Nadene Goldfoot
Armed Lebanese conflict linked to the siege of nearby Gaza saw Israeli air strikes across Lebanon and a ground invasion by Israeli forces in 2024. Lebanese civilians struggling to recover from that conflict are again being severely affected in early March 2026.
Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Shia militant group designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, has entrenched itself in Lebanon by operating as both a political party and a powerful armed militia. Since 1992, it has participated in the government while maintaining an independent arsenal, often overriding state authority, controlling areas like southern Lebanon, and acting as an Iranian proxy.
Lebanese fighters, primarily from the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, have been actively engaged in conflicts along the Israel-Lebanon border in "solidarity" with Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. While not directly operating as a large force within Gaza, Hezbollah, with estimated tens of thousands of fighters, is a major military force threatening Israel from the north.
Lebanon has faced crisis after crisis in recent years, including
an influx of refugees from the Syrian civil war. The Syrian Civil War began in March 2011, stemming from pro-democracy protests that escalated into an armed conflict after the government crackdown on demonstrators. The conflict intensified into a full-scale civil war by 2012 and lasted for over a decade, with major shifts in power, foreign intervention, and the eventual collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024.
the Beirut port blast in 2020, The August 4, 2020, Beirut port blast was caused by the detonation of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored improperly at Warehouse 12, killing over 220 people. Investigations point to criminal negligence by senior Lebanese political and security officials who were aware of the dangerous material, with no single party officially charged as of 2025
a cholera outbreak in 2022,
and an ongoing economic crisis that has resulted in skyrocketing poverty and the collapse of essential public services. Public services in Lebanon have collapsed due to a severe economic crisis, hyperinflation, corruption, and political gridlock, with the lira losing over 98% of its value. The state cannot afford to maintain infrastructure, leading to massive shortages in electricity, water, healthcare, and education.the people. They, because of their demonstrations, have also lost theirElectricity, water, etc but have also been mowed down by the governmentlosing over 30,000 of these young people.
Does this what used to be a state of Lebanon have a president? Joseph Aoun is the President of Lebanon, taking office on January 9, 2025, after a two-year presidential vacuum. In 2015, Aoun was appointed commander of the 9th Brigade deployed on the border with Israel. Two years later in March 2017, he was officially appointed commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, replacing Jean Kahwaji. During this time, Aoun gained national popularity due to his leadership style and his role in fighting terrorists groups like Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front.
President Michel Aoun Lebanese politician and former general who served as the 13th president of Lebanon from 31 October 2016 to 30 October 2022. Since 2022, Joseph Aoun was consistently reported as one of the possible presidential candidates to succeed President Michel Aoun in the presidential election. Joseph Aoun, who became president of Lebanon in January 2025, is not related to his predecessor, Michel Aoun. Although they share the same Lebanese Maronite Christian surname and both served as military leaders before becoming president, they are distinct individuals with no family connection. I doubt if they've had an genetic testing, however. The Aoun surname is a common and established family name in Lebanon, particularly prevalent among the Christian population. It is frequently cited as one of the notable family names in the country, often linked to prominent political and social figures in Lebanese society.
A former Lebanese Army Commander (2017–2025), he is a 61-year-old Maronite Christian who assumed the role following a parliament election, becoming the 14th president. Aoun is not the old guardian Christian Marionite I used to know of.
I am referring to Major Saad Haddad, a Christian Maronite officer in the Lebanese Army who broke away to form the Free Lebanon Army (later the South Lebanon Army) with support from Israel.Role: He guarded Israel's northern border from Palestinian fedayeen and later Hezbollah attacks, creating a "security belt" in southern Lebanon, collaborating closely with the Israel Defense Forces.
Saad Haddad was the first officer to defect from the Lebanese Army to ally himself with Israel, a defection which led to the formation of the pro-Israel Free Lebanon Army, based in a corridor, the "Security Zone" along Lebanon's southern border from 1982 after Israel's invasion of Lebanon. This force, which called itself the Free Lebanon Army (but was later renamed the South Lebanon Army (SLA) under leader Antoine Lahad in May 1980), was intended to prevent infiltration into Israel of Palestinian guerrillas. In 1978, Israel invaded Lebanon, clearing out Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) strongholds as far north as the Litani River.
At the start of the Lebanese Civil War, the Phalanges were a member of the Lebanese Front, allied with Syria against the leftist National Movement. However, Syria became their enemy, while they started receiving the support of Israel. This phase saw the rise of Amine's brother, Bachir, who had disputes with Amine about the military leadership, such as uniting the Christian militias by force.
President Bachir Gemayel of Lebanon
In 1982 Bachir was elected to presidency but was assassinated before taking office on the same day. Gemayel is described as the most controversial figure in the history of Lebanon. He remains popular among Maronite Christians, where he is seen as a "martyr" and an "icon". Conversely, he has been criticized for committing alleged war crimes and accused of treason for his relations with Israel.
DEATH: On 14 September 1982, Gemayel was addressing fellow Phalangists at their headquarters in Achrafieh for the last time as their leader and for the last time as commander of the Lebanese Forces. At 4:10 PM, a bomb was detonated, killing Gemayel and 26 other Phalange politicians. The first testimonies stated that Gemayel had left the premises on foot or in an ambulance (bearing the number 90). A report from a hospital came to say he had just arrived. Then the commander of military intelligence Jonny Abdu reported that Bachir Gemayel had been taken to a hospital in Haifa by helicopter. The search and rescue teams on the field were unable to find him or his body. His body was finally identified five and a half hours after the explosion by a Mossad agent in a church close to the site of the explosion where the dead were being collected. The face on the body was unrecognizable; he was identified by the white-gold wedding ring he was wearing and two letters he was carrying addressed to Bachir Gemayel. It was concluded that he had been one of the first people moved to the church after the explosion. Rumors persisted that Gemayel had survived, until it was confirmed the following morning by the Lebanese Prime Minister Shafik Wazzan that he had indeed been killed in the attack. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation blamed the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) for the attack.
September 14, 1982
The news of the cowardly assassination of Bashir Gemayel, President-elect of Lebanon, is a shock to the American people and to civilized men and women everywhere. This promising young leader had brought the light of hope to Lebanon. We condemn the perpetrators of this heinous crime against Lebanon and against the cause of peace in the Middle East. Our deepest sympathy goes to Mrs. Bashir Gemayel and their son, the entire Gemayel family, to President Elias Sarkis, to his government, and to the people of Lebanon. We join with them in mourning.
The tragedy will be all the greater if men of good will in Lebanon and in countries friendly to Lebanon permit disorder to continue in this war-torn country. This must not happen. The United States Government stands by Lebanon with its full support in this hour of need.
Note: President-elect Gemayel was killed by a bomb explosion at his Beirut headquarters.
- Commander-in-Chief: Lieutenant General Ibrahim Tannous (8 Dec 1982 – 22 Jun 1984).
- Context: The army was heavily involved in reconstructing its brigades during the Mountain War (Lebanon) - Wikipedia.
- Note: This refers to the official national army, not the separate Christian militia known as the "Lebanese Forces."
In 1983, Aoun joined the Lebanese Armed Forces and mainly received military training abroad in Syria and the United States, where he underwent counter-terrorism in 2008, and also in 2013 in Lebanon. In 1990, Aoun served in the Lebanese Commando Regiment in the Lebanese Armed Forces and participated in the War of Elimination where he fought for Michel Aoun. The commander of the unit, Bassam Gergi, was killed, and thus Aoun took over and became the commander. In 2015, Aoun was appointed commander of the 9th Brigade deployed on the border with Israel.
The Lebanese Army, under Aoun's direction, was tasked with confiscating weapons and dismantling unauthorized military facilities in southern Lebanon. This is in line with the ceasefire agreement following the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah conflict, which requires the army to extend state authority and remove all unauthorized arms caches and outposts, regardless of the group controlling them.
On March 2, 2026, following the 2026 Iran conflict, Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel, causing Israel to retaliate and conduct airstrikes against the organization in Lebanon. He condemned the attacks of Hezbollah on Israel, saying they undermine Lebanon’s efforts to avoid dangerous confrontations and pull the country into broader regional wars. He later stated that a recent Cabinet decision gives the Lebanese state sole authority over war and peace matters, prohibiting any illegal military or security actions. He stated that the Lebanese Army and security forces are tasked with enforcing this decision nationwide. Aoun also urged the Quintet committee to pressure Israel to stop attacks on Lebanon and reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to ceasefire provisions while expressing readiness to resume negotiations with civilian and international involvement. The Quintet Committee on Lebanon is a five-nation diplomatic group comprising the United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar. Formed to address Lebanon's severe political and economic crises, the group focuses on breaking the presidential deadlock, supporting the Lebanese Army, and encouraging structural reforms.
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