Lebanon#Environment

The name of Mount Lebanon originates from the Phoenician root {{lang|sem|lbn}} (𐤋𐤁𐤍) meaning "white", apparently from its snow-capped peaks.{{cite book |title=Placenames of the World: Origins and Meanings of the Names for 6,621 Countries, Cities, Territories, Natural Features and Historic Sites |last1=Room |first1=Adrian |edition=2nd |year=2005 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-2248-7 |pages=214–216 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M1JIPAN-eJ4C&pg=PA214 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905180538/https://books.google.com/books?id=M1JIPAN-eJ4C&pg=PA214 |archive-date=5 September 2015 |url-status=live}}{{sfn | Coogan | Smith | 2012 | p=177}} Occurrences of the name have been found in different Middle Bronze Age texts from the library of Ebla,{{cite book|title=The Oxford guide to people and places of the Bible |last1=Metzger |first1=Bruce M. |last2=Coogan |first2=Michael D. |year=2004 |publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-517610-0 |page=178}} and three of the twelve tablets of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

The name is recorded in Egypt as rmnn ({{langx|egy|𓂋𓏠𓈖𓈖𓈉}}; it had no letter corresponding to l).{{cite web| title=The Pronunciation of Ancient Egyptian| last=Ross| first=Kelley L| work=The Proceedings of the Friesian School, Fourth Series|url=http://www.friesian.com/egypt.htm| publisher=Friesian School| access-date=20 January 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125040619/http://friesian.com/egypt.htm| archive-date=25 January 2009| url-status=dead| df=dmy-all}}

The name occurs nearly 70 times in the Hebrew Bible as {{lang|he|לְבָנוֹן}} Ləḇānon.{{cite book|title=Dictionary of the ancient Near East |last1=Bienkowski |first1=Piotr |last2=Millard |first2=Alan Ralph |year=2000|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-3557-9 |page=178}}

Lebanon as the name of an administrative unit (as opposed to the mountain range) that was introduced with the Ottoman reforms of 1861 as the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate ({{langx|ar|متصرفية جبل لبنان}}; {{langx|tr|Cebel-i Lübnan Mutasarrıflığı}}), continued in the name of Greater Lebanon ({{langx|ar|دولة لبنان الكبير}} {{transliteration|ar|Dawlat Lubnān al-Kabīr}}; {{langx|fr|État du Grand Liban}}) in 1920, and eventually in the name of the sovereign Republic of Lebanon ({{langx|ar|الجمهورية اللبنانية}} {{transliteration|ar|al-Jumhūriyyah al-Lubnāniyyah}}) upon its independence in 1943.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

{{Main|History of Lebanon}}

{{Main|History of ancient Lebanon}}File:Byblos_Libanon_2003.JPG is believed to have been first occupied between 8800 and 7000 BC{{cite book |author=Garfinkel, Yosef |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6mKBAAAAMAAJ |title=Neolithic Revolution: New Perspectives on Southwest Asia in Light of Recent Discoveries on Cyprus |publisher=Oxbow Books |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-84217-132-5 |editor1=E. J. Peltenburg |chapter="Néolithique" and "Énéolithique" Byblos in Southern Levantine Context |access-date=18 January 2012 |editor2=Alexander Wasse |archive-date=16 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216215004/https://books.google.com/books?id=6mKBAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }} and continuously inhabited since 5000 BC,{{cite book |last1=Dumper |first1=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&q=byblos+continually+inhabited&pg=PA104 |title=Cities of the Middle East and North Africa |last2=Stanley |first2=Bruce E. |last3=Abu-Lughod |first3=Janet L. |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2006 |isbn=1-57607-919-8 |page=104 |quote=Archaeological excavations at Byblos indicate that the site has been continually inhabited since at least 5000 B.C. |access-date=22 July 2009 |archive-date=23 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923091024/https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&q=byblos+continually+inhabited&pg=PA104 |url-status=live }} making it among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.{{cite web |title=Byblos |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Byblos |access-date=14 March 2018 |website=Encyclopaedia Britannica |archive-date=18 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618094126/https://www.britannica.com/place/Byblos |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=30 May 2017 |title=The world's 20 oldest cities |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/galleries/The-worlds-20-oldest-cities/1old-byblos/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/galleries/The-worlds-20-oldest-cities/1old-byblos/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |access-date=14 March 2018 |newspaper=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}} It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.{{cite web |title=Byblos |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/295 |access-date=14 March 2018 |website=UNESCO |archive-date=27 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627224245/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/295 |url-status=live }}|left]]

The Natufian culture was the first to become sedentary at around 12000 BC.Lieberman D.E., [http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/paleo_0153-9345_1991_num_17_1_4538 Seasonality and gazelle hunting at Hayonim Cave : new evidence for "sedentism" during the Natufian], Paléorient, 1991, volume 17, issue 17/1, pp. 47–57

Evidence of early settlement in Lebanon was found in Byblos, considered among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The evidence dates back to earlier than 5000 BC. Archaeologists discovered remnants of prehistoric huts with crushed limestone floors, primitive weapons, and burial jars left by the Neolithic and Chalcolithic fishing communities who lived on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea over 7,000 years ago.{{cite web|url=http://destinationlebanon.gov.lb/eng/Byblos/History.asp |title=Archaeological Virtual Tours: Byblos |publisher=Destinationlebanon.gov.lb |access-date=14 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080223164318/http://destinationlebanon.gov.lb/eng/Byblos/History.asp |archive-date = 23 February 2008}}

Lebanon was part of northern Canaan, and consequently became the homeland of Canaanite descendants, the Phoenicians, a seafaring people based in the coastal strip of the northern Levant who spread across the Mediterranean in the first millennium BC.{{cite web |url=http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_lebanonphoenicians.htm |title=Lebanon in Ancient Times |publisher=About.com |date=13 April 2012 |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511150553/http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_lebanonphoenicians.htm |archive-date=11 May 2011 |url-status=live}} The most prominent Phoenician cities were Byblos, Sidon and Tyre. According to the Bible, King Hiram of Tyre collaborated closely with Solomon, supplying cedar logs for Solomon's Temple and sending skilled workers.{{Cite book |last1=Najem |first1=Tom |title=Historical Dictionary of Lebanon |last2=Amore |first2=Roy C. |last3=Abu Khalil |first3=As'ad |last4=Najem |first4=Tom |date=2021 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-5381-2043-9 |edition=2nd |series=Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East |location=Lanham Boulder New York London |pages=2–8}} The Phoenicians are credited with the invention of the oldest verified alphabet, which subsequently inspired the Greek alphabet and the Latin one thereafter.A Companion to the Ancient Greek Language, article by Roger D. Woodward (ed. Egbert J. Bakker, 2010, Wiley-Blackwell).

In the 9th century BC, Phoenician colonies, including Carthage in present-day Tunisia and Cádiz in present-day Spain, flourished throughout the Mediterranean. Subsequently, foreign powers, starting with the Neo-Assyrian Empire, imposed tribute and attacked non-compliant cities. The Neo-Babylonian Empire took control in the 6th century BC. In 539 BC, The cities of Phoenicia were then incorporated into the Achaemenid Empire by Cyrus the Great.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L7fr8WGPS_gC&pg=PA8|title=Global Security Watch—Lebanon: A Reference Handbook: A Reference Handbook|access-date=25 December 2014|isbn=9780313365799|last1=Sorenson|first1=David S.|date=12 November 2009|publisher=Abc-Clio |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012124444/https://books.google.com/books?id=L7fr8WGPS_gC&pg=PA8|archive-date=12 October 2017|url-status=live}} The Phoenician city-states were later incorporated into the empire of Alexander the Great following the siege of Tyre in 332 BCE.File:PhoenicianTrade EN.svg, trade routes and the Phoenician colony of Carthage]]

In 64 BC, the Roman general Pompey had the region of Syria annexed into the Roman Republic. The area was then split into two Imperial Provinces under the Roman Empire, Coele-Syria and Phoenice, the latter which the land of present-day Lebanon was a part of.

The region that is now Lebanon, as with the rest of Syria and much of Anatolia, became a major center of Christianity in the Roman Empire during the early spread of the faith. During the late 4th and early 5th century, a hermit named Maron established a monastic tradition focused on the importance of monotheism and asceticism near the Mediterranean mountain range known as Mount Lebanon. The monks who followed Maron spread his teachings among Lebanese in the region. These Christians became known as Maronites and moved into the mountains to avoid religious persecution by Roman authorities.{{cite book | title=From the Holy Mountain: A Journey Among the Christians of the Middle East | author=Dalrymple, William | year=1997 | publisher=Vintage Books (Random House) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jHGYvr7rkrsC | page=305 | isbn=9780307948922 | access-date=20 June 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905212200/https://books.google.com/books?id=jHGYvr7rkrsC | archive-date=5 September 2015 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all}} During the frequent Roman–Persian Wars that lasted for many centuries, the Sasanian Empire occupied what is now Lebanon from 619 till 629.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qFTHBoRvQbsC&pg=PA338|title=Colonialism|access-date=25 December 2014|isbn=9781576073353|last1=Page|first1=Melvin Eugene|last2=Sonnenburg|first2=Penny M.|year=2003|publisher=Abc-Clio |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012124706/https://books.google.com/books?id=qFTHBoRvQbsC&pg=PA338|archive-date=12 October 2017|url-status=live}}

During the 7th century, Muslims conquered Syria from the Byzantines, incorporating the region, including modern-day Lebanon, under the Islamic Caliphate.{{Cite book |last=Harris |first=William W. |title=Lebanon: A History, 600–2011 |date=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-518111-1 |edition= |series=Studies in Middle Eastern history |location=New York, N.Y |pages=3–28, 232, 247}} In the era of Uthman's caliphate (644–656), Islam gained significant influence in Damascus, led by Mu'awiya, a relative of Uthman, serving as the governor. Mu'awiya sent forces to the coastal region of Lebanon, prompting conversions to Islam among the coastal population. However, the mountainous areas retained their Christian or other cultural practices. Despite Islam and Arabic becoming officially dominant, the population's conversion from Christianity and Syriac language was gradual. The Maronite community, in particular, managed to maintain a large degree of autonomy despite the succession of rulers over Lebanon and Syria. The relative isolation of the Lebanese mountains meant the mountains served as a refuge in the times of religious and political crises in the Levant. As such, the mountains displayed religious diversity and the existence of several well-established sects and religions, notably, Maronites, Druze, Shiite Muslims, Ismailis, Alawites and Jacobites.{{cite book|last=Hitti|first=Philip|author-link=Philip K. Hitti|date=1957|title=Lebanon in History|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.53848|location=|publisher=Macmillan and Co Ltd|pages=246}}

After the Islamic conquest, Mediterranean trade declined for three centuries due to conflicts with the Byzantines. The ports of Tyre, Sidon, Beirut, and Tripoli struggled to recover, sustaining small populations under Umayyad and Abbasid rule. Christians and Jews were often obligated to pay the jizya, or poll tax levied on non-Muslims. During the 980s, the Fatimid Caliphate took control of the Levant, including Mount Lebanon, resulting in the rejuvenation of Mediterranean trade along the Lebanese coast through renewed connections with Byzantium and Italy. This resurgence saw Tripoli and Tyre flourishing well into the 11th century, focusing on exports such as textiles, sugar, and glassware.

