A BRIEF HISTORICAL AND SOCIOPOLITICAL BACKGROUND ON THE WAR IN LEBANON

By Hasse-Nima Golkar

A BRIEF HISTORICAL AND SOCIOPOLITICAL BACKGROUND ON THE WAR IN LEBANON
Lebanon is a country with a complex history, marked by sectarian tensions, regional influence, and war. The country’s political system is closely tied to its geopolitical location by the Mediterranean and its multicultural and multi-religious composition, making it a battleground for larger regional power struggles, particularly between Israel and actors like Hezbollah.
Lebanon has a long history dating back to antiquity when it was inhabited by the Phoenicians, a seafaring people known for spreading the first alphabet and their trade systems around the Mediterranean. For several centuries, Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire until its collapse after World War I.
After the war, Lebanon became a French mandate under the “League of Nations” (in practice, a union of states under the guise of nations). Modern Lebanon was formed in 1920 and officially gained independence from France in 1943.
One of the most significant events in Lebanon’s modern history is the 15-year civil war (1975–1990). The conflict had several causes, including tensions between the country’s different religious and political groups and the involvement of regional actors like Syria and Israel. The civil war led to the collapse of the country’s infrastructure and economy, and Lebanon became an arena for conflicts between imperialist powers and militias.
The Taif Agreement of 1989 ended the civil war, and political and economic power was redistributed among the country’s religious groups. Despite this, many of the old problems persisted. The Lebanese political system became heavily sectarian, with power-sharing based on religion.
After the civil war, Syria maintained a strong military presence in Lebanon, with about 14,000 soldiers. The assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005 led to widespread public protests (March 14–April 27, 2005), known as the Cedar Revolution, which resulted in Syria withdrawing its troops after 29 years of occupation. (The cedar tree is Lebanon’s national symbol).
Lebanon’s political landscape remains sectarian, with parties often representing different religious groups. Some of the most prominent political groups include:

• Hezbollah: A Shia Muslim political and military organization founded in 1982 during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. Thanks to extensive financial support from the ruling fascist-capitalist Shia-Islamic state of Iran, Hezbollah has built significant military capabilities with around 50,000 combatants (2017). For understandable security reasons, there are no exact figures on financial support, but it is estimated to be at least 700–800 million US dollars per year, provided through the terrorist “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps” (IRGC).
• Amal Movement: Another Shia Muslim party that often cooperates with Hezbollah.
• Progressive Socialist Party (PSP): A Druze party led by Walid Jumblatt.
• Kataeb Party (Phalangists): A Maronite Christian party with a strong nationalist stance.
• Free Patriotic Movement (FPM): A Maronite Christian party founded by Michel Aoun, which has had close ties to Hezbollah.
• Future Movement: A Sunni Muslim party founded by the assassinated Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, now led by his son Saad Hariri.
• Lebanese Forces (LF), part of the Christian right-wing, was previously a military organization. LF was founded by Samir Geagea during the Lebanese civil war, 1975–1990. Historically, LF has been an opponent of Hezbollah, particularly due to Hezbollah’s close ties with the Shia Islamic regime in Iran and its dominance in Lebanese politics. In many cases, LF has taken a pro-Western and anti-Iranian stance, which in some contexts has led to them being seen as potential allies of Israel.
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The Lebanese political system is designed to reflect the country’s religious diversity, with the president being a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the parliament a Shia Muslim.
Lebanon has also experienced several conflicts with Israel, primarily due to Hezbollah’s presence in southern Lebanon. After the state of Israel was established in 1948, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled to Lebanon, leading to several Israeli invasions, especially in 1978 and 1982.
One of the most well-known conflicts was the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, which lasted for 34 days and resulted in significant losses and destruction in Lebanon.
Today’s conflict is mainly focused on Hezbollah’s role as an armed actor in Lebanon, its hostility towards Israel, and the geopolitical alliances in the region, particularly with the dictatorial powers in Iran and Syria.
Besides being a militia, Hezbollah is also a political party that participates in Lebanon’s parliament and governments. They have strong support among many Shia Muslims in Lebanon, particularly due to their resistance against Israel and the social welfare programs they run.
Lebanon is currently suffering from yet another civil war under severe socio-economic and political conditions. Our self-organized Lebanese comrades within the Federation of Anarchism Era expressed in a text their deep concern over Israel’s indiscriminate bombings of residential areas in southern Lebanon and the capital’s outskirts, which have resulted in hundreds of deaths and over a million refugees. For this reason, we support our self-organized Lebanese anarchist comrades in Lebanon and stand in solidarity with them in the struggle against the imperialist war in the Middle East, especially in Palestine and Lebanon.