War of the hotels

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The "War of the Hotels" is the name commonly attributed to the raging gunfire battles that took place in the Minet-el-Hosn hotel district of downtown Beirut during the Civil War in Lebanon. This area was one of the first fronts of the war that opened up in 1975.

The war pitted mainly Muslim gunmen along and Palestinian (PLO) fighters against Christian militiamen. The often fierce battles that ensued were fought with heavy exchanges of rocket and artillery fire from the various hotel rooftops and rooms. Sniper fire was often commonly utilized.

This episode of the civil war resulted in pushing the Christian militias out of the area, and, in particular the numerous hotels in the vicinity - including the St. George, Holiday Inn, Palm Beach, Normandie, Alcazar, and Phoenicia Hotels.

Referenced Here: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5DC133EF934A15752C0A967958260