Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC).

PFLP-GC operates in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as in Israel, Lebanon and Syria.

The presence of PFLP-GC has been reported at the following sites:

Ain El-Helweh -- near Saida, the largest refugee camp in Lebanon;
Borj Al-Barajneh (around 120 fighters) -- in the southern suburbs of Beirut;
Sabra (150 fighters) -- Beirut;
Chatila (150 fighters) -- Beirut;
Mar Elias (100 fighters) -- Beirut;
Beddaoui -- north of Tripoli, PFLP-GC has 25 percent control;
Nahr El Bared -- in the suburbs of Minyeh, PFLP-GC has 25 percent control;
Qussaya (150-250 fighters) -- includes a training facility and ammunition depot;
Western Bekaa Valley (250-500 fighters);
Naameh (250 fighters) -- on the coastal part of the Shouf; and
Wavel -- in Baalbek.

The PFLP-GC rejects any and all political negotiations with Israel. The group's late leader, Ahmad "Jihad" Jibril, a former officer in the Syrian army, viewed the Palestinian struggle as a political path to a pan-Arab unification.

Estimates of the strength of the PFLP-GC range from several hundred active members to 1,500.

Western intelligence officials believe the PFLP-GC is supported and directed by Syria, where the organization has its headquarters. Libya and Iran have also provided substantial financial support.

The General Command became known for its use of unusual methods of attack, including the use of hot-air balloons and hang gliders, though it now more commonly employs bombings and guerrilla operations.

The group has carried out dozens of attacks in the Middle East and Europe. It was widely suspected of involvement in the 1988 downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command consists of at least several hundred members; it split from the PFLP in 1968 because of philosophical differences with the PLO, primarily Yasser Arafat's Fatah organization. Despite being an original member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Ahmad Jibril consistently opposed the PLO’s shift toward political negotiations with Israel. The PFLP-GC left the PLO in 1974 to join the Rejectionist Front, protesting what it saw as the PLO's move toward an accommodation with Israel in the Arafat-backed 10-point program of the Palestinian National Council (PNC). Unlike most of the organizations involved in the Rejectionist Front, the PFLP-GC never resumed its role within the PLO.

PFLP-GC leaders hope to use the Palestinian resistance to polarize all groups, seeking a full-scale war between Israel and all Arab nations. Washington is also seen as an enemy to the PFLP-GC's cause because of U.S. support of Israel. In September 1982, Jibril announced that his group's activities would not be restricted to the "occupied territories but rather [will be carried out] in all international arenas where the enemy and its allies' institutions and interests can be found."

The trend of elections in the West Bank threatens the PFLC-GC with extinction. Most groups, even Hamas and the PFLP, are today open to participation in a legally elected Palestinian Legislative Council. This is a stark contrast to 2000 when many of the insurgent groups in the West Bank and Gaza viewed the council as a body that collaborated with the U.S. and Israel and that had been manipulated by them to concede on important issues like borders and refugee status. The PFLP-GC lacks any organizational structure or membership in the West Bank and Gaza.

Across the border in Lebanon, the PFLP-GC faces another significant threat. The current Lebanese government is opposed to the intervention of Jibril's allies Syria and Iran in Lebanon's affairs.

In 2007, the U.S. government and the United Nations continued to express concern about the PFLP-GC. The view of the United States was expressed in the context of the larger issue of Syria's role as a state sponsor of terrorism. The U.S. State Dept. noted that Syria continued to provide political and material support to Hezbollah, and that the PFLP-GC, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, among others, continued to enjoy using safe havens in Damascus and operate within Syria’s borders.

The United Nations reported that the PFLP-GC was active through 2007 and strengthened its presence in Lebanon during the year. Armed clashes between Fatah and Hamas/PFLP-GC occurred in Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camps during 2007. PFLP-GC activities picked up in January 2009 after Israel retaliated against Hamas for launching rockets from Gaza into southern Israel. The Gaza activity resulted in rockets being launched from Lebanon into northern Israel, possibly by PFLP-GC militants.

1968
October: Ahmad Jibril split from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and formed the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC).

1974
June: Jibril rejected the Palestinian National Council (PNC) decision to abandon international terrorism and accepted the establishment of a national authority in any liberated area of Palestine.

1975
PFLP-GC withdrew its membership from the PLO executive committee and central council, but did not remove itself from the PNC.

1977
Stalemate in Middle East peace process and Yasser Arafat's advocacy of a more militant resistance led to the PFLP-GC temporarily reoccupying its executive committee seat and rejoining the PLO.

1983
May: Jibril joined the Syrian-backed uprising within Fatah in Lebanon.

1988
October: Members of the PFLP-GC were suspected of taking part in a joint Iranian-Libyan bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

1989
Arafat’s recognition of U.N. resolutions calling for the rejection of terrorism led Jibril to participate in an Iran-sponsored plan to create a new organization to replace the PLO.

