tasked with inspecting al-Azma's troops. He concluded that the Arab Army was woefully unprepared and under-equipped for a serious confrontation against the French Army. In a meeting of King Faisal's war cabinet, al-'Azma was visibly upset with al-Hashimi's conclusions. Regardless, he ultimately conceded that the army was in a precarious situation when informed that the lack of ammunition meant that each soldier would only be allotted 270 bullets for their rifle and each artillery piece could only be allotted eight shells. Despite this, all of the officers in the meeting declared their willingness to fight. According to Provence, both al-Azma and al-Hashimi "complained bitterly that they faced an impossible task in organizing defense, made all the more difficult by Faisal's refusal to seriously contemplate and prepare for military confrontation". In the struggle against France, both officers sought to implement the model of Kemal's Anatolian insurgency while Faisal continued, in vain, to seek an intervention by his erstwhile British allies. On 14 July, France issued an ultimatum to the Syrian government to disband its army and submit to French control. On 18 July, King Faisal and the Syrian cabinet met and all ministers except for al-Azma agreed not to enter into war with the French. After King Faisal ratified the cabinet's decision, al-Azma withdrew his troops from Anjar, the hills overlooking the Beqaa Valley from the east, and the Beirut-Damascus road. On 20 July, six hours prior to the ultimatum's deadline, King Faisal informed the French liaison in Damascus of his acceptance of Gouraud's terms. However, for unclear reasons, Faisal's notification did not reach Gouraud until 21 July. Sources suspicious of French intentions accused them of intentionally delaying delivery of the notice to give Gouraud a legitimate excuse for advancing on Damascus. However, there has been no evidence or indication of French sabotage. When news of Faisal's submission to the French and his disbandment of Arab Army barracks in Damascus reached the populace, outrage ensued. A riot by soldiers and residents angry at King Faisal's decision was violently put down by Emir Zeid, resulting in some 200 deaths. Al-Azma rejected demands to disband the army and implored King Faisal for an opportunity to confront French forces. Battle of Maysalun and death About 12,000 French troops consisting of ten infantry battalions as well as cavalrymen and artillerymen backed by tanks and fighter bombers, began their advance on Damascus on 21 July. They