After both Lebanon and Syria gained independence from the French in the 1940s, they maintained their own autonomy (although Syria did not officially recognize Lebanon's independence until 2008[12]) until 1976 when Syria occupied Lebanon as part of the Arab Deterrent Force under the premise of resolving the dispute of the Lebanese civil war.[2] Although Taif Accord was signed in 1989, putting an official end to the civil war, Syrian forces remained in Lebanon.