Elie Hobeika was born in Kleiat in the Kessruan in 1956. He had stopped school at the age of 16. When the war broke out Hobeika joined a crack unit of the Phalange and by 1977 he was commander of the southern sector of Lebanon. In the early stages of the war he was known as Edward and then as H.K, after a machine gun called a 'Heckler and Koch' which he used in the battle of Beirut and the Karantina in 1978. During a lull in the fighting, he was placed briefly at the Banco Di Brazil in Beirut in 1978 as an office boy. As fighting erupted again he went back to the lines and was promoted to head of the third division of the Phalange incharge of special operations and in 1979 promoted to security chief of the Lebanese Forces as head of Intelligence.
Hobeika married Gina Raymond Nachaty in 1981. He had a baby girl Sabine in 81, and she died in tragic circumstances in 1982. He had a boy Joseph in 1983.
In 1982 he commanded the massacre of Sabra and Chatila.
As  support for the Lebanese Forces started to decline in 1983 Samir Geagea, Karim Pakradouni, and Elie Hobeika forced the resignation of the then commander of the Lebanese Forces, Fouad Abu Nadir. Elie Hobeika was named head of its executive committee.
On January 15, 1986, Samir Geagea led a movement that removed Elie Hobeika and due to the improprieties and, above all, to his having signed the 'Tripartite Accord' with Syria. It was strongly held that he had been actively courting Syria and betraying Lebanon. Hobieka fled to Syria where he learned English and French and took a Computer course. His few followers were stationed in Zahle. In september 1986, with Syrian and Druze support he ordered his men to attack Ashrafieh from West Beirut, and after an occupation of some streets that lasted a few hours he was totally defeated, those of his men that survived went back to Zahle and he remained in Syria.
In 1990 his men fought alongside the Syrians against General Aoun and so Hobeika was rewarded with a number of ministerial posts.
Hobeika has been implicated in a great number of murders and assisnations, including that of Dany Chamoun. In the post-war era, he became member of the parliament and remained pro-syrian. He was assassinated on January 24, 2002.

Elie Hobeika, 1956-2002