Editing Lebanese Armed Forces (section)

===Post-independence===
After Lebanon gained independence in 1943, the Lebanese government formed an official delegation in 1944 to negotiate with the French the terms related to handing over the LAF. After nearly three weeks of talks, the joint French-British Command decreed that responsibility for armed units under French control was to be handed over to the Independent Government of Lebanon.<ref name="lafhistoryoff"/> These units were part of the Troupes Spéciales du Levant and totaled about 3,000 men.<ref name="gs"/> On August 1, 1945, at 00:00 hours, the LAF was placed under full authority of the Lebanese National Government; this day is commemorated annually as Lebanese Army Day.<ref name="lafhistoryoff"/>
[[File:Former Flag of the Lebanese Army.svg|thumb|200x200px|The Lebanese Army first flag under Independent Lebanon]]
After establishing authority over the LAF in 1945, the Lebanese government intentionally kept its armed forces small and weak due to the country's unique internal politics. [[Christianity|Christian]] politicians feared that [[Islam|Muslims]] might use the armed forces as a vehicle for seizing power in a military [[coup d'état|coup]]. They also appeared unwilling to incur the cost of maintaining a large well equipped army.<ref name="gs"/> Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Lebanon never spent more than 4% of its [[Gross National Product|GNP]] on the military budget.<ref name="gs"/> Many Christian Lebanese also feared that a large army would inevitably force Lebanon into the [[Arab–Israeli conflict]]. However, Muslim politicians were also worried that a strong army could be used against Muslim interests because it would be commanded by Christians. At the same time they tended to feel that the military should be strong enough to play a part in the Arab-Israeli struggle.<ref name="gs"/> In addition to the two major conflicting views, prominent Lebanese politicians of the myriad of religious denominations in Lebanon have also tended to be feudal warlords commanding their own private militias and feared that a strong army would endanger their personal power.<ref name="gs">{{cite web |title=Lebanese Ground Forces |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/lebanon/army.htm |website=GlobalSecurity |access-date=December 8, 2008 |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923101709/https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/lebanon/army.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 6 June 1948, the 3rd battalion of the Lebanese Army, backed by [[Arab Liberation Army]], fought [[Israel Defense Forces|Israeli forces]] occupying the Lebanese villages of [[Qadas]] and [[Al-Malkiyya|Malkieh]] and captured them, subsequently handing them over to the ALA and withdrawing by 8 July.<ref name="Hughes">{{cite journal |last=Hughes |first=Matthew  |date=Winter 2005 |title=Lebanon's Armed Forces and the Arab-Israeli War, 1948–49 |journal=Journal of Palestine Studies |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=24–41 |doi=10.1525/jps.2005.34.2.024 |s2cid=154088601 }}</ref><ref name="lafhistoryoff"/><ref>Khalidi, Walid. (1992). ''All That Remains''. [[Institute of Palestine Studies]], p.471.</ref> This was the first major combat operation for the Lebanese Armed Forces under the independent Lebanese government.