When the Lebanese Civil War began , Frangieh maintained a militia , the Marada Brigade , under the command of his son Tony Frangieh . He initially participated in the Lebanese Front , a right-wing , mainly Christian , coalition of politicians and militia leaders , but in early 1978 he broke with them because of his own pro-Syrian leanings . In June 1978 , Tony , together with his wife and infant daughter , was assassinated by militiamen with Phalangist militia being accused of the plot . The killings are known as Ehden massacre after which the power of the Frangiehs decreased . Ever since then , Suleiman Frangieh was reported to have been depressed . He swore to take revenge , declaring in an interview " the family will exact its retribution . " By some accounts , he went on to engineer the killing of hundreds of Phalange members
Ehden massacre
Ehden massacre
Suleiman Frangieh