During the 11th century, the Druze religion emerged from a branch of Shia Islam. The new religion gained followers in the southern portion of Mount Lebanon. The southern portion of Mount Lebanon was ruled by Druze feudal families till the early 14th century. The Maronite population increased gradually in Northern Mount Lebanon and the Druze have remained in Southern Mount Lebanon until the modern era. Keserwan, Jabal Amel and the Beqaa Valley was ruled by Shia feudal families under the Mamluks and the Ottoman Empire. Major cities on the coast, Sidon, Tyre, Acre, Tripoli, Beirut, and others, were directly administered by the Muslim Caliphs and the people became more fully absorbed by the Arab culture.File:Siege of Tripoli Painting (1289).jpg to the Egyptian Mamluks and destruction of the Crusader state, the County of Tripoli, 1289]]

Following the fall of Roman Anatolia to the Muslim Turks, the Byzantines put out a call to the Pope in Rome for assistance in the 11th century. The result was a series of wars known as the Crusades launched by the Franks from Western Europe to reclaim the former Byzantine Christian territories in the Eastern Mediterranean, especially Syria and Palestine (the Levant). The First Crusade succeeded in temporarily establishing the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the County of Tripoli as Roman Catholic Christian states along the coast.{{cite book | author=Hillenbrand, Carole | publisher=Psychology Press | year=2000 | title=The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives | isbn=978-1-57958-354-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UalnoF5MBHMC | pages=20–21 | access-date=20 June 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905174853/https://books.google.com/books?id=UalnoF5MBHMC | archive-date=5 September 2015 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all}} These crusader states made a lasting impact on the region, though their control was limited, and the region returned to full Muslim control after two centuries following the conquest by the Mamluks.

Among the most lasting effects of the Crusades in this region was the contact between the Franks (i.e., the French) and the Maronites. Unlike most other Christian communities in the Eastern Mediterranean, who swore allegiance to Constantinople or other local patriarchs, the Maronites proclaimed allegiance to the Pope in Rome. As such the Franks saw them as Roman Catholic brethren. These initial contacts led to centuries of support for the Maronites from France and Italy, even after the fall of the Crusader states in the region.

{{see also|Mount Lebanon Emirate|Sidon Eyalet|Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate}}File:DeirAlQamar-FakhredinePalace.jpg, 17th century|left]]

In 1516, Lebanon became part of the Ottoman Empire, with governance administered indirectly through local emirs.{{Cite book |last1=Najem |first1=Tom |title=Historical Dictionary of Lebanon |last2=Amore |first2=Roy C. |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-5381-2043-9 |edition=2nd |series= |location=Lanham Boulder New York London |pages=xxi-xxxv, 2–9 |chapter=Chronology; Introduction}} Lebanon's area was organized into provinces: Northern and Southern Mount Lebanon, Tripoli, Baalbek and Beqaa Valley, and Jabal Amil.

In 1590, Druze tribal leader Fakhr al-Din II succeeded Korkmaz in southern Mount Lebanon and quickly asserted his authority as the paramount emir of the Druze in the Shouf region. Eventually, he was appointed Sanjak-bey, overseeing various Ottoman sub-provinces and tax collection. Expanding his influence extensively, he even constructed a fort in Palmyra.{{cite book |author=Gorton, T.J. |title=Renaissance Emir |date=25 April 2013 |publisher=Quartet Books |isbn=9780704372979 |pages=160–161}} However, this expansion raised concerns for Ottoman Sultan Murad IV, leading to a punitive expedition in 1633. Fakhr al-Din II was captured, imprisoned for two years, and subsequently executed in April 1635, along with one of his sons.{{cite book |author=Gorton, T.J. |title=Renaissance Emir |date=25 April 2013 |publisher=Quartet Books |isbn=9780704372979 |pages=195–210}} Surviving members of his family continued to govern a reduced area under closer Ottoman supervision until the late 17th century. On the death of the last Maan emir, various members of the Shihab clan ruled Mount Lebanon until 1830.

While the history of Druze-Christian relations in Lebanon has generally been marked by harmony and peaceful coexistence,{{cite book |last=Hazran |first=Yusri |title=The Druze Community and the Lebanese State: Between Confrontation and Reconciliation |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=9781317931737 |page=32 |quote=the Druze had been able to live in harmony with the Christian}}{{cite book |last=Artzi |first=Pinḥas |title=Confrontation and Coexistence |publisher=Bar-Ilan University Press |year=1984 |isbn=9789652260499 |page=166 |quote=.. Europeans who visited the area during this period related that the Druze "love the Christians more than the other believers," and that they "hate the Turks, the Muslims and the Arabs [Bedouin] with an intense hatred.}}{{cite book |last=CHURCHILL |title=The Druzes and the Maronites |publisher=Montserrat Abbey Library |year=1862 |page=25 |quote=..the Druzes and Christians lived together in the most perfect harmony and good-will..}}{{cite book |last=Hobby |title=Near East/South Asia Report |publisher=Foreign Broadcast Information Service |year=1985 |page=53 |quote=the Druzes and the Christians in the Shuf Mountains in the past lived in complete harmony..}} there were occasional periods of tension, notably during the 1860 Mount Lebanon civil war, during which around 10,000 Christians were killed by the Druze.{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+lb0026) |title=Lebanon |work=Library of Congress Country Studies |date=December 1987 |access-date=14 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731123851/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd%2Fcstdy%3A%40field%28DOCID+lb0026%29 |archive-date=31 July 2018 |url-status=live}} Shortly afterwards, the Emirate of Mount Lebanon, which lasted about 400 years, was replaced by the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, as a result of a European-Ottoman treaty called the Règlement Organique. The Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate{{cite book | title=Beirut | publisher=University of California Press |author1=Fisk, Robert |author2=Debevoise, Malcolm |author3=Kassir, Samir | author-link=Robert Fisk | year=2010 | pages=94 | isbn=978-0-520-25668-2}}{{cite book | title=Cultural resources in Lebanon | publisher=Librarie du Liban | author=Salwa C. Nassar Foundation | year=1969 | location=Beirut | pages=74}}{{cite book | title=Lebanon: war and politics in a fragmented society | publisher=Routledge | author=Winslow, Charles | year=1996 | pages=291 | isbn=978-0-415-14403-2}} (1861–1918, {{langx|ar|متصرفية جبل لبنان }}; {{langx|tr|Cebel-i Lübnan Mutasarrıflığı}}) was one of the Ottoman Empire's subdivisions following the Tanzimat reform. After 1861 there existed an autonomous Mount Lebanon with a Christian mutasarrıf, which had been created as a homeland for the Maronites under European diplomatic pressure following the 1860 massacres. The Maronite Catholics and the Druze founded modern Lebanon in the early eighteenth century, through the ruling and social system known as the "Maronite-Druze dualism" in Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate.{{cite book|title=Syria, Iran, and Hezbollah: The Unholy Alliance and Its War on Lebanon| first=Marius|last=Deeb|year= 2013| isbn= 9780817916664|publisher=Hoover Press|quote= the Maronites and the Druze, who founded Lebanon in the early eighteenth century.}}File:Carte du Liban d'apres les reconnaissances de la Brigade Topographique du Corps Expeditionnaire de Syrie en 1860-1861.jpg,{{cite book|last=Hakim|first=Carol|title=The Origins of the Lebanese National Idea, 1840–1920|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W3asKDHYERwC&pg=PA287|access-date=2 April 2013|year=2013|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-27341-2|page=287|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621114243/http://books.google.com/books?id=W3asKDHYERwC&pg=PA287|archive-date=21 June 2013|url-status=live}} later used as a template for the 1920 borders of Greater Lebanon{{cite book|author=Firro, Kais|title=Inventing Lebanon: Nationalism and the State Under the Mandate|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zRwOcE9wJAQC&pg=PA18|access-date=2 April 2013|date=8 February 2003|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-1-86064-857-1|page=18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621074704/http://books.google.com/books?id=zRwOcE9wJAQC&pg=PA18|archive-date=21 June 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite book|author=Tetz Rooke|chapter=Writing the Boundary: "Khitat al-Shăm" by Muhammad Kurd ʹAli|editor=Hiroyuki|title=Concept Of Territory In Islamic Thought|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ykTYAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA178|date=2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-18453-6|page=178|quote=His [(Thongchai Winichakul's)] study shows that the modern map in some cases predicted the nation instead of just recording it; rather than describing existing borders it created the reality it was assumed to depict. The power of the map over the mind was great:"[H]ow could a nation resist being found if a nineteenth-century map had predicted it?" In the Middle East, Lebanon seems to offer a corresponding example. When the idea of a Greater Lebanon in 1908 was put forward in a book by Bulus Nujaym, a Lebanese Maronite writing under the pseudonym of M. Jouplain, he suggested that the natural boundaries of Lebanon were exactly the same as drawn in the 1861 and 1863 staff maps of the French military expedition to Syria, maps that added territories on the northern, eastern and southern borders, plus the city of Beirut, to the Mutasarrifiyya of Mount Lebanon. In this case, too, the prior existence of a European military map seems to have created a fact on the ground.}}|295x295px|left]]

The Baalbek and Beqaa Valley and Jabal Amel was ruled intermittently by various Shia feudal families, especially the Al Ali Alsagheer in Jabal Amel that remained in power until 1865 when Ottomans took direct ruling of the region. Youssef Bey Karam,{{Cite web|url=https://www.ehdenfamilytree.org/getperson.php?personID=I1&tree=ehden|title=Youssef KARAM, I b. May 1823 Ehden, Zgharta, Lebanon d. 7 Apr 1889 Naples, Italy: Ehden Family Tree|website=www.ehdenfamilytree.org}} a Lebanese nationalist played an influential role in Lebanon's independence during this era.

Lebanon experienced profound devastation in the First World War when the Ottoman army assumed direct control, disrupting supplies and confiscating animals, ultimately leading to a severe famine. During the war, approximately 100,000 people in Beirut and Mount Lebanon died due to starvation.{{cite web |author=Saadi, Abdul-Ilah |title=Dreaming of Greater Syria |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=12 February 2008 |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/arabunity/2008/02/2008525183842614205.html |access-date=26 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513110319/http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/arabunity/2008/02/2008525183842614205.html |archive-date=13 May 2011 |url-status=dead }}

Amidst the height of the First World War, the Sykes–Picot Agreement of 1916, a secret pact between Britain and France, delineated Lebanon and its surrounding areas as regions open to potential French influence or control. After the Allies emerged victorious in the war, the Ottoman Empire ultimately collapsed, losing control over the area. Soon after the war, Patriarch Elias Peter Hoayek, representing the Maronite Christians, successfully campaigned for an expanded territory at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, also including areas with significant Muslim and Druze populations in addition to the Christian-dominated Mount Lebanon.

In 1920, King Faisal I proclaimed the Arab Kingdom of Syria's independence and asserted control over Lebanon. However, following a defeat to the French at the Battle of Maysalun, the kingdom was dissolved. Around the same time, at the San Remo Conference, tasked with deciding the fate of former Ottoman territories, it was determined that Syria and Lebanon would fall under French rule; shortly afterward, the formal division of territories took place in the Treaty of Sèvres, signed a few months later.

On 1 September 1920, Greater Lebanon, or Grand Liban, was officially established under French control as a League of Nations Mandate, following the terms outlined in the proposed Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon. Greater Lebanon united the regions of Mount Lebanon, North Lebanon, South Lebanon, and the Bekaa, with Beirut as its designated capital.{{cite web |author=Beggiani, Chorbishop Seely |title=Aspects of Maronite History (Part Eleven) The twentieth century in Western Asia |url=http://www.stmaron.org/marhist11.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629110712/http://stmaron.org/marhist11.html |archive-date=29 June 2006 |access-date=17 January 2013 |publisher=Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn }} These specified boundaries later evolved into the present-day configuration of Lebanon. This arrangement was later ratified in July 1922. The Lebanese Republic was officially proclaimed on 1 September 1926, with the adoption of a constitution inspired by the French constitution on 23 May of the same year. While a Lebanese government was established, the country continued to be under French control.