1990
A schism within the PFLP-GC developed as the group's representative to the PLO’s Executive Committee, Talal Naji, advocated rejoining the PLO and opposing Arafat’s policies from within, as well as rejecting growing ties with Iran. The PFLP-GC compromised by continuing contacts with Tehran, yet allowing Naji to veto political decisions.

2001
May: PFLP-GC admitted to smuggling more than 40 tons of weapons and explosives into the territories occupied by Israel via a Libyan-registered yacht. "This cargo that we sent will not be the last," said Jibril, adding that the goal was "to create a sort of balance of terror between us and the enemy."

2002
April 4: PFLP-GC guerrillas fired several 107-mm rockets at an Israeli radar station in the Golan Heights.

May 20: PFLP-GC leader Jihad Jibril was killed when a bomb detonated under his car in Beirut.

2004
June: American intelligence officials said that Syria had halted propaganda by the PFLP-GC and other groups, though Damascus was reportedly still being used as a base for terrorist planning and attacks.

2005
October: Lebanon sent thousands of extra troops to its border with Syria to cut down on infiltration and smuggling by the PFLP-GC. The Lebanese National Security Council said the move was needed because the PFLP-GC was bolstering its presence in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley.

2006
May: Noting the recent growth of PFLP-GC and other Palestinian militant groups, Lebanese political factions accused Syria of supplying the militants with weapons and called for their disarmament and return to refugee camps. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has insisted the groups be disarmed through negotiations rather than by force.

2007
May: During fighting with Fatah al-Islam criminal forces, the Lebanese military also ran into PFLP-GC guerrillas in Nahr El-Bared who had joined in the fighting. The PFLP-GC members surrendered after they were surrounded by Lebanese troops.

May 29: The PFLP-GC enhanced its deployments at the Jubaylat 'Ayn al-Bayda, Wadi Hashmash and Jabal al-Mu'aysarah outposts. A 12-barrel covered rocket launcher was set up near the entrance to the Jubaylah tunnel and personnel were observed to be carrying new M-16 rifles. Several incidents involving the movement of jeep-type vehicles from Syria to militant camps were reported during May.

June: An influx of PFLP-GC personnel, estimated between age 16 and 25, entered Lebanon from Syria traveling towards Jabal al-Mu'aysarah. PFLP-GC militants also conducted surveillance activities from their positions at Jubaylat 'Ayn al-Bayda, Jabal al-Mu'aysarah and Wadi Hashmash. Weaponry, including rocket launchers and small arms, were prepared for use.

July: Syria and Iran jointly reaffirmed their support of militant Palestinian groups during a meeting of Iranian President Ahmadinejad with Syrian President Bashar al-Asad. During the visit, Ahmadinejad also met with Palestinian terrorist groups, including two separate meetings with the leaders of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and a collective meeting with leaders of PFLP, PFLP-GC, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Fatah al-Intifada.

Aug. 3: Ya Libnan, an English-language media outlet, reported four explosions at the PFLP-GC’s Qussaya base, located in the eastern Bekaa valley, east of Beirut. That same day, the U.N. Security Council expressed its concern for violations of the arms embargo around Lebanon. The council also said it received information from the Lebanese government regarding "the dangerous activities of armed elements and groups, in particular PFLP-GC and Fatah Intifada." The U.N. reiterated its call for the disbanding and disarmament of all militias and armed groups in Lebanon.

2008
April: Local reports by villagers indicated that Syrian troops were reinforcing PFLP-GC cadres at remote militant camps in Lebanon. According to the reports, militants imported additional weapons from Syria to at least one such camp in the Bekaa Valley. A PFLP-GC representative denied the reports and said that there had been little change in the camps for many years. Palestinian refugees are legally confined to designated centers in Lebanon.

2009
January 5: PFLP-GC leader Ahmed Jibril threatened to open up new military fronts against Israel if the war in Gaza escalated.

Jan 8: A militant force of 150 members of the PFLP-GC from Syria infiltrated the northern refugee camp of Beddawi and the coastal town of Naameh south of Beirut. The group also set up rocket launchers and anti-aircraft guns. PFLP-GC members implemented significant protection measures outside their headquarters in Luci and Sultan Yaqoub, reportedly to counter a potential Israeli landing. On the same day, three Katyusha rockets were launched from southern Lebanon at Nahariya, a city in northern Israel. The attack caused minor damage and injuries. Israel suggested that PFLP-GC was responsible; a group spokesman neither confirmed nor denied the attack. The PFLP-GC had reportedly been active in the area where the rockets were launched.

January 27: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad discussed recent developments with leaders of various Palestinian support groups in the wake of Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip. Israel's actions followed numerous rocket attacks launched from Gaza into Israel. Al-Assad praised the resistance and the cooperation among factions. The leaders of the groups, which included PFLP-GC and Hamas, publicly thanked Syria for its support.