Arab Deterrent Force (ADF)
ARAB DETERRENT FORCE (ADF)
Armed force constituted in fulfillment of the resolutions of the Riyadh Arab summit (16–18 October 1976) and of Cairo (25–26 October), both convoked for the purpose of ending the war in Lebanon. The Arab Deterrent Force, placed under the control of Lebanese president Elias Sarkis, was responsible for observance of the ceasefire in Lebanon, overseeing security, preserving the sovereignty of the country, and applying the Lebanese-Palestinian Cairo accords of 1969. Because Israel opposed the presence of Arab troops other than Lebanese beyond the Litani River, the ADF was deployed only up to the banks of the Zaharani River. A special fund for financing the ADF, made up of contributions from Arab League members, was set up, by vote, at the Cairo summit. On 6 February 1980, the Lebanese Council of Ministers asked that the ADF be relieved by the Lebanese army. When a withdrawal was announced there was an increase in tensions, which prompted the Lebanese leaders and the Syrians to extend its mandate. Between 6 and 7 March 1980, the ADF units withdrew from Beirut and its suburbs, replaced by the Lebanese army. In September 1982, at the request of the Lebanese president, the ADF mandate was not renewed, which ended its existence.
SEE ALSO League of Arab States.