If you found this article insightful, you may also appreciate my interview with Man & Culture Magazine on the future of Syria after the fall of the Assad regime: “Syria: Quo Vadis?”
This September marks three years since In Search of Greater Syria was published. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, I’d be grateful if you considered ordering a copy. The paperback is available on the Bloomsbury website, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Please leave a review!
There were many photos I considered including in my book, but due to space constraints and permission issues, they were left out. This space serves as a repository for those historical images, offering additional context for In Search of Greater Syria.
Please note that this post also includes screenshots from videos and social media images to best illustrate how the Syrian Social Nationalist Party’s (SSNP) politics are reflected across various social spaces. Additionally, while In Search of Greater Syria concludes in early 2021, this post will also feature images I found interesting beyond that date.
I’ll continue to update this page with more photos as time allows, and I hope this collection proves valuable to both researchers and readers seeking a deeper understanding of the SSNP. Thank you for your interest, and take care! — CS
The Antoun Saadeh Years: 1932–1949
Antoun Saadeh in exile arrives at the Anhalter Bahnhof train station in Berlin, Germany, 1938.
Nimah Thabet led the SSNP during Antoun Saadeh’s exile period from 1938 to 1947 and oversaw reforms that scaled back the party’s platform of Syrian nationalism.
Junkers Ju 52 carrying Antoun Saadeh arrives in Beirut on March 2, 1947.
Antoun Saadeh exits the plane on his return to Lebanon in March 1947.
A mix of party flags with the Lebanese flag in the crowds during Saadeh’s 1947 return to Lebanon. The party had also adopted an alternative flag during his exile, note the flags with the stripes.
A couple images of the alternative flag used by the party during Antoun Saadeh’s exile from 1938–1947.
George Abd Messih, March 1947
George Abd Messih, SSNP president from 1949–1957. Following the assassination of Syrian army officer Adnan al-Malki in April 1955, he led the small SSNP breakaway Intifada faction, until his death.
Antoun Saadeh on trial in July 1949.
A scene of Antoun Saadeh’s July 8, 1949 execution from a party video made in the 2000s by film students.
A scene of Antoun Saadeh’s July 8, 1949 execution by a Lebanese firing squad from a party video made in the 2000s by film students.
The Political Struggle, Intrigue, and Coup Maneuvers: 1950–1962
Juliette El-Mir Saadeh and Issam al-Muhayri (together on the left) on trial with other SSNP members after the 1955 assassination of the popular Syrian army officer, Adnan al-Malki.
SSNP ideologue Said Taqiyaddin in the mid-1950s.
Assad al-Ashqar, who led the SSNP twice as the party’s president in 1957–59 and 1973.
Inaam Raad, who led the party three times, in 1975–77, 1980–84, and 1992–96.
Inaam Raad established relations between the SSNP and the Soviet Union and helped shift the party towards the political left in the late 1960s and 70s.
Abdullah Saadeh, party president 1960–62 and 1969–73, 1974–75, 1977–80.
Abdullah Saadeh, date unknown.
SSNP members on trial in a Lebanese military tribunal after the 1961 New Year’s Eve coup attempt.
A map illustrating SSNP membership across Lebanon in the aftermath of the 1961 New Year’s Eve coup attempt. Notice the three-armed Zawbaa (storm) symbol at the top instead of the device with four arms.
Arms captured by the Lebanese security forces in the aftermath of the 1961 New Year’s Eve coup attempt.
Arms captured by the Lebanese security forces in the aftermath of the 1961 New Year’s Eve coup attempt.
A Nation Divided: The Lebanese Civil War, 1975–1991
SSNP militia fighters during the Battle of the Hotels in Beirut, 1975
SSNP cadres training fighters in the 1980s.
Inaam Raad in a 1983 interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Issam al-Mahayri and Assaad Hardan circle the coffin of Habib Kayrouz while hold up their arms in the party’s salute in October 1987. Kayrouz was assassinated by unknown gunmen and his killing remains a mystery.
Martyrdom poster for Habib Kayrouz, a member of the pro-Syrian faction of the SSNP in the late 1980s.
Syrian Occupation and Lebanese Power Struggles: 1991–2011
SSNP flags during the Syrian military withdrawal from Lebanon in April 2005
An SSNP militia fighter in Saad Hariri’s Future Movement office in Beirut during the clashes between pro-Syrian and anti-Syrian factions in May 2008.
The Syrian Conflict and Lebanon’s 2019 Hirak Protests: 2011-Present
SSNP Eagles of the Whirlwind fighting in Aleppo, Syria, 2016.
SSNP Eagles of the Whirlwind took part in the Battle of Maalula in Syria against Jabhat al-Nusra in 2014-2015.
In October 2013, SSNP Intifada leader Ali Haidar (seated in the center with People’s Will party leader Qadri Jamil on the left) participated in the legal Sryain opposition movement, the Popular Front for Change and Liberation.
SSNP Intifada leader Ali Haidar’s meeting with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Syria in March 2018.
SSNP Intifada leader Ali Haidar, who also acted as Syria’s Minister for Reconciliation, met with Russian military officials at the Hmeimim Air Base in Syria in December 2017.
In a scene from the 2018 Al Mayadeen documentary on the SSNP’s Eagles of the Whirlwind, a militia fighter walks by a plaque commemorating Adonis Nasr, a party propagandist who died in the Syrian conflict in 2016. The plaque reads: “I am the martyr…remember me when you celebrate the day of victory.”
A Nationalist Wedding ceremony conducted by the party in April 2018. These secular ceremonies are not recognized by the dominant religious groups in Lebanon and Syria.
Former Lebanese MP Salim Saadeh marked the anniversary of his father, Abdullah Saadeh’s involvement in the 1961 New Year’s Eve coup attempt on social media in January 2020.
Hanna al-Nashef, party president 2017–2019.
Former Syrian MP for Tartus Inas Mohammed Khair al-Mallouhi’s election poster on social media.
In February 2021, amid inter-factional disputes, armed supporters of Assaad Hardan stormed the main faction’s party office in Batroun.
Lebanese opposition outlet Megaphone blasted former SSNP MP Assaad Hardan on social media in May 2022 after Hardan lost his seat in the parliamentary elections.
The small SSNP Amana faction had its own militia active for a time during the Syrian Civil War. ID cards of fallen Amana militia members displayed by Syrian rebel fighters.
SSNP Markaz (center) faction leader Rabie Noureddine Banat, president of the party since 2020.
SSNP members participate in first aid training.
SSNP members responding to the February 2023 earthquake in Syria.
SSNP truck delivering supplies in response to the 2023 Syria earthquake.
In the aftermath of Hamas’ attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023, the SSNP released short videos on social media to show their military support to Hamas and the Axis of Resistance forces.
SSNP Eagles of the Whirlwind member Wissam Mohammad Salim killed in southern Lebanon during the clashes with Israel in December 2023.
