BBC Lebanon Guide

BBC's quick guide to Hezbollah.

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BBC - Tuesday, 22 August 2006, 12:40 GMT 13:40 UK

Quick guide: Hezbollah

photo: Hezbollah has significant popular support in Lebanon

Hezbollah - or the Party of God - is a powerful political and military organisation of Shia Muslims in Lebanon.

Who are they?

The group was formed - with financial backing from Iran - in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.

It has become the most powerful military force in Lebanon, but also has a parliamentary party with MPs, and has held seats in the cabinet.

The group's military wing, the Islamic Resistance, is believed to have 500-600 full time, highly trained and motivated fighters.

Some estimates put the number as high as 1,200, with the ability to call on several thousand less experienced "reserves".

During the 2006 conflict in Lebanon, Hezbollah showed that they are armed with rockets that can reach deep into northern Israel.

What do they want?

Hezbollah was formed primarily to offer military resistance to the Israeli occupation.

Initially, it proposed an Iranian-style Islamic state, although this was later abandoned in favour of a more inclusive approach.

The group calls for the destruction of the state of Israel. It regards the whole of Palestine as occupied Muslim land and it argues that Israel has no right to exist.
It also demands the release of prisoners from Lebanon who are being held in Israeli jails.

Who supports them?

The Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000 won Hezbollah the respect of many Lebanese.

It has built broad support by providing social services and health care. The group also has an influential TV station, al-Manar.

Hezbollah is believed to receive military training, weapons and explosives, as well as diplomatic and financial support, from Iran. Syria provides diplomatic, political, and logistical support.

Who doesn't?

The US and Israel view Hezbollah as a terrorist group. Its members were involved in kidnapping westerners and in attacks on foreign troops who were based in Lebanon during the civil war.

The UK says the military wing of Hezbollah is a terrorist group, but not the political side of the organisation.

UN Security Council resolutions call for armed militia groups like Hezbollah to disarm.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5262484.stm

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BBC - Sunday, 25 May 2008 21:20 UK

Q&A: Lebanon crisis deal

Rival faction leaders have signed a deal to tackle outstanding disagreements between the Western-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition which has the backing of Syria and Iran. The BBC's Martin Asser explains developments.

What does the deal involve?

Hezbollah, Lebanon's strongest armed group and main representative of the large Shia Muslim minority, had been insisting on a share of political power to reflect its importance in Lebanon's multi-confessional sectarian make-up.

It has secured a blocking minority in a new unity cabinet and changes in election laws that could mean it is better represented in its stronghold in southern Beirut.

The deal brokered by a Qatari-led committee of Arab states gives the government 16 seats in cabinet and the opposition 11 - more than enough for the one-third-plus-one-vote needed for a cabinet veto on government decisions. Three ministers will be appointed by the president.

The deal also tackles the issue of Hezbollah's weapons - a vital tool of resistance the group says, but a dangerous and destabilising factor according to its critics.

No armed group will be permitted to use weapons in any internal conflict - an important commitment after street fighting earlier in May that left 65 people dead.

Has the deal yielded any immediate political progress?

It paved the way for the election of army chief Michel Suleiman as president. The consensus candidate was finally elected after 19 previous parliamentary sessions were postponed because of the political impasse.

He fills an important constitutional position vacant since Emile Lahoud left office in November 2007.

Hezbollah and its allies, including Maronite Christian and Sunni Muslim elements, have ended their occupation of central Beirut that has brought life in the vibrant city centre almost to a standstill.

These are just the first steps, however, as Lebanon still faces fundamental problems which need to be solved.

What are the main obstacles ahead?

The new government must decide whether to co-operate with the court being set up by the UN to try suspects in the killing in 2005 of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The issue causes sharp division between the pro-Syrian opposition and the anti-Syrian bloc led by Mr Hariri's son, Saad, which blames Syria for his death and for subsequent assassinations.

A possible future peace deal with Israel could be a major bone of contention. Hezbollah revels in resisting militarily what it sees as an occupier and violator of Lebanese sovereignty. But Hezbollah is blamed by critics for provoking disastrous and unnecessarily confrontation with Israel.

The anti-Syrian bloc will be unlikely to drop its call for the disarmament of militias, in particular Hezbollah, as demanded by UN resolution 1559.

There is a great need to sort out relations with Syria - Lebanon's saviour after the 1975-90 civil war, but forced out by popular protests following Mr Hariri's assassination.

Lebanon's economy, with all the other challenges the country faces, has suffered terribly in the last three years and needs drastic treatment and an end to internal strife for it to recover.

Are there any winners or losers?

Clearly Hezbollah's military superiority and organisational strength has been reflected in important gains on the political front.