File:French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon map en.svg and the states created in 1920]]

Lebanon gained a measure of independence while France was occupied by Germany.{{cite web|url = https://www.pbs.org/behindcloseddoors/glossary.html |website=WWII Behind Closed Doors | title = Glossary: Cross-Channel invasion| access-date = 17 October 2009| publisher = Public Broadcasting Service| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091028211604/http://www.pbs.org/behindcloseddoors/glossary.html| archive-date = 28 October 2009| url-status=dead | df = dmy-all}} General Henri Dentz, the Vichy High commissioner for Syria and Lebanon, played a major role in the independence of the nation. The Vichy authorities in 1941 allowed Germany to move aircraft and supplies through Syria to Iraq where they were used against British forces. The United Kingdom, fearing that Nazi Germany would gain full control of Lebanon and Syria by pressure on the weak Vichy government, sent its army into Syria and Lebanon.{{cite book|title=A Line in the Sand: Britain, France and the Struggle that Shaped the Middle East |publisher=Simon & Schuster |last=Barr |first=James|isbn=978-1-84983-903-7|location=London|oclc=990782374|date = 27 October 2011}}

After the fighting ended in Lebanon, General Charles de Gaulle visited the area. Under political pressure from both inside and outside Lebanon, de Gaulle recognized the independence of Lebanon. On 26 November 1941, General Georges Catroux announced that Lebanon would become independent under the authority of the Free French government. Elections were held in 1943 and on 8 November 1943 the new Lebanese government unilaterally abolished the mandate. The French reacted by imprisoning the new government. Lebanese nationalists declared a provisional government, and the British diplomatically intervened on their behalf. In the face of intense British pressure and protests by Lebanese nationalists, the French reluctantly released the government officials on 22 November 1943, and accepted the independence of Lebanon.{{Cite web |last=Barr |first=James |date=10 August 2020 |title=Who are Lebanon's real friends? |url=https://unherd.com/2020/08/who-are-lebanons-real-friends/ |access-date=17 August 2024 |website=UnHerd |language=en-GB}}File:Beirut's Martyrs' Square during celebrations marking the release by the French of Lebanon's government from Rashayya prison on November 22, 1943, the day of Lebanon's independence. Adib Ibrahim.jpg during celebrations marking the release by the French of Lebanon's government from Rashayya prison on 22 November 1943]]

Following the end of World War II in Europe the French mandate may be said to have been terminated without any formal action on the part of the League of Nations or its successor the United Nations. The mandate was ended by the declaration of the mandatory power, and of the new states themselves, of their independence, followed by a process of piecemeal unconditional recognition by other powers, culminating in formal admission to the United Nations. Article 78 of the UN Charter ended the status of tutelage for any member state: "The trusteeship system shall not apply to territories which have become Members of the United Nations, relationship among which shall be based on respect for the principle of sovereign equality."Mandates, Dependencies and Trusteeship, by H. Duncan Hall, Carnegie Endowment, 1948, pages 265–266 So when the UN officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, after ratification of the United Nations Charter by the five permanent members, as both Syria and Lebanon were founding member states, the French mandate for both was legally terminated on that date and full independence attained.{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/aboutun/unhistory/ |title=History of the United Nations |publisher=United Nations |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127033154/http://www.un.org/aboutun/unhistory/ |archive-date=27 January 2012}} The last French troops withdrew in December 1946.

Lebanon's unwritten National Pact of 1943 required that its president be Maronite Christian, its speaker of the parliament to be a Shia Muslim, its prime minister be Sunni Muslim, and the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and the Deputy Prime Minister be Greek Orthodox.{{cite web|url=http://www.usip.org/publications/lebanons-confessionalism-problems-and-prospects|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709034419/http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2006/0330_lebanon_confessionalism.html|archive-date=9 July 2008|title=Lebanon's Confessionalism: Problems and Prospects|last=Harb|first=Imad|date=March 2006|work=USIPeace Briefing|publisher=United States Institute of Peace|access-date=20 January 2009}}

Lebanon's history since independence has been marked by alternating periods of political stability and turmoil interspersed with prosperity built on Beirut's position as a regional center for finance and trade.{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/lebanon/116354.htm |title=Background Note: Lebanon |date=January 2009 |work=Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs |publisher=U.S. Department of State |access-date=31 January 2010 |archive-date=6 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306215351/https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/lebanon/116354.htm |url-status=live }}

In May 1948, Lebanon supported neighboring Arab countries in a war against Israel. While some irregular forces crossed the border and carried out minor skirmishes against Israel, it was without the support of the Lebanese government, and Lebanese troops did not officially invade.{{sfn|Morris|2008|p=524}} Lebanon agreed to support the forces with covering artillery fire, armored cars, volunteers and logistical support.{{sfn|Morris|2008|p=259}} On 5–6 June 1948, the Lebanese army – led by the then Minister of National Defense, Emir Majid Arslan – captured Al-Malkiyya. This was Lebanon's only success in the war.{{sfn|Morris|2008|p=260}}

File:Camille Chamoun com Getúlio Vargas em visita ao Brasil, 1954 (cropped).tif's presidency, Lebanon experienced economic growth.]]

100,000 Palestinians fled to Lebanon because of the war. Israel did not permit their return after the cease-fire.{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE18/010/2007 |title=Lebanon Exiled and suffering: Palestinian refugees in Lebanon |year=2007 |publisher=Amnesty International |access-date=18 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211203636/http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE18/010/2007 |archive-date=11 December 2013}} As of 2017, between 174,000 and 450,000 Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon with about half in refugee camps (although these are often decades old and resemble neighborhoods).{{cite news|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/05/2009527115531294628.html|title=Lebanon's Palestinian refugees|last=al-Issawi|first=Omar|date=4 August 2009|publisher=Al Jazeera|access-date=21 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090715083438/http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/05/2009527115531294628.html|archive-date=15 July 2009|url-status=live}} Often Palestinians are legally barred from owning property or performing certain occupations.Andrew Lee Butters [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1881651,00.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826165651/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1881651,00.html|date=26 August 2013}} "Palestinians in Lebanon: A Forgotten People", 25 February 2009, Time Magazine. According to Human Rights Watch, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon live in "appalling social and economic conditions."

In 1958, during the last months of President Camille Chamoun's term, an insurrection broke out, instigated by Lebanese Muslims who wanted to make Lebanon a member of the United Arab Republic. Chamoun requested assistance, and 5,000 United States Marines were briefly dispatched to Beirut on 15 July. After the crisis, a new government was formed, led by the popular former general Fouad Chehab.

Until the early 1970s, Lebanon was dubbed "the Switzerland of the Middle East" for its unique status as both a snow-capped holiday destination and secure banking hub for Gulf Arabs.[https://asiatimes.com/2020/02/switzerland-of-the-middle-east-unravels/ "Switzerland of the Middle East unravels"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421162802/https://asiatimes.com/2020/02/switzerland-of-the-middle-east-unravels/ |date=21 April 2023 }} AsiaTimes. 21 February 2020, Accessed 21 April 2023. Beirut was also nicknamed "the Paris of the Middle East."{{Cite book |last=Shair |first=Kamal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qj-gMqGK1YUC&pg=PA3 |title=Out of the Middle East: The Emergence of an Arab Global Business |date=28 July 2006 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-84511-271-4 |language=en |access-date=6 June 2024 |archive-date=6 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240606114522/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Qj-gMqGK1YUC&pg=PA3&redir_esc=y |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Lebanese Civil War|Syrian occupation of Lebanon|Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon}}With the 1970 defeat of the PLO in Jordan, many Palestinian militants relocated to Lebanon, increasing their armed campaign against Israel. The relocation of Palestinian bases also led to increasing sectarian tensions between Palestinians versus the Maronites and other Lebanese factions.File:Green Line, Beirut 1982.jpg that separated west and east Beirut, 1982|left]]

In 1975, following increasing sectarian tensions, largely boosted by Palestinian militant relocation into South Lebanon, a full-scale civil war broke out in Lebanon. The Lebanese Civil War pitted a coalition of Christian groups against the joint forces of the PLO, left-wing Druze and Muslim militias. In June 1976, Lebanese President Élias Sarkis asked for the Syrian Army to intervene on the side of the Christians and help restore peace.{{cite book|last1=Toaldo|first1=Mattia|title=The Origins of the US War on Terror: Lebanon, Libya and American intervention in the Middle East|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0415685016|page=45|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c_gePvKuC_YC&q=elias+sarkis+syrian+intervention&pg=PA45|year=2013}} In October 1976 the Arab League agreed to establish a predominantly Syrian Arab Deterrent Force, which was charged with restoring calm.{{cite web|title=Country Profile: Lebanon |url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/middle-east-north-africa/lebanon/?profile=all |publisher=British Foreign & Commonwealth Office |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117000044/http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/middle-east-north-africa/lebanon/?profile=all |archive-date=17 January 2013}} PLO attacks from Lebanon into Israel in 1977 and 1978 escalated tensions between the countries. On 11 March 1978, 11 Fatah fighters landed on a beach in northern Israel and hijacked two buses full of passengers on the Haifa – Tel-Aviv road, shooting at passing vehicles in what became known as the Coastal Road massacre. They killed 37 and wounded 76 Israelis before being killed in a firefight with Israeli forces.{{Citation|title=133. Statement to the press by Prime Minister Begin on the massacre of Israelis on the Haifa – Tel Aviv Road|date=12 March 1978|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Foreign%20Relations/Israels%20Foreign%20Relations%20since%201947/1977-1979/133%20Statement%20to%20the%20press%20by%20Prime%20Minister%20Begin|access-date=14 March 2023|publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs|archive-date=15 August 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040815085643/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Foreign%20Relations/Israels%20Foreign%20Relations%20since%201947/1977-1979/133%20Statement%20to%20the%20press%20by%20Prime%20Minister%20Begin|url-status=bot: unknown}} Israel invaded Lebanon four days later in Operation Litani. The Israeli Army occupied most of the area south of the Litani River. The UN Security Council passed Resolution 425 calling for immediate Israeli withdrawal and creating the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), charged with attempting to establish peace.File:BlueLine.jpg demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel, established by the UN after the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 1978|left]]

Israeli forces withdrew later in 1978, but retained control of the southern region by managing a {{convert|12|mi|km|0|adj=mid|-wide|order=flip}} security zone along the border. These positions were held by the South Lebanon Army (SLA), a Christian militia under the leadership of Major Saad Haddad backed by Israel. The Israeli Prime Minister, Likud's Menachem Begin, compared the plight of the Christian minority in southern Lebanon (then about 5% of the population in SLA territory) to that of European Jews during World War II.Smith, op. cit., 355. The PLO routinely attacked Israel during the period of the cease-fire, with over 270 documented attacks.{{Cite book |author1=Ze'ev Schiff |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1035902227 |title=Israel's Lebanon War |date=1985 |publisher=Touchstone |isbn=9780671602161 |author2=Ehud Yaʼari|author3=Ina Friedman |oclc=1035902227}} People in Galilee regularly had to leave their homes during these shellings. Documents captured in PLO headquarters after the invasion showed they had come from Lebanon.Jillian Becker, The PLO, (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1984), pp. 202, 279. PLO leader Yasser Arafat refused to condemn these attacks on the grounds that the cease-fire was only relevant to Lebanon.Smith, op. cit., p. 376.

