Lebanon

Katyusha rockets fired at Israeli settlements in the north, apparently provocation from the Palestinian terrorist organizations operating in Lebanon

The attack came from two sites in south Lebanon, one in the central sector and the other in the west: A number of rockets were fired at Kiriyat Shemonah from the central sector (the area around the village of Al-‘Addaisseh); there were two direct hits on two city buildings, causing property damage. Other rockets were
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The “Syrian order” in Lebanon (1975-2005): Lebanon as a Syrian satellite during the Hafez Assad régime and the weakening of Syria’s hegemony under Bashar Assad

The assassination of Rafik Hariri, the Lebanese Prime Minister who refused to toe the Syrian line, and the dramatic events following it placed the 30-year old Syrian intervention in Lebanon back on the Lebanese, Arab and international agendas. This article will both analyze Syrian interests in Lebanon and examine the main stages of Syria’s assumption
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A Tribute to Assassinated Lebanese Journalist Samir Qasir: A Brief Political Profile

On June 2, 2005 , Lebanese journalist Samir Qasir was killed 1 when a bomb exploded in his car. Qasir, who was born in 1960 and held dual Lebanese and French citizenship, had a doctorate in contemporary history of the Middle East from the Sorbonne, and had published many essays. He was one of the
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Lebanon

Lebanon is a small country with a population of only about 4.1 million. Situated on the Mediterranean Sea, Lebanon borders on Israel in the south and Syria in the east and north. It gained its independence from France on November 22, 1943. Due to Lebanon’s varied ethnic composition, its history is rife with schisms, conflicts and civil wars based on sectarian allegiances. Since its independence, Lebanon has had a unique political system of ethnic distribution with a parliamentary democracy based on ethnic-sectarian-religious representation. The most important offices are divided among the various religious groups, in accordance with the national charter of 1943.


Lebanon’s social complexity, the weakness of its central government, and the social and economic gaps between the various ethnic groups led to the rise of many armed sectarian-political militias, some of which turned to terrorism. The most prominent Shiite terrorist organization in Lebanon is Hezbollah, which was founded in the summer of 1982 during the First Lebanon War. It is not only a terrorist organization which owes its allegiance to the Iranian regime, it has also been incorporated into the Lebanese political system.


Lebanon has traditionally served as an arena for foreign forces, both Middle Eastern and international. In the past, Syria’s intervention in Lebanon was most conspicuous. Today, Iran’s intervention is most conspicuous: it provides Hezbollah in Lebanon with weapons, ammunition, financing and military training. The border between Israel and Lebanon has undergone some tense periods and several confrontations where IDF forces entered the Lebanese territory. Since the Second Lebanon War (2006), the border between Israel and Lebanon has been relatively quiet, a situation exploited by Hezbollah to advance its military buildup and intensely intervene in the civil war in Syria, under Iranian direction.