Now it needs to rebuild its reputation for sectarian and political magnanimity, established in the period after it drove the Israeli occupation out of southern Lebanon in 2000, but which it has lost in the aftermath of the 2006 war.

But the affront felt by government supporters after opposition militiamen took over the streets of west Beirut on 9 May could rankle for many years - it may be a scar that never heals.

Leaders of the governing bloc, strongly backed by the US and Saudi Arabia, are describing the deal as a victory for Lebanese unity, though they have come off second best.

The US has accepted the deal, but it remains to be seen how long it will tolerate the presence of Hezbollah, which it brands a terrorist organisation, in the government.

For the moment, unless the new accord quickly disintegrates, Qatar can boast about a major diplomatic success. Lebanon's fiendishly complicated history of conflict has confounded many efforts to find solutions before now.

Can the deal hold?

It is often said the leaders of Lebanon's various sectarian-dominated factions know well that they would lose more than they would gain in any new civil war.

Nervous Lebanese have been desperate for them to come back with a deal to end a frightening period that sometimes looked like the brink of civil war.

These factors may be what led the leaders to set aside the vicious accusations and searing rhetoric of recent months and sort out their current differences in a civilised way in Doha.

However, the new deal does not solve the fundamental questions of Lebanon's political system, which gives the presidency to a Maronite Christian and the premiership to a Sunni Muslim - despite the growing power of the Shia Muslim constituency.

Nor is it likely to remove that other bane of Lebanon's history - that it is the place where foreign powers - Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the US, and others - fight out their battles at the expense of the Lebanese.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7412543.stm

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BBC - Friday, 7 November 2008

Country profile: Lebanon

One of the most complex and divided countries in the region, Lebanon has been on the fringes, and at times at the heart, of the Middle East conflict surrounding the creation of Israel.

Since a resurgence of hostilities in 2006, when Israel launched a major military campaign against the Lebanon-based Shia Muslim armed group Hezbollah, the country has struggled to regain the relative stability it enjoyed after the 1975-1990 civil war.

A small, mountainous country, Lebanon was under French mandate until independence in 1943. Its population is a mixture of Christian sects, Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, Druze and others, having been a refuge for the region's persecuted minorities.

Government structures are divided between the various groups. Lebanon has also seen several large influxes of Palestinian refugees, most of whom have limited legal status.

From 1975 until the early 1990s Lebanon suffered a bloody civil war in which regional powers - particularly Israel, Syria and the Palestine Liberation Organisation - used the country as a battlefield for their own conflicts.

Syrian troops moved in shortly after the war started. Israeli troops invaded in 1978 and again in 1982 before pulling back to a self-declared "security zone" in the south from which they withdrew in May 2000.

Syria exerts considerable political clout in Lebanon, although it withdrew its troops in 2005, ending a 29-year military presence.

This followed the assassination in Beirut of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. Lebanese opposition groups accused Syria of involvement; Damascus denied the charge. Huge pro- and anti-Syria rallies were held in Beirut, triggering the government's downfall and the Syrian pullout.

The UN has demanded the dismantling of all armed groups in Lebanon, including Palestinian militias and the military wing of Hezbollah, a powerful Shia Muslim movement which controls much of southern Lebanon and enjoys Syrian and Iranian support.

When Hezbollah militia captured two Israeli soldiers in a raid in July 2006, Israel responded with a 34-day military offensive and a blockade. Around 1,000 Lebanese, most of them civilians, were killed. The damage to civilian infrastructure was wide-ranging.

International peacekeepers were drafted in to help police a UN-brokered ceasefire. But Hezbollah's leader has rejected calls for the movement to disarm and political divisions in Beirut cloud the issue of what should be done about the group's military presence in the south.

With its high literacy rate and traditional mercantile culture, Lebanon has traditionally been an important commercial hub for the Middle East.

AT-A-GLANCE

A country full of promise after civil war between 1975 and 1990, Lebanon was again hit by war in 2006

Politics: A power-sharing deal ensures political representation for all major religious blocs; Hezbollah is a major military and political force - strong enough to resist being crushed in the 2006 war with Israel

International: An expanded multinational UN peacekeeping force is being deployed to police a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon

Facts

Full name: The Lebanese Republic
Population: 4.1 million (UN, 2007)
Capital: Beirut
Area: 10,452 sq km (4,036 sq miles)
Major language: Arabic
Major religions: Islam, Christianity
Life expectancy: 70 years (men), 74 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Lebanese pound (or lira) = 100 piastres
Main exports: Foodstuffs and tobacco
GNI per capita: US $5,770 (World Bank, 2007)
Internet domain: .lb
International dialling code: +961

POLITICAL PARTIES

March 14 - Coalition which holds a slim parliamentary majority; pro-west members pushed for exit of Syrian forces; named after mass demonstrations that followed killing of ex-premier Rafik Hariri
Hezbollah - Shia political party with a militant wing that resisted the might of Israel in the war of July 2006; seeks bigger role in government
Amal - Pro-Syrian Shia political party led by parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri; allied with Hezbollah
Free Patriotic Movement - Largely Christian party which constitutes the main opposition; led by former army chief Michel Aoun; has ties with Hezbollah

President: Michel Suleiman

The Lebanese parliament finally elected General Michel Suleiman as president in May 2008 after six months of political stalemate that followed the departure of the previous president, Emile Lahoud, in November 2007.

