At the start of the Battle of Tel al-Zaatar, the Kataeb’s military commander, William Hawi, was killed in action. On the same day, Bachir Gemayel was elected head of the Kataeb Security Council.

The Tel al-Zaatar operation was carried out by six different militias: Al-Tanzim, the Tigers, the Kataeb, the Guardians of the Cedars, the Lebanese Youth Movement, and the Infantry and Artillery Units of the Lebanese Army composed of Christian officers, led by Major Fouad Malik.

The attack was coordinated through a joint military command council that included Bachir Gemayel and Fouad Roukoz (Kataeb), Dany Chamoun and Nabil Karam (Tigers), Fawzi Mahfouz (Al-Tanzim), and Etienne Sakr (Guardians of the Cedars).