Turning 100: Lebanon, a nation branded by upheaval, crises

By alexander philip September 1, 2020

By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press

FILE - In this Oct. 24,1983 file photo, rescuers continue to probe the wreckage of the U.S. Marine barracks a day after a suicide truck bomb near Beirut airport, Lebanon. It was a century ago on Sept. 1, 1920, that a French general, Henri Gouraud, stood on the porch of the French residence in Beirut surrounded by local politicians and religious leaders and declared the State of Greater Lebanon - the precursor to the modern state of Lebanon. (AP Photo/Zouki, File)

© Provided by Associated Press FILE – In this Oct. 24,1983 file photo, rescuers continue to probe the wreckage of the U.S. Marine barracks a day after a suicide truck bomb near Beirut airport, Lebanon. It was a century ago on Sept. 1, 1920, that a French general, Henri Gouraud, stood on the porch of the French residence in Beirut surrounded by local politicians and religious leaders and declared the State of Greater Lebanon – the precursor to the modern state of Lebanon. (AP Photo/Zouki, File)

BEIRUT (AP) — It was a century ago on Sept. 1, 1920, that a French general, Henri Gouraud, stood on the porch of a Beirut palace surrounded by local politicians and religious leaders and declared the State of Greater Lebanon — the precursor of the modern state of Lebanon.