Riad al-Solh

Riad al-Solh was born in 1894 CE in Sidon (Lebanon) into a wealthy Sunni family. He studied law in Istanbul and joined the Arab Party (a precursor of the Arab nationalist movement).

After World War I he became one of the leading politicians of Greater Syria (Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine). He led a Syrian delegation to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, demanding independence for a united Syria within its natural borders (including Lebanon, Palestine, and Trans-Jordan) — the demand was refused.

He went into exile after the French occupation of Damascus in 1920, then returned to Lebanon and Syria. In 1943 he became Lebanon's first prime minister after independence — alongside President Bechara El Khoury. Together they organised Lebanese independence, prompting the French to arrest them on 11 November 1943 ("the 11 November crisis"), but popular and British pressure forced France to release them on 22 November — a date Lebanon still celebrates as Independence Day.

In 1946 he coordinated with Damascus to press France to withdraw fully from both Syria and Lebanon — Syrian independence was achieved on 17 April 1946.

Riad al-Solh was assassinated on 17 July 1951 CE at Amman's Marka airport, shot by three members of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. He is considered the father of Lebanese independence, and his name is closely tied to Syria's independence negotiations.