The agreement that paved the way for his election ended some of the worst factional violence since Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.

As mounting clashes raised fears of a renewed civil war, the Western-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition agreed on General Suleiman - the head of the country's armed forces - as a compromise candidate.

On taking office, the new president hailed the opening of a new phase in Lebanese history, saying that his fellow countrymen had "refused to succumb to self-destruction".

General Suleiman stood unopposed for the presidency, and is widely seen as a unifying figure, whose apparent neutrality has earned him the respect of both sides of the political divide. He is credited with having kept the army on the sidelines in times of political crisis.

He is a Maronite Christian, and so his election also met the requirement of Lebanon's complex power-sharing system that the presidency should be held by a member of that sect.

Prime minister: Fouad Siniora

Fouad Siniora was a close ally of Rafik Hariri, the former premier who was assassinated in February 2005.

He served in all five Hariri cabinets from 1992 to 2004, first as minister of state then finance minister.

Mr Siniora has taken a tough line with the Hezbollah-led opposition

He became prime minister for the first time after the anti-Syrian 14 March forces led by Hariri's son and political heir Saad won control of parliament in the 2005 elections.

His first term in office was dominated by the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, followed by a dangerous standoff with the Hezbollah-led opposition.

When the pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud resigned in November 2007 after parliament failed to reach agreement over the election of his successor, Mr Siniora announced that his cabinet would assume the powers of the presidency.

The political deadlock was resolved with the election of army chief Michel Suleiman as president in May 2008. President Suleiman reappointed Mr Siniora as prime minister and tasked him with forming a new government of national unity.

Six weeks later, the leaders of the various political factions finally reached agreement on the make-up of the government.


Fouad Siniora was born in 1943 and grew up in the southern coastal city of Sidon in a Sunni Muslim family.

He speaks fluent English and attended the American University of Beirut, where he gained an MBA. He went on to make a career in banking and finance.

His interests include Arab literature and writing poetry.

Media

Lebanon's broadcasting scene is well-developed, lively and diverse, reflecting the country's pluralism and divisions.

It was the first Arab country to permit private radio and television stations. But the government has a say over who may operate stations and whether or not they can broadcast news. Several stations are owned by leading politicians.

Press freedom body Reporters Without Borders says the media have more freedom in Lebanon than in any other Arab country, but nevertheless face "political and judicial machinations".

Most broadcasters were set up after the civil war by Muslim and Christian factions. Commercial operators Future TV and LBC attract the lion's share of the viewing audience. Take-up of satellite and cable TV is widespread.

Al-Manar TV, backed by the militant group Hezbollah, has aroused controversy. A French court banned the station's satellite channel in 2004 on the grounds of anti-Semitism. The station was targeted by Israeli air raids during military operations against Hezbollah in July 2006.

There are dozens of private radio stations. Broadcasts from BBC Arabic and Radio France Internationale are carried by partner stations.

Criticism of officials and policies is carried daily in dozens of newspapers and hundreds of periodicals. While there are no censorship laws, restrictions in press laws forbid the media from defaming the president or other heads of state and from inciting sectarian strife.

By August 2007, Lebanon had 950,000 internet users, representing 21% of the population, according to the ITU.

The press:

An-Nahar - private, Arabic daily
Al-Safir - private, Arabic daily
Al-Anwar - private, Arabic daily
Al-Mustaqbal - pro-Hariri, Arabic daily
Al-Diyar - private, Arabic daily
Daily Star - English-language
L'Orient-Le Jour - French-language

Television:

Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) - commercial, market leader and pan-regional broadcaster; channels comprise LBC Sat, LBC Europe, LBC Sat America, LBC Sat Australia and LBC Nagham
Future TV - commercial; channels comprise Future International, Future News and Future TV USA; owned by Hariri family
Tele-Liban - state-run
Al-Manar (The Beacon) TV - pro-Hezbollah

Radio:

Voice of Lebanon - established commercial station
Radio Liban - state-run
Sawt al-Ghad (Voice of Tomorrow) - commercial
Delta FM - commercial
Radio One - commercial

News agency:

Lebanese National News Agency - state-run

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/791071.stm

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