In April 1980 the killing of two UNIFIL soldiers and the injuring of a third by the South Lebanon Army, near At Tiri, in the buffer zone led to the At Tiri incident. On 17 July 1981, Israeli aircraft bombed multi-story apartment buildings in Beirut that contained offices of PLO associated groups. The Lebanese delegate to the United Nations Security Council claimed that 300 civilians had been killed and 800 wounded. The bombing led to worldwide condemnation, and a temporary embargo on the export of U.S. aircraft to Israel.{{cite journal|title=The Bombing of Beirut|journal=Journal of Palestine Studies|volume=11|issue=1|year=1981|pages=218–225|doi=10.1525/jps.1981.11.1.00p0366x}} In August 1981, defense minister Ariel Sharon began to draw up plans to attack PLO military infrastructure in West Beirut, where PLO headquarters and command bunkers were located.Smith, op. cit., p. 377.File:Civil war Lebanon map 1983a.gif}}{{legend|#ff00ff|controlled by Christian groups}}{{legend|#ffff00|controlled by Israel}}{{legend|#0080ff|controlled by the UN}}]]

In 1982, PLO attacks from Lebanon on Israel led to an Israeli invasion, aiming to support Lebanese forces in driving out the PLO. A multinational force of American, French and Italian contingents (joined in 1983 by a British contingent) were deployed in Beirut after the Israeli siege of the city, to supervise the evacuation of the PLO. The civil war re-emerged in September 1982 after the assassination of Lebanese President Bachir Gemayel, an Israeli ally, and subsequent fighting. During this time a number of sectarian massacres occurred, such as in Sabra and Shatila, and in several refugee camps.The War of the Camps, Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 16, No. 1 (Autumn, 1986), pp. 191–194 The multinational force was withdrawn in the spring of 1984, following a devastating bombing attack during the previous year.

During the early 1980s, Hezbollah, a Shiite Islamist militant group and political party, came into existence through the efforts of Shiite clerics who were financially supported and trained by Iran. Arising in the aftermath of the 1982 war and drawing inspiration from the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Hezbollah actively engaged in combat against Israel as well as suicide attacks, car bombings and assassinations. Their objectives encompassed eliminating Israel, fighting for the Shia cause in the Lebanese civil war, ending Western presence in Lebanon, and establishing a Shiite Khomeinist Islamic state.{{Cite news |title=What is Hizbullah? |url=https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/10/18/what-is-hizbullah |access-date=12 January 2024 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=12 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112195506/https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/10/18/what-is-hizbullah |url-status=live }}{{Cite book |last=Armajani |first=Jon |title=Shia Islam and Politics: Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon |date=2020 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-1-7936-2136-8 |location=Lanham (Md.) |pages=171–175}}

In the late 1980s, as Amine Gemayel's second term as president drew to an end, the Lebanese pound collapsed. At the end of 1987 US$1 was worth £L500. This meant the legal minimum wage was worth just $17 a month. Most goods in shops were priced in dollars. A Save the Children director estimated that 200,000–300,000 children were in need of assistance and were living almost entirely on bread, which was subsidized by the government. Those who could relied on foreign assistance. Hezbollah was receiving about $3–5 million a month from Iran.Middle East International No 315, 19 December 1987, Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; Jim Muir pp.6–7 In September 1988, the Parliament failed to elect a successor to President Gemayel as a result of differences between the Christians, Muslims, and Syrians. The Arab League Summit of May 1989 led to the formation of a Saudi–Moroccan–Algerian committee to solve the crisis. On 16 September 1989 the committee issued a peace plan which was accepted by all. A ceasefire was established, the ports and airports were re-opened and refugees began to return.File:Visit of Rafik Hariri, Libanese Prime Minister, to the EC P0009170125H (cropped).jpg, prime minister of Lebanon in 1996]]In the same month, the Lebanese Parliament agreed to the Taif Agreement, which included an outline timetable for Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon and a formula for the de-confessionalization of the Lebanese political system. The civil war ended at the end of 1990 after 16 years; it had caused massive loss of human life and property and devastated the country's economy. It is estimated that 150,000 people were killed and another 200,000 wounded.{{cite news|title=After 2 Decades, Scars of Lebanon's Civil War Block Path to Dialogue|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/12/world/middleeast/after-2-decades-scars-of-lebanons-civil-war-block-path-to-dialogue.html|work=The New York Times|author=Wood, Josh|date=12 July 2012|access-date=19 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218233705/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/12/world/middleeast/after-2-decades-scars-of-lebanons-civil-war-block-path-to-dialogue.html|archive-date=18 February 2017|url-status=live}} Nearly a million civilians were displaced by the war, and some never returned.{{cite web |url=http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=72218 |title=Lebanon: Haven for foreign militants |publisher=UN IRIN news |date=17 May 2007 |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910195217/http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=72218 |archive-date=10 September 2011 |url-status=live}} Parts of Lebanon were left in ruins.{{cite web |last=Salem |first=Paul |url=http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20061101faessay85602/paul-salem/the-future-of-lebanon.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108115822/http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20061101faessay85602/paul-salem/the-future-of-lebanon.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 November 2006 |title=The Future of Lebanon |publisher=Council on Foreign Relations |date=1 November 2006 |access-date=17 January 2013}} The Taif Agreement has still not been implemented in full and Lebanon's political system continues to be divided along sectarian lines. Conflict between Israel and Lebanese militants continued, leading to a series of violent events and clashes including the Qana massacre.{{cite news|date=31 July 2006|title=Qana makes grim history again|language=en-GB|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5228554.stm|access-date=4 October 2020|archive-date=3 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503221122/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5228554.stm|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Haberman|first=Clyde|date=3 June 1994|title=Dozens Are Killed As Israelis Attack Camp in Lebanon|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/03/world/dozens-are-killed-as-israelis-attack-camp-in-lebanon.html|access-date=4 October 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414154802/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/03/world/dozens-are-killed-as-israelis-attack-camp-in-lebanon.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|date=5 June 1997|title=Fighting erupts in Lebanon after rockets hit Jewish state|url=https://www.jta.org/1997/06/05/default/fighting-erupts-in-lebanon-after-rockets-hit-jewish-state|access-date=4 October 2020|website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency|language=en-US|archive-date=18 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218132941/http://archive.jta.org/article/1996/12/16/2885375/fighting-erupts-in-lebanon-after-rockets-hit-jewish-state|url-status=live}} In May 2000, Israeli forces fully withdrew from Lebanon.{{cite web|date=29 April 2020|title=New details surface 20 years on from Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon|url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200429-new-details-surface-20-years-on-from-israels-withdrawal-from-lebanon/|access-date=4 October 2020|website=Middle East Monitor|language=en-GB|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414052925/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200429-new-details-surface-20-years-on-from-israels-withdrawal-from-lebanon/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=لبنان.. سنوات الحرب والسلام|url=https://www.aljazeera.net/2004/10/03/%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B3%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A8-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85|access-date=4 October 2020|website=www.aljazeera.net|language=ar|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201030654/http://www.aljazeera.net/specialfiles/pages/0073f487-cba7-40d5-8042-257748c8a13f|url-status=live}}{{cite web|date=24 September 2019|title=Israeli regime's ample weaknesses make its collapse undeniable: Nasrallah|url=https://en.mehrnews.com/news/150402/Israeli-regime-s-ample-weaknesses-make-its-collapse-undeniable|access-date=4 October 2020|website=Mehr News Agency|language=en|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414054839/https://en.mehrnews.com/news/150402/Israeli-regime-s-ample-weaknesses-make-its-collapse-undeniable|url-status=live}} Since then, 25 May is regarded by the Lebanese as the Liberation Day.{{cite web|title=Resistance and Liberation Day in Lebanon in 2021|url=https://www.officeholidays.com/holidays/lebanon/resistance-and-liberation-day|access-date=4 October 2020|website=Office Holidays|language=en|archive-date=25 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525074658/https://www.officeholidays.com/holidays/lebanon/resistance-and-liberation-day|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=On the occasion of the Day of Resistance and Liberation, the Armed Forces Commander General Joseph Aoun delivered the Order of the Day to the troops|url=https://www.lebarmy.gov.lb/en/content/occasion-day-resistance-and-liberation-armed-forces-commander-general-joseph-aoun-delivered|access-date=4 October 2020|website=الموقع الرسمي للجيش اللبناني|date=24 May 2019 |language=en|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414052942/https://www.lebarmy.gov.lb/en/content/occasion-day-resistance-and-liberation-armed-forces-commander-general-joseph-aoun-delivered|url-status=live}} The internal political situation in Lebanon significantly changed in the early 2000s. After the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the death of former president Hafez al-Assad in 2000, the Syrian military presence faced criticism and resistance from the Lebanese population.{{cite web |last=Mroue |first=Bassem |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700118094/Lebanese-mark-uprising-against-Syrian-domination.html |title=Lebanese mark uprising against Syria's domination |work=Deseret News |access-date=17 January 2013 |date=13 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120160239/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700118094/Lebanese-mark-uprising-against-Syrian-domination.html |archive-date=20 January 2013 |url-status=dead}}File:Cedar_Revolution_Demonstrators.jpgOn 14 February 2005, former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri was assassinated in a car bomb explosion.{{cite news|last=Ross|first=Oakland|title=Language of murder makes itself understood|date=9 October 2007|url=https://www.thestar.com/article/264773|work=Toronto Star|access-date=2 February 2009|quote=Like a wound that just won't heal, a large expanse patch of fresh asphalt still mottles the grey surface of Rue Minet el-Hosn, where the street veers west around St. George Bay. The patch marks the exact spot where a massive truck bomb exploded 14 February 2005, killing prime minister Rafik Hariri and 22 others and gouging a deep crater in the road.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016153757/http://www.thestar.com/article/264773|archive-date=16 October 2007|url-status=live}} Leaders of the March 14 Alliance accused Syria of the attack,{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/lebanon/lebanon_syria.html |title=Recent background on Syria's presence in Lebanon |publisher=CBC News Indepth |date=30 January 2007 |access-date=17 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119123620/http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/lebanon/lebanon_syria.html |archive-date=19 November 2012}} while Syria and the March 8 Alliance claimed that Israel was behind the assassination. The Hariri assassination marked the beginning of a series of assassinations that resulted in the death of many prominent Lebanese figures.2005: Bassel Fleihan, Lebanese legislator and Minister of Economy and Commerce; Samir Kassir, Columnist and Democratic Left Movement leader; George Hawi, former head of Lebanese Communist Party; Gibran Tueni, Editor in Chief of "An Nahar" newspaper. 2006: Pierre Gemayel, Minister of Industry. 2007: Walid Eido, MP; Antoine Ghanim, MP. The assassination triggered the Cedar Revolution, a series of demonstrations which demanded the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon and the establishment of an international commission to investigate the assassination. Under pressure from the West, Syria began withdrawing,{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4342705.stm|title=Syria begins Lebanon withdrawal|date=12 March 2005|work=BBC News|access-date=11 December 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308091520/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4342705.stm|archive-date=8 March 2008|url-status=live}} and by 26 April 2005 all Syrian soldiers had returned to Syria.{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/04/26/lebanon/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726023249/http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/04/26/lebanon/ |archive-date=26 July 2008 |title=Last Syrian troops leave Lebanon |access-date=17 January 2013}}

