Your Squiz Shortcut to Lebanon and Hezbollah

As the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continues to unfold, one major question is whether Israel’s northern neighbour Lebanon will be dragged into the war by Hezbollah, the anti-Israel Islamic militant group that’s based there. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll take a quick look at:

• The history of Lebanon and its political system

• The origins of Hezbollah

• Why Israel and the US are worried about a spreading conflict.

⏱️ Reading time: 8 minutes

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Where does this story start?
To understand the current state of Lebanon, it’s helpful to go back to ancient times… Lebanon is in a part of the world between Europe, Asia, and Africa, which means that as empires rose and fell, many had their hands on the territory of Lebanon at some point in history.

Like who?
Alexander the Great ruled this part of the world, and then it was the Romans, followed by the Ottomans. And the important thing about these various influences is that a lot of religious communities call Lebanon home.

What do you mean?
Alexander the Great brought Greek influences, the Roman Empire brought Christians to the region, and the Ottoman Empire brought Muslim communities to this same location. 

Sounds like a real melting pot…
Exactly. And that’s the situation that Lebanon found itself in after WWI when the international community handed over control of the region to France.

When did that happen?
That was in 1920, and that’s considered the start date for modern Lebanon. But French control doesn’t last. By the time WWII came around there was a local movement in Lebanon for independence, and with France focused on fighting Germany, Lebanon gained independence in 1943.

So Lebanon is independent – what happens next?
It adopts a rare form of government called confessionals. What it means is that the power of government is split up proportionally between the different religions.

What does confessionalism look like in Lebanon?
By convention, the president is Maronite Christian, the PM is Sunni Muslim, the speaker of parliament is Shia Muslim, and the deputy speaker is Greek Orthodox.

Fascinating…
That’s not all that happened in Lebanon in the 1940s. In 1948 (aka the year that Israel was founded), war in the region also saw about 100,000 Palestinians flee from Israeli territory into southern Lebanon. From there, historians say that Lebanon enjoyed about 2 decades of stability, but tensions between the different religions were brewing, and in 1975, civil war broke out.

What happened?
The fighting spilt over Lebanon’s borders with attacks on Israeli citizens on Israeli soil. That saw Israel go to war against Lebanon in 1982, and in response to that, a new militant Islamic group formed called Hezbollah.

Hezbollah is a familiar name…
Yep, it’s the anti-Israel terror group that is threatening to join the war this time around. As for its formation, former Israeli PM Ehud Barak said it was Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in that war “that created Hezbollah.”

What has happened in Lebanon since?
It’s been one political and economic crisis after another... In recent times there were massive protests in Beirut (the capital of Lebanon) in 2019 calling for an end to corruption and reforms to the political system.

Wasn’t there also a port explosion?
Yep. In 2020, a huge blast at Beirut’s port destroyed big parts of the city. It’s also worth noting that the country has no president, and Lebanon is in such economic hardship that some observers say the country is close to becoming a failed state if it isn’t already.

What does that mean for the current troubles in the region?
The focus is on Hezbollah - they’re a powerful force in the region based in southern Lebanon. And since 7 October when Hamas attacked Israel, Hezbollah has been threatening to start a war on Israel’s northern border…

Why is Hezbollah making that threat?
Hezbollah is an Islamic group, and the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip are also Muslims. There’s also the influence of Iran. Iran has been a backer of Hezbollah since its beginning, and Iran is also a backer of Hamas, which is the terror group that rules Gaza.

Does Hezbollah have the power to make those kinds of threats?
Let’s put it this way - Lebanon’s caretaker PM Najib Mikati has acknowledged that he doesn’t have the power to decide if his country goes to war – the decision is one that Hezbollah would make. 

Why’s that?
The main reason is that Hezbollah’s military arm is stronger than Lebanon’s official army. According to a report from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies from 2018, Hezbollah was “the world’s most heavily armed non-state actor”. And Israel has said that if Hezbollah attacks, it will retaliate.

Is that going to happen?
Insert shrugging lady emoji… There is a lot of concern about an expanded regional conflict, and Israel has made it clear it will fight if it comes to it. Recently, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that if Hezbollah escalates the conflict “we will return Lebanon to the Stone Age. We will not hesitate to use all our power and erode every inch of Hezbollah and Lebanon if we have to.”

Yikes…
Yep.

Is Israel preparing for war with Hezbollah?
Well, it’s ordered its civilians near that border to evacuate their homes, and Lebanese citizens have also been fleeing from the border with Israel. There are estimates that 19,000 people are already displaced within Lebanon.

Watch this space?
And cross your fingers…

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