Editing History of Lebanon (section)

==World War II and independence==
During [[World War II]] when the [[Vichy France|Vichy government]] assumed power over French territory in 1940, General [[Henri Dentz|Henri Fernand Dentz]] was appointed as high commissioner of Lebanon. This new turning point led to the resignation of Lebanese president [[Émile Eddé]] on April 4, 1941. After five days, Dentz appointed [[Alfred Naqqache]] for a presidency period that lasted only three months. The Vichy authorities allowed [[Nazi Germany]] to move aircraft and supplies through Syria to Iraq where they were used against British forces. Britain, fearing that Nazi Germany would gain full control of Lebanon and Syria by pressure on the weak Vichy government, [[Syria–Lebanon Campaign|sent its army into Syria and Lebanon]].<ref>David Sutton, ''Syria and Lebanon 1941: The Allied Fight Against the Vichy French'' (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022).</ref>

After the fighting ended in Lebanon, General [[Charles de Gaulle]] visited the area. Under various political pressures from both inside and outside Lebanon, de Gaulle decided to recognize the independence of Lebanon. On November 26, 1941, General [[Georges Catroux]] announced that Lebanon would become independent under the authority of the Free French government. 
[[File:Lebanese flag.JPG|200px|thumb|right|Flag as drawn and approved by the members of the Lebanese parliament during the declaration of independence in 1943]]

Elections were held in 1943 and on November 8, 1943, the new Lebanese government unilaterally abolished the mandate. The French reacted by throwing the new government into prison. In the face of international pressure, the French released the government officials on November 22, 1943, and accepted the [[Lebanese Independence Day|independence of Lebanon]].