UNSC Resolution 1595 called for an investigation into the assassination.{{cite press release|url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/sc8353.doc.htm|title=Press Release SC/8353|date=7 April 2005|publisher=United Nations – Security Council|access-date=19 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122120851/http://un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/sc8353.doc.htm|archive-date=22 January 2009|url-status=live}} The United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission published preliminary findings on 20 October 2005 in the Mehlis report, which cited indications that the assassination was organized by Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services.{{cite news|last=Hoge|first=Warren|title=Syria Involved in Killing Lebanon's Ex-Premier, U.N. Report Says|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/20/international/middleeast/20cnd-syria.html?_r=0|work=The New York Times|date=20 October 2005|access-date=19 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218220207/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/20/international/middleeast/20cnd-syria.html?_r=0|archive-date=18 December 2014|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Mehlis |first=Detlev |title=Report of the International Independent Investigation Commission established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1595 |publisher=United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine |url=http://domino.un.org/UNISPAl.NSF/fd807e46661e3689852570d00069e918/308be5d60f79289b852570a5005d0d00!OpenDocument |date=19 October 2005 |quote=It is the Commission's view that the assassination of 14 February 2005 was carried out by a group with an extensive organization and considerable resources and capabilities. [...] Building on the findings of the Commission and Lebanese investigations to date and on the basis of the material and documentary evidence collected, and the leads pursued until now, there is converging evidence pointing at both Lebanese and Syrian involvement in this terrorist act. |access-date=2 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228173759/http://domino.un.org/UNISPAl.NSF/fd807e46661e3689852570d00069e918/308be5d60f79289b852570a5005d0d00%21OpenDocument |archive-date=28 February 2008 |url-status=dead}}{{UN document |docid=S-2005-662 |type=Document |body=Security Council |document_number=662 |access-date=9 April 2008 |date=20 October 2005|title=Report of the International Independent Investigation Commission established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1595 (2005)}}{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/News/dh/docs/mehlisreport/ |title=Report of the International Independent Investigation Commission established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1595 |publisher=United Nations |access-date=5 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414021338/http://www.un.org/news/dh/docs/mehlisreport/ |archive-date=14 April 2012 |url-status=live}}

{{main|Syrian civil war spillover in Lebanon|2011 Lebanese protests|17 October Revolution}}

On 12 July 2006, Hezbollah launched a series of rocket attacks and raids into Israeli territory, where they killed three Israeli soldiers and captured two others.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/world/africa/13iht-web.0713mideast.2188501.html | work=The New York Times | first1=Greg | last1=Myre | first2=Steven | last2=Erlanger | title=Clashes spread to Lebanon as Hezbollah raids Israel – Africa & Middle East – International Herald Tribune | date=12 July 2006 | access-date=19 February 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701013043/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/world/africa/13iht-web.0713mideast.2188501.html | archive-date=1 July 2017 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all}} Israel responded with airstrikes and artillery fire on targets in Lebanon, and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, resulting in the 2006 Lebanon War. The conflict was officially ended by the UNSC Resolution 1701 on 14 August 2006, which ordered a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, and the disarmament of Hezbollah.{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sc8808.doc.htm|title=Security Council calls for end to hostilities between Hizbollah, Israel|date=11 August 2006|publisher=UN – Security Council, Department of Public Information|access-date=19 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130025538/http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sc8808.doc.htm|archive-date=30 January 2009|url-status=live}}{{Cite news |date=24 August 2023 |title=Hold your breath |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/leaders/2006/08/24/hold-your-breath |access-date= |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=31 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231231162650/https://www.economist.com/leaders/2006/08/24/hold-your-breath |url-status=live }} Some 1,191 Lebanese{{cite web|url=http://www.lebanonundersiege.gov.lb/english/F/Main/index.asp |title=Lebanon Under Siege |date=27 September 2006 |access-date=5 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927025252/http://www.lebanonundersiege.gov.lb/english/F/Main/index.asp |archive-date=27 September 2006}} and 160 Israelis{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terrorism+from+Lebanon-+Hizbullah/Israel-Hizbullah+conflict-+Victims+of+rocket+attacks+and+IDF+casualties+July-Aug+2006.htm |title=Israel-Hizbullah conflict: Victims of rocket attacks and IDF casualties July–Aug 2006 |publisher=Mfa.gov.il |access-date=5 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624211414/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terrorism+from+Lebanon-+Hizbullah/Israel-Hizbullah+conflict-+Victims+of+rocket+attacks+and+IDF+casualties+July-Aug+2006.htm |archive-date=24 June 2009 |url-status=live}} were killed in the conflict. Beirut's southern suburb was heavily damaged by Israeli airstrikes.{{cite news | url=http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/13/mideast/index.html | publisher=CNN | title=Israeli warplanes hit Beirut suburb | date=13 July 2006 | access-date=6 January 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429061457/http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/13/mideast/index.html | archive-date=29 April 2007 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all}}

In 2007, the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp became the center of the 2007 Lebanon conflict between the Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam. At least 169 soldiers, 287 insurgents and 47 civilians were killed in the battle. Funds for the reconstruction of the area have been slow to materialize.{{cite web |url=http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81306 |title=Life set to get harder for Nahr al-Bared refugees |publisher=UN IRIN newsg |date=5 November 2008 |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110922104134/http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81306 |archive-date=22 September 2011 |url-status=live}} Between 2006 and 2008, a series of protests led by groups opposed to the pro-Western Prime Minister Fouad Siniora demanded the creation of a national unity government, over which the mostly Shia opposition groups would have veto power. When Émile Lahoud's presidential term ended in October 2007, the opposition refused to vote for a successor unless a power-sharing deal was reached, leaving Lebanon without a president.

On 7 May 2008, Hezbollah and Amal forces, sparked by a government declaration that Hezbollah's communications network was illegal, seized western Beirut,{{cite news|url=http://www.globalpolitician.com/24841-lebanon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628234738/http://www.globalpolitician.com/24841-lebanon|archive-date=28 June 2011|title=Lebanon back to Normalcy?|last=Ruff|first=Abdul|date=1 June 2008|work=Global Politician|access-date=19 October 2009}}{{Citation |last=Zisser |first=Eyal |title=The Sunni-Shi'i Struggle over Lebanon: A New Chapter in the History of Lebanon |date=2011 |url=https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137495068_9 |work=The Sunna and Shi’a in History: Division and Ecumenism in the Muslim Middle East |pages=145–161 |editor-last=Bengio |editor-first=Ofra |access-date=7 January 2024 |place=New York |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan US |language=en |doi=10.1057/9781137495068_9 |isbn=978-1-137-49506-8 |editor2-last=Litvak |editor2-first=Meir}} the most important Sunni center in Lebanon, leading to an intrastate military conflict.{{Cite news |last=Stewart |first=Elizabeth |last2=Statton |first2=Allegra |date=2008-05-08 |title=Violence escalates between Sunni and Shia in Beirut |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/may/08/lebanon |access-date=2025-04-09 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{cite web|title=Beirut street clashes turn deadly |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20080509-beirut-street-clashes-turn-deadly-lebanon-hezbollah?navi=MONDE |publisher=France 24 |access-date=9 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204041825/http://www.france24.com/en/20080509-beirut-street-clashes-turn-deadly-lebanon-hezbollah?navi=MONDE |archive-date=4 December 2010 |date = 9 May 2008}} The Lebanese government denounced the violence as a coup attempt.{{cite web|url=http://www.tni.org/article/walking-tight-wire|title=Walking the tight wire – Conversations on the May 2008 Lebanese crisis|last=Martínez|first=Beatriz|author2=Francesco Volpicella|date=September 2008|publisher=Transnational Institute|access-date=9 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323224102/http://www.tni.org/article/walking-tight-wire|archive-date=23 March 2010|url-status=live}} At least 62 people died in the resulting clashes between pro-government and opposition militias. On 21 May 2008, the signing of the Doha Agreement ended the fighting. As part of the accord, which ended 18 months of political paralysis,{{cite news|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=92308|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305232232/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=92308|archive-date=5 March 2009|title=Lebanese rivals set to elect president after historic accord|last=Abdallah |first=Hussein|date=22 May 2008|work=The Daily Star|access-date=19 October 2009}} Michel Suleiman became president and a national unity government was established, granting a veto to the opposition. The agreement was a victory for opposition forces, as the government caved in to all their main demands.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/world/middleeast/16lebanon.html|title=Feuding Political Camps in Lebanon Agree to Talk to End Impasse|last=Worth|first=Robert|author2=Nada Bakri|date=16 May 2008|work=The New York Times|access-date=19 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211002146/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/world/middleeast/16lebanon.html|archive-date=11 December 2008|url-status=live}}

File:Shatila_-_street_view_(3).jpg and Palestinian refugees live in the Shatila refugee camp on the outskirts of Beirut.]]

In early January 2011, the national unity government collapsed due to growing tensions stemming from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which was expected to indict Hezbollah members for the Hariri assassination.{{cite news|title=Hezbollah and allies topple Lebanese unity government|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12170608|access-date=12 January 2011|publisher=BBC|date=12 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113042200/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12170608|archive-date=13 January 2011|url-status=live}} The parliament elected Najib Mikati, the candidate for the Hezbollah-led March 8 Alliance, Prime Minister of Lebanon, making him responsible for forming a new government.{{cite news|last=Bakri|first=Nada|author-link=Nada Bakri |title=Resignations Deepen Crisis for Lebanon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/world/middleeast/13lebanon.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1|access-date=12 January 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=12 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110084949/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/world/middleeast/13lebanon.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1|archive-date=10 November 2012|url-status=live}} Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah later accused Israel of assassinating Hariri.{{cite web|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2010-08-09/world/lebanon.nasrallah.israel_1_hezbollah-leader-hassan-nasrallah-israelis?_s=PM:WORLD |title=Hezbollah chief: Israel killed Hariri |work=CNN|date=9 August 2010 |access-date=17 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116235714/http://articles.cnn.com/2010-08-09/world/lebanon.nasrallah.israel_1_hezbollah-leader-hassan-nasrallah-israelis?_s=PM%3AWORLD |archive-date=16 January 2013}} A report leaked by the Al-Akhbar newspaper in November 2010 stated that Hezbollah had drafted plans for a violent takeover of the country in case the Special Tribunal for Lebanon issued an indictment against its members.{{cite web|title=Hezbollah Threatens an 'Explosion' in Beirut Over Tribunal|url=http://www.stratfor.com/sample/analysis/hezbollah-threatens-explosion-beirut-over-tribunal|publisher=Stratfor|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110160410/http://www.stratfor.com/sample/analysis/hezbollah-threatens-explosion-beirut-over-tribunal|archive-date=10 November 2013}}

In 2012, the Syrian civil war threatened to spill over in Lebanon, causing incidents of sectarian violence and armed clashes between Sunnis and Alawites in Tripoli.{{cite news|title=Syrian War Plays Out Along a Street in Lebanon|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/world/middleeast/syrian-war-plays-out-along-a-street-in-lebanon.html?ref=middleeast|work=The New York Times|author=Cave, Damien|date=23 August 2012|access-date=19 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701041958/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/world/middleeast/syrian-war-plays-out-along-a-street-in-lebanon.html?ref=middleeast|archive-date=1 July 2017|url-status=live}} According to UNHCR, the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon increased from around 250,000 in early 2013 to 1,000,000 in late 2014.{{cite web|title=Syria Regional Refugee Response – Lebanon| work=UNHCR Syria Regional Refugee Response |url=http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/country.php?id=122|publisher=UNHCR|access-date=9 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626091416/http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/country.php?id=122|archive-date=26 June 2013|url-status=live}} In 2013, The Lebanese Forces Party, the Kataeb Party and the Free Patriotic Movement voiced concerns that the country's sectarian based political system is being undermined by the influx of Syrian refugees.{{cite web|last=Kverme|first=Kai|title=The Refugee Factor|url=http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/02/14/refugee-factor/fgl0|publisher=SADA|access-date=14 February 2013|date=14 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192335/http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/02/14/refugee-factor/fgl0|archive-date=29 October 2013|url-status=dead}} On 6 May 2015, UNHCR suspended registration of Syrian refugees at the request of the Lebanese government.{{cite journal|last=Janmyr|first=Maja|date=16 March 2018|title=UNHCR and the Syrian refugee response: negotiating status and registration in Lebanon|journal=The International Journal of Human Rights|volume=22|issue=3|pages=393–419|doi=10.1080/13642987.2017.1371140|issn=1364-2987|doi-access=free|hdl=1956/17996|hdl-access=free}} In February 2016, the Lebanese government signed the Lebanon Compact, granting a minimum of €400 million of support for refugees and vulnerable Lebanese citizens.{{cite journal|last=Tsourapas|first=Gerasimos|date=4 May 2019|title=The Syrian Refugee Crisis and Foreign Policy Decision-Making in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey|journal=Journal of Global Security Studies|volume=4|issue=4|pages=464–481|language=en|doi=10.1093/jogss/ogz016|issn=2057-3170|doi-access=free}} As of October 2016, the government estimated that the country hosts 1.5 million Syrians.{{cite web | url=https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/53061 | title=Document - Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) 2017–2020 – full version | access-date=12 January 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230101444/https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/53061 | archive-date=30 December 2018 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all}}

{{Main|17 October Revolution|Lebanese liquidity crisis}}

File:-i---i- (49140926886).jpg were non-sectarian, crossing the Sunni–Shia Muslim / Christian sociological and religious divide.]]

On 17 October 2019, the first of a series of mass civil demonstrations erupted;{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/lebanese-protesters-close-roads-over-imposition-of-new-taxes/2019/10/17/d2f4482a-f116-11e9-bb7e-d2026ee0c199_story.html|title=Protests spread across Lebanon over proposed new taxes|author=Fadi Tawil|date=17 October 2019|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|access-date=18 October 2019|agency=AP|archive-date=21 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021000630/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/lebanese-protesters-close-roads-over-imposition-of-new-taxes/2019/10/17/d2f4482a-f116-11e9-bb7e-d2026ee0c199_story.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite journal|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2019/Oct-18/493775-protests-erupt-over-taxes-as-govt-races-to-wrap-up-budget.ashx|title=Protests erupt over taxes as govt races to wrap up budget|date=18 October 2019|journal=The Daily Star|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-date=31 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031204311/http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Lebanon-News/2019/Oct-18/493775-protests-erupt-over-taxes-as-govt-races-to-wrap-up-budget.ashx|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50095448|title=Lebanon scraps WhatsApp tax as protests rage|date=18 October 2019|access-date=18 October 2019|language=en-GB|archive-date=3 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603152934/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50095448|url-status=live}} they were initially triggered by planned taxes on gasoline, tobacco and online phone calls such as through WhatsApp,{{cite journal|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2019/Oct-17/493723-lebanon-to-charge-6-on-whatsapp-call-report.ashx|title=Lebanese govt to charge USD 0.20 a day for WhatsApp calls|date=17 October 2019|journal=The Daily Star|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-date=9 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609153749/https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2019/Oct-17/493723-lebanon-to-charge-6-on-whatsapp-call-report.ashx|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/protests-erupt-lebanon-plans-impose-taxes-191017194856354.html|title=Protests erupt in Lebanon over plans to impose new taxes|date=18 October 2019|website=aljazeera.com|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-date=25 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225124935/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/protests-erupt-lebanon-plans-impose-taxes-191017194856354.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/lebanon-whatsapp-tax-sparks-mass-protests/a-50880357|title=Lebanon: WhatsApp tax sparks mass protests|date=10 October 2019|website=DW|publisher=Deutsche Welle|language=en-GB|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-date=17 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917170317/https://web.archive.org/web/20200803054009/https://www.dw.com/en/lebanon-whatsapp-tax-sparks-mass-protests/a-50880357|url-status=live}} but quickly expanded into a country-wide condemnation of sectarian rule,{{cite web|url=https://reportsyndication.news.blog/2019/10/27/lebanon-protesters-find-strength-in-unity-ditched-sectarianism/|title=Lebanon Protesters Found Strength in Unity, Ditched Sectarianism|date=27 October 2019|website=Report Syndication|access-date=20 January 2020|archive-date=3 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803125404/https://reportsyndication.news.blog/2019/10/27/lebanon-protesters-find-strength-in-unity-ditched-sectarianism/|url-status=live}} a stagnant economy and liquidity crisis, unemployment, endemic corruption in the public sector, legislation (such as banking secrecy) that is perceived to shield the ruling class from accountability{{cite news|url=https://www.mtv.com.lb/en/News/Local/979920/Protesters_march_from_Al_Nour_Square_to_Central_Bank_in_Tripoli|title=Protesters march from Al Nour Square to Central Bank in Tripoli|date=22 October 2019|work=MTV Lebanon|access-date=26 October 2019|language=en|archive-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026131114/https://www.mtv.com.lb/en/news/local/979920/protesters_march_from_al_nour_square_to_central_bank_in_tripoli|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.mtv.com.lb/en/News/Local/979923/Protesters_block_Karakoul_Druze-Mar_Elias_road|title=Protesters block Karakoul Druze-Mar Elias road|date=22 October 2019|work=MTV Lebanon|access-date=26 October 2019|language=en|archive-date=26 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026131115/https://www.mtv.com.lb/en/news/local/979923/protesters_block_karakoul_druze-mar_elias_road|url-status=live}} and failures from the government to provide basic services such as electricity, water and sanitation.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-17/whatsapp-protests-erupt-in-lebanon-as-economic-crisis-deepens|title=Nationwide Protests Erupt in Lebanon as Economic Crisis Deepens|last=Khraiche|first=Dana|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|date=17 October 2019|publisher=Bloomberg News|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-date=27 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627164750/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-17/whatsapp-protests-erupt-in-lebanon-as-economic-crisis-deepens|url-status=live}}

File:WomenLine RiadElSolh 19Nov2019.jpg; 19 November 2019]]

As a result of the protests, Lebanon entered a political crisis, with Prime Minister Saad Hariri tendering his resignation and echoing protestors' demands for a government of independent specialists.{{cite web|url=https://www.the961.com/news/lebanese-protesters-addressed-president-aoun-with-an-urgent-demand/|title=Lebanese Protesters Addressed President Aoun with an Urgent Demand/|last=The961|date=1 November 2019|website=the961.com|language=en-EN|access-date=24 November 2019|archive-date=31 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231143854/https://www.the961.com/news/lebanese-protesters-addressed-president-aoun-with-an-urgent-demand|url-status=dead}} Other politicians targeted by the protests have remained in power. On 19 December 2019, former Minister of Education Hassan Diab was designated the next prime minister and tasked with forming a new cabinet.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50851319|title=Lebanon protests: University professor Hassan Diab nominated to be PM|publisher=BBC|access-date=20 January 2020|archive-date=21 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221083243/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-eas|url-status=live}} Protests and acts of civil disobedience have since continued, with protesters denouncing and condemning the designation of Diab as prime minister.{{cite news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/hezbollah-backed-hassan-diab-lebanon-pm-191219155153401.html|title=Lebanese president asks Hassan Diab to form government|date=19 December 2019|access-date=2 January 2020|publisher=Al Jazeera|archive-date=17 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917170307/https://web.archive.org/web/20191219210501/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/hezbollah-backed-hassan-diab-lebanon-pm-191219155153401.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/roadblocks-lebanon-anger-rises-diab-pick-pm-191220091929392.html|title=Roadblocks across Lebanon as anger rises over Diab pick as PM|date=20 December 2019|access-date=2 January 2020|publisher=Al Jazeera|archive-date=21 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221083239/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/roadblocks-lebanon-anger-rises-diab-pick-pm-191220091929392.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2019/Dec-31/498331-day-76-new-years-revolution.ashx|title=Day 76: New Year's Revolution|date=31 December 2019|access-date=2 January 2020|newspaper=The Daily Star|archive-date=9 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109131005/https://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Lebanon-News/2019/Dec-31/498331-day-76-new-years-revolution.ashx|url-status=dead}} Lebanon is suffering the worst economic crisis in decades.{{cite news |title=Lebanon Looks to China as US, Arabs Refuse to Help in Crisis |url=https://thediplomat.com/2020/07/lebanon-looks-to-china-as-us-arabs-refuse-to-help-in-crisis/ |work=The Diplomat |date=16 July 2020 |access-date=20 July 2020 |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414030934/https://thediplomat.com/2020/07/lebanon-looks-to-china-as-us-arabs-refuse-to-help-in-crisis/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=The lights go out on Lebanon's economy as financial collapse accelerates |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/the-lights-go-out-on-lebanons-economy-as-financial-collapse-accelerates/2020/07/19/3acfc33e-bb97-11ea-97c1-6cf116ffe26c_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=19 July 2020 |access-date=20 July 2020 |archive-date=21 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321160915/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/the-lights-go-out-on-lebanons-economy-as-financial-collapse-accelerates/2020/07/19/3acfc33e-bb97-11ea-97c1-6cf116ffe26c_story.html |url-status=live }} Lebanon is the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to see its inflation rate exceed 50% for 30 consecutive days, according to Steve H. Hanke, professor of applied economics at the Johns Hopkins University.{{cite web|title=Lebanon becomes 1st country in Middle East and North Africa to enter hyperinflation|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/perfect-storm-lebanon-1st-country-middle-east-north/story?id=72028194|access-date=29 July 2020|website=ABC News|language=en|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414031049/https://abcnews.go.com/International/perfect-storm-lebanon-1st-country-middle-east-north/story?id=72028194|url-status=live}} On 4 August 2020, an explosion at the port of Beirut, Lebanon's main port, destroyed the surrounding areas, killing over 200 people, and injuring thousands more. The cause of the explosion was later determined to be 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been unsafely stored, and accidentally set on fire that Tuesday afternoon.{{cite news|date=11 August 2020|title=Beirut explosion: What we know so far|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53668493|access-date=1 October 2020|archive-date=6 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806025910/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53668493|url-status=live}} Protests resumed within days following the explosion, which resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his cabinet on 10 August 2020, nonetheless continuing to stay in office in a caretaker capacity.{{Cite web|date=11 August 2020|title=Lebanon's government resigns after Beirut blast|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/mena/lebanon-s-government-resigns-after-beirut-blast-1.1061864|access-date=8 January 2022|website=The National|language=en|archive-date=5 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005034800/https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/mena/lebanon-s-government-resigns-after-beirut-blast-1.1061864|url-status=live}} Demonstrations continued into 2021 with Lebanese blocking the roads with burned tires protesting against the poverty and the economic crisis.

On 11 March 2021 the caretaker minister of energy Raymond Ghajar warned that Lebanon was threatened with "total darkness" at the end of March if no money was secured to buy fuel for power stations.{{cite journal|title=Lebanon threatened with total darkness: Ghajar |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2021/Mar-11/518336-lebanon-threatened-with-total-darkness-ghajar.ashx|access-date=11 March 2021|journal=The Daily Star|archive-date=11 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311201123/https://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Lebanon-News/2021/Mar-11/518336-lebanon-threatened-with-total-darkness-ghajar.ashx|url-status=dead}} In August 2021, a large fuel explosion in northern Lebanon killed 28 people.{{Cite web|date=15 August 2021|title=Lebanon fuel tanker explosion kills at least 28|url=https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20210815-lebanon-fuel-tanker-explosion-kills-at-least-20|access-date=15 August 2021|website=France 24|language=en|archive-date=22 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822185953/https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20210815-lebanon-fuel-tanker-explosion-kills-at-least-20|url-status=live}} September saw the formation of a new cabinet led by former prime minister Najib Mikati.{{Cite web|date=10 September 2021|title=Lebanon forms new government, ending 13-month standoff|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/10/lebanon-forms-new-government-ending-13-month-standoff|access-date=8 January 2022|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=17 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217015213/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/10/lebanon-forms-new-government-ending-13-month-standoff|url-status=live}} On 9 October 2021, the entire nation lost power for 24 hours after its two main power stations ran out of power due to the currency and fuel shortage.{{Cite news|last=Mistich|first=Dave|date=10 October 2021|title=Power returns to Lebanon after a 24-hour blackout|language=en|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/10/10/1044911779/power-lebanon-outages-economic-crisis-fuel-shortages|access-date=17 October 2021|archive-date=14 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014182349/https://www.npr.org/2021/10/10/1044911779/power-lebanon-outages-economic-crisis-fuel-shortages|url-status=live}} Days later, sectarian violence in Beirut killed a number of people in the deadliest clashes in the country since 2008.{{Cite web|date=14 October 2021|title=Gunbattles erupt during protest of Beirut blast probe; 6 die|url=https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-middle-east-lebanon-beirut-explosions-56b61328f420caf4e259aeb3f428fb9a|access-date=25 October 2021|website=AP NEWS|language=en|archive-date=14 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014125530/https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-middle-east-lebanon-beirut-explosions-56b61328f420caf4e259aeb3f428fb9a|url-status=live}} By January 2022, BBC News reported that the crisis in Lebanon had deepened further, with the value of the Lebanese pound plummeting and a scheduled general election expected to be delayed indefinitely.{{Citation|title=Lebanon enters the new year in a deepening crisis – BBC News| date=2 January 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXJ4uwcRgtE|language=en|access-date=8 January 2022|archive-date=2 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202062206/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXJ4uwcRgtE|url-status=live}} The postponement of parliamentary elections was said to prolong the political deadlock in the country. The European Parliament called Lebanon's present situation a 'man-made disaster caused by a handful of men across the political class'.{{Cite web |title=Situation in Lebanon: Severe and prolonged economic depression {{!}} Think Tank {{!}} European Parliament |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI(2022)729369 |access-date=25 April 2022 |website=www.europarl.europa.eu |language=en |archive-date=5 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005034803/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI%282022%29729369 |url-status=live }}

In May 2022, Lebanon held its first election since a painful economic crisis dragged it to the brink of becoming a failed state. Lebanon's crisis has been so severe that more than 80 percent of the population is now considered poor by the United Nations.{{Cite web |date=3 September 2021 |title=Lebanon: Almost three-quarters of the population living in poverty {{!}} UN News |url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099102 |access-date=6 June 2024 |website=news.un.org |language=en |archive-date=21 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721182059/https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099102 |url-status=live }} In the election the Shia Muslim Hezbollah movement (and its allies) lost their parliamentary majority. Hezbollah did not lose any of its seats, but its allies lost seats. Hezbollah's ally, President Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, was no longer the biggest Christian party after the election. A rival Christian party, the Lebanese Forces led by Samir Geagea, became the largest Christian-based party in parliament. The Sunni Future Movement, led by former prime minister Saad Hariri, did not participate in the election, leaving a political vacuum for other Sunni politicians to fill.{{cite news |last1=Chehayeb |first1=Kareem |title=After elections in Lebanon, does political change stand a chance? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/19/what-stands-next-for-lebanon-after-key-elections |work=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Chehayeb |first1=Kareem |title=Hezbollah allies projected to suffer losses in Lebanon elections |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/16/hezbollah-allies-projected-to-lose-seats-lebanese-parliamentary-elections |work=www.aljazeera.com |language=en |access-date=28 May 2022 |archive-date=5 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005034800/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/16/hezbollah-allies-projected-to-lose-seats-lebanese-parliamentary-elections |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Chehayeb |first1=Kareem |title=Hariri's absence leaves Sunni voters unsure ahead of Lebanon poll |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/4/lebanon-sunni-vote |work=www.aljazeera.com |language=en |access-date=28 May 2022 |archive-date=28 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528120724/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/4/lebanon-sunni-vote |url-status=live }} The Lebanese crisis became so severe that multiple boats left the coast holding migrants in a desperate run from the country. Many proved unsuccessful and fatal. In April 2022, 6 people died and around 50 people were rescued after an overloaded boat sunk in Tripoli.{{Cite web |last1=Mello |first1=Charbel |last2=Kourdi |first2=Eyad |last3=Alberti |first3=Mia |title=Six drown off Lebanon coast after overloaded boat capsizes, says Lebanese navy |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/24/world/lebanon-migrant-boat-capsize-intl/index.html |access-date=30 April 2022 |website=CNN |date=24 April 2022 |agency=Reuters |archive-date=30 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130000108/https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/24/world/lebanon-migrant-boat-capsize-intl/index.html |url-status=live }} And on 22 September, at least 94 people were killed when a boat carrying migrants from Lebanon capsized off Syria's coast. 9 people survived. Many were declared missing and some were found either dead or injured. Dead bodies were sent to nearby hospitals. 40 people are still missing as of 24 September.{{Cite web |title=Death toll from Lebanon migrant boat climbs to 73, minister says |url=https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/death-toll-from-lebanon-migrant-boat-climbs-to-73-minister-says-1.90782359 |access-date=23 September 2022 |website=gulfnews.com |date=23 September 2022 |language=en |archive-date=18 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018193049/https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/death-toll-from-lebanon-migrant-boat-climbs-to-73-minister-says-1.90782359 |url-status=live }} On 1 February 2023, the central bank of Lebanon devalued the Lebanese pound by 90% amid the ongoing financial crisis.{{Cite news |last1=Bassam |first1=Laila |last2=Gebeily |first2=Maya |last3=Azhari |first3=Timour |date=31 January 2023 |title=Lebanon to devalue currency by 90% on Feb. 1, central bank chief says |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/lebanon-devalue-currency-by-90-feb-1-cbank-chief-says-2023-01-31/ |access-date=1 February 2023 |archive-date=30 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530223509/https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/lebanon-devalue-currency-by-90-feb-1-cbank-chief-says-2023-01-31/ |url-status=live }} This was the first time Lebanon had devalued its official exchange rate in 25 years.{{cite web |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/2/1/lebanon-devalues-official-exchange-rate-by-90-percent |title=Lebanon devalues official exchange rate by 90 percent |date=1 February 2023 |website=Aljazeera.com |publisher=Al Jazeera |access-date=28 March 2023 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326105032/https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/2/1/lebanon-devalues-official-exchange-rate-by-90-percent |url-status=live }} As of 2023, Lebanon is considered to have become a failed state, suffering from chronic poverty, economic mismanagement and a banking collapse.{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/lebanon-struggles-to-emerge-from-financial-crisis-and-government-corruption |website=pbs.org |access-date=27 February 2024 |title=Lebanon struggles to emerge from financial crisis and government corruption |date=3 July 2023 |archive-date=13 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213163019/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/lebanon-struggles-to-emerge-from-financial-crisis-and-government-corruption |url-status=live }}

The Gaza war sparked a renewed Israel–Hezbollah conflict.{{cite news |title=Gallant threatens Hezbollah: 'What we can do in Gaza, we can do in Beirut' |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-772795 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=11 November 2023}} Hezbollah has said it will not stop attacking Israel until Israel ceases its attacks in Gaza.{{cite news |date=11 September 2024 |title=Mapping 11 months of Israel-Lebanon cross-border attacks |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/11/mapping-11-months-if-israel-lebanon-cross-border-attacks |work=Al Jazeera |access-date=18 September 2024 |archive-date=19 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919021145/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/11/mapping-11-months-if-israel-lebanon-cross-border-attacks |url-status=live }} Starting with the Israeli explosion of Lebanese pagers and walkie talkies in September 2024,{{cite news |title=Do Lebanon explosions violate the laws of war? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/18/do-lebanon-explosions-violate-the-laws-of-war |work=Al Jazeera |date=18 September 2024}} the conflict escalated severely,{{cite news |title=Israel rejects US-backed Lebanon ceasefire plan, hits Beirut again |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/lebanese-prime-minister-believes-ceasefire-between-israel-hezbollah-possible-2024-09-26/ |work=Reuters |date=26 September 2024}} with the 23 September 2024 Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon killing at least 558 people,{{cite news |title=Israeli strikes cause deadliest day in Lebanon in nearly 2 decades. Here's what we know |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/24/middleeast/israel-strikes-lebanon-hezbollah-explainer-intl-hnk/index.html |work=CNN |date=24 September 2024}} and sparking a mass exodus from southern Lebanon.{{cite news |title=In Lebanon, a million people displaced in a country in chaos |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/10/02/in-lebanon-a-million-people-displaced-in-a-country-in-chaos_6728013_4.html# |work=Le Monde |date=2 October 2024}} On 27 September 2024, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike.{{cite news |title=Biden, Harris call Israeli killing of Hezbollah's Nasrallah 'measure of justice' |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-harris-call-israeli-killing-of-hezbollah-s-nasrallah-measure-of-justice-/7803193.html |work=VOA News |date=28 September 2024}} On 1 October 2024, Lebanon was invaded by Israel with the objective of destroying infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah in the south of the country.{{cite news |title=Israel-Hezbollah conflict in maps: Where is fighting happening in Lebanon? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9vp7dg3ml1o |work=BBC News |date=4 October 2024}} In November 2024, a ceasefire deal was signed between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah to end 13 months of conflict. According to the agreement, Hezbollah was given 60 days to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon and Israeli forces were obliged to withdraw from the area over the same period.{{cite news |title=Lebanon ceasefire: What we know about Israel-Hezbollah deal |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2d3gj9ewxo |work=www.bbc.com |date=27 November 2024}} The fall of Assad’s Baathist regime in Syria was another blow to its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, which was alredy weakened because of Israeli military actions.{{cite web |last1=Rebeiz |first1=Mireille |title=Assad's fall in Syria will further weaken Hezbollah and curtails Tehran's 'Iranization' of region |url=https://theconversation.com/assads-fall-in-syria-will-further-weaken-hezbollah-and-curtails-tehrans-iranization-of-region-245606 |website=The Conversation |date=11 December 2024}} The Syrian regime change in December 2024 was said to start a new chapter in Lebanese politics.{{cite web |title=What Assad's Fall Means for Lebanon |url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/12/what-assads-fall-means-lebanon |website=United States Institute of Peace |language=en}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} In January 2025, Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese army commander, was elected Lebanese 14th president after a two-year vacancy.{{cite news |last1=Staff |first1=Al Jazeera |title=Who is Joseph Aoun, the new president of Lebanon? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/9/who-is-joseph-aoun-the-new-president-of-lebanon |work=Al Jazeera |language=en}} In February 2025, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, former president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), formed a new government of 24 ministers after two-year caretaker cabinet.{{cite news |title=Lebanon names new government after two-year caretaker cabinet |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/8/lebanon-names-new-government-after-two-year-caretaker-cabinet |work=Al Jazeera |language=en}} On 26 February 2025, Lebanon's government of Nawaf Salam won a confidence vote in parliament.{{cite news |title=Lebanon's government wins confidence vote in Parliament |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2025/02/26/lebanon-s-government-wins-confidence-vote-in-parliament |work=Al Arabiya English |date=26 February 2025 |language=en}}

{{Main|Geography of Lebanon}}

File:Qadisha_Valley,_Aerial_View_From_Qannoubine_Monastery.jpg, a view from Qannoubine Monastery]]

Lebanon is located in West Asia between latitudes 33° and 35° N and longitudes 35° and 37° E. Its land straddles the "northwest of the Arabian Plate".Egyptian Journal of Geology – Volume 42, Issue 1 – Page 263, 1998 The country's surface area is {{convert|10452|sqkm}} of which {{convert|10230|sqkm}} is land. Lebanon has a coastline and border of {{convert|225|km}} on the Mediterranean Sea to the west, a {{convert|375|km}} border shared with Syria to the north and east and a {{convert|79|km}} long border with Israel to the south.{{cite book | title=Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan – Middle East: region in transition | publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group | author=Etheredge, Laura S | year=2011| pages=85–159| isbn=978-1-61530-414-1}} The border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights is disputed by Lebanon in a small area called Shebaa Farms.{{cite news |last=Philps |first=Alan |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/lebanon/1343868/Israel%27s-withdrawal-from-Lebanon-given-UN%27s-endorsement.html |title=Israel's Withdrawal from Lebanon Given UN's Endorsement |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=19 June 2000 |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222035407/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/lebanon/1343868/Israel%27s-withdrawal-from-Lebanon-given-UN%27s-endorsement.html |archive-date=22 February 2009 |url-status=dead}}

File:Satellite image of Lebanon in March 2002.jpg and eastern Anti-Lebanon mountain ranges.]]

Lebanon is divided into four distinct physiographic regions: the coastal plain, the Lebanon mountain range, the Beqaa Valley and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. The narrow and discontinuous coastal plain stretches from the Syrian border in the north where it widens to form the Akkar plain to Ras al-Naqoura at the border with Israel in the south. The fertile coastal plain is formed of marine sediments and river deposited alluvium alternating with sandy bays and rocky beaches. Lebanon's mountains rise steeply parallel to the Mediterranean coast and form a ridge of limestone and sandstone that runs for most of the country's length.

The mountain range varies in width between {{convert|10|km|0|abbr=on}} and {{convert|56|km|0|abbr=on}}; it is carved by narrow and deep gorges. The Lebanon mountains peak at {{convert|3088|m}} above sea level in Qurnat as Sawda' in North Lebanon and gradually slope to the south before rising again to a height of {{convert|2695|m}} in Mount Sannine. The Beqaa valley sits between the Lebanon mountains in the west and the Anti-Lebanon range in the east; it is a part of the Great Rift Valley system. The valley is {{convert|180|km|0|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|10|to|26|km|0|abbr=on}} wide, its fertile soil is formed by alluvial deposits. The Anti-Lebanon range runs parallel to the Lebanon mountains, its highest peak is in Mount Hermon at {{convert|2814|m}}.

The mountains of Lebanon are drained by seasonal torrents and rivers foremost of which is the {{convert|145|km}} long Leontes that rises in the Beqaa Valley to the west of Baalbek and empties into the Mediterranean Sea north of Tyre. Lebanon has 16 rivers all of which are non-navigable; 13 rivers originate from Mount Lebanon and run through the steep gorges and into the Mediterranean Sea, the other three arise in the Beqaa Valley.{{cite web|last=ECODIT|title=National action plan for the reduction of pollution into the mediterranean sea from land based sources|url=http://smap.ew.eea.europa.eu/media_server/files/C/f/NAP_Med.pdf|publisher=Lebanese ministry of the environment|access-date=31 January 2012|date=October 2005}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}

{{Main|Climate of Lebanon}}

Lebanon has a moderate Mediterranean climate. In coastal areas, winters are generally cool and rainy whilst summers are hot and humid. In more elevated areas, temperatures usually drop below freezing during the winter with heavy snow cover that remains until early summer on the higher mountaintops.(Bonechi et al.) (2004) Golden Book Lebanon, p. 3, Florence, Italy: Casa Editrice Bonechi. {{ISBN|88-476-1489-9}} Although most of Lebanon receives a relatively large amount of rainfall, when measured annually in comparison to its arid surroundings, certain areas in north-eastern Lebanon receives only little because of the rain shadow created by the high peaks of the western mountain range.{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/lebanon/31.htm |title=Lebanon – Climate |publisher=Country Studies US |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116234930/http://countrystudies.us/lebanon/31.htm |archive-date=16 January 2013 |url-status=live}} Storm Adam 2025 saw severe polar weather system affecting Lebanon with low tempertures and snow expected to fall at elevations as low as 300 meters above sea level.{{Cite web |date=2025-02-19 |title=With Storm Adam, snow up to 300 meters above sea level |url=https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1448505/with-storm-adam-snow-up-to-300-meters-above-sea-level.html |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=L'Orient Today |language=en}}

{{Main|Wildlife of Lebanon|Marine environmental issues in Lebanon}}

File:Cedar of Lebanon (Cedar of God), Lebanon.jpg is the national emblem of Lebanon.]]

File:Pilgrimage_to_the_Cedars_of_Libanon.jpg]]

In ancient times, Lebanon was covered by large forests of cedar trees, the national emblem of the country.{{cite web |url=http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/lebanon_cedar.htm |title=Lebanon Cedar – Cedrus libani |publisher=Blue Planet Biomes |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117000050/http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/lebanon_cedar.htm |archive-date=17 January 2013 |url-status=dead}} Millennia of deforestation have altered the hydrology in Mount Lebanon and changed the regional climate adversely.Greipsson, Sigurdur Ph.D. Restoration Ecology, Jones & Bartlett Learning, Kennesaw State University, 2011, page 279 As of 2012, forests covered 13.4% of the Lebanese land area;{{cite web | url=http://data.worldbank.org/country/lebanon | title=Lebanon | work=Data indicators by country | publisher=The World Bank | year=2012 | access-date=13 January 2012 | author=((The World Bank)) | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113155307/http://data.worldbank.org/country/lebanon | archive-date=13 January 2012 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all}} they are under constant threat from wildfires caused by the long dry summer season.{{cite web|url=http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47890 |title=Global Warming Makes Mischief Worse |publisher=Inter Press Service |date=30 July 2009 |access-date=13 January 2012 |author=Alami, Mona |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612095548/http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47890 |archive-date=12 June 2010}}

As a result of longstanding exploitation, few old cedar trees remain in pockets of forests in Lebanon, but there is an active program to conserve and regenerate the forests. The Lebanese approach has emphasized natural regeneration over planting by creating the right conditions for germination and growth. The Lebanese state has created several nature reserves that contain cedars, including the Shouf Biosphere Reserve, the Jaj Cedar Reserve, the Tannourine Reserve, the Ammouaa and Karm Shbat Reserves in the Akkar district, and the Forest of the Cedars of God near Bsharri.Talhouk, S. N. & Zurayk, S. 2003. Conifer conservation in Lebanon. Acta Hort. 615: 411–414.Semaan, M. & Haber, R. 2003. In situ conservation on Cedrus libani in Lebanon. Acta Hort. 615: 415–417.{{cite web |author=Khaldoun Baz |url=http://www.shoufcedar.org/ |title=Cedars of Lebanon Nature Reserve |publisher=Shoufcedar.org |date=10 August 2011 |access-date=5 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519235704/http://www.shoufcedar.org/ |archive-date=19 May 2012 |url-status=dead}} Lebanon had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 3.76/10, ranking it 141st globally out of 172 countries.{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|display-authors=1|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G }}

In 2010, the Environment Ministry set a 10-year plan to increase the national forest coverage by 20%, which is equivalent to the planting of two million new trees each year.{{cite journal |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Article.aspx?id=155258 |title=Lebanon begins landmark reforestation campaign |journal=The Daily Star |date=26 November 2011 |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116232322/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Article.aspx?id=155258 |archive-date=16 January 2013 |url-status=live}} The plan, which was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and implemented by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), through the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative (LRI), was inaugurated in 2011 by planting cedar, pine, wild almond, juniper, fir, oak and other seedlings, in ten regions around Lebanon. As of 2016, forests covered 13.6% of Lebanon, and other wooded lands represented a further 11%.{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/in-action/forest-landscape-restoration-mechanism/resources/detail/en/c/412643/ |title=Forest and landscape restoration in Lebanon |publisher=Sundance Institute |date=29 April 2016 |access-date=24 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525133311/http://www.fao.org/in-action/forest-landscape-restoration-mechanism/resources/detail/en/c/412643/ |archive-date=25 May 2018 |url-status=live}} Since 2011, over 600,000 trees, including cedars and other native species, have been planted throughout the country as part of the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative (LRI).{{cite web |url=https://share.america.gov/restoring-lebanons-cedar-forests/ |title=Restoring Lebanon's cedar forests |newspaper=Shareamerica |publisher=Share America |date=10 January 2017 |access-date=24 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525132714/https://share.america.gov/restoring-lebanons-cedar-forests/ |archive-date=25 May 2018 |url-status=live}}

Lebanon contains two terrestrial ecoregions: Eastern Mediterranean conifer–sclerophyllous–broadleaf forests and Southern Anatolian montane conifer and deciduous forests.{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287}}

Beirut and Mount Lebanon have been facing a severe garbage crisis. After the closure of the Bourj Hammoud dump in 1997, the al-Naameh dumpsite was opened by the government in 1998. The al-Naameh dumpsite was planned to contain 2 million tons of waste for a limited period of six years at the most. It was designed to be a temporary solution, while the government would have devised a long-term plan. Sixteen years later al-Naameh was still open and exceeded its capacity by 13 million tons. In July 2015 the residents of the area, already protesting in the recent years, forced the closure of the dumpsite. The inefficiency of the government, as well as the corruption inside of the waste management company Sukleen in charge of managing the garbage in Lebanon, have resulted in piles of garbage blocking streets in Mount Lebanon and Beirut.{{cite web|last1=chronicle.fanack.com|title=Republic of Rubbish|url=https://chronicle.fanack.com/lebanon/history-past-to-present/republic-of-rubbish/|website=fanack.com|date=11 August 2015|access-date=12 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903235706/https://chronicle.fanack.com/lebanon/history-past-to-present/republic-of-rubbish/|archive-date=3 September 2015|url-status=live}}File:Bsharridistrictmountains.jpg is a mountain range in Lebanon. It averages above 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in elevation.]]

In December 2015, the Lebanese government signed an agreement with Chinook Industrial Mining, part owned by Chinook Sciences, to export over 100,000 tons of untreated waste from Beirut and the surrounding area. The waste had accumulated in temporary locations following the government closure of the county's largest land fill site five months earlier. The contract was jointly signed with Howa International which has offices in the Netherlands and Germany. The contract is reported to cost $212 per ton. The waste, which is compacted and infectious, would have to be sorted and was estimated to be enough to fill 2,000 containers.Exportation plan was Lebanon's only option: Environment Minister. {{Cite web |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Lebanon-News/2015/Dec-28/329219-exportation-plan-was-lebanons-only-option-environment-minister.ashx |title=Archived copy |access-date=14 April 2019 |archive-date=8 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160108030730/http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Lebanon-News/2015/Dec-28/329219-exportation-plan-was-lebanons-only-option-environment-minister.ashx |url-status=bot: unknown }} from [http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2015/Dec-28/329219-exportation-plan-was-lebanons-only-option-environment-minister.ashx the original].{{pb}}Sukleen defends itself against corruption allegations. {{Cite web |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Lebanon-News/2015/Dec-28/329208-sukleen-defends-itself-against-corruption-allegations.ashx |title=Archived copy |access-date=14 April 2019 |archive-date=8 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160108030748/http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Lebanon-News/2015/Dec-28/329208-sukleen-defends-itself-against-corruption-allegations.ashx |url-status=bot: unknown }} from [http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2015/Dec-28/329208-sukleen-defends-itself-against-corruption-allegations.ashx the