad . With the Israeli retreat the SLA quickly collapsed . On 24 May 2000 , the sight of Saad Haddad ' s statue being dragged through the streets of the Lebanese town of Marjayoun was a sure sign that the South Lebanon Army was gone . During the South Lebanon conflict ( 1982 – 2000 ) , Saad Haddad headed the Christian radio station " Voice of Hope " , initially set up and funded by George Otis of High Adventure Ministries . The Voice of Hope was set up as a charitable endeavor to help the Christian enclave in Southern Lebanon , but it quickly became politicized when Hadaad used it for political diatribes aimed at his many enemies . High Adventure billed it as the only privately owned radio station in the Middle East that was broadcasting the Gospel , but its message was often tainted by the necessary affiliation with Hadaad ' s milita , as its operation depended upon his protection and authority , resulting in a very curious blend of scripture lessons and political commentary which the staff at the station could not control or regulate . Descendents and legacy . On 7 June 2012 , Lebanese daily newspaper " As Safir " reported on the progress of Saad Haddad ' s daughter Arza ( meaning " Cedar Tree " in Arabic ) as a researcher in ballistics and rocket science at the Technion University in Haifa . She obtained master ' s degree in aeronautics in June 2012 .