Who controls Lebanon?

Confronting Hezbollah would be an 'automatic recipe for civil war' within the highly sectarian state

Infographic illustration of Lebanese politicians, parliament building, list of political parties and map
Lebanese politics is 'characterised by a corrupt, sectarian structure', dominated by Hezbollah's outsized influence
(Image credit: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images)

A year of escalating violence between Hezbollah and Israel has exposed Lebanon's ineffectiveness as a state. While Hezbollah's militia is a designated terrorist organisation, and the world's biggest non-state army, the Iran-backed movement's political wing is the dominant force in the complex power-sharing arrangement of Lebanese politics.

The growing threat of an Israeli ground invasion into southern Lebanon, Hezbollah's stronghold, has put the Lebanese government's capacity to respond in the event of all-out war under scrutiny.

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Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs, gender equality and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour”. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London, and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021.