In 1914, with the onset of World War I, Ottoman Turks abrogated the Règlement Organique (1860-1864) that had freed the Mount Lebanon Mutassarifiyah (Governorate) from Ottoman rule. Turkish troops re-invaded the country and imposed a draconian military occupation.
A perfect storm of food and animal requisitions, forced conscription, and a locust epidemic caused a generalized famine. Resistance leaders were hanged in downtown Beirut. By the end of the war, one-third of Mount Lebanon’s population had perished, and one-third had emigrated.
Of the six siblings of my grandparents’ generation, four left the country for Latin America. My paternal grandfather, Youssef Ayoub Hitti, settled in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, founded the Arzit Lebnen newspaper in 1916, and assembled an armed company of volunteers to fight on the side of the Allied Powers and contribute to the liberation of Lebanon. Youssef returned in 1922 after Turkey's defeat and the Governorate's expansion to today’s Greater Lebanon. This site is dedicated to preserving and continuing his life’s work, the Arzit Lebnen newspaper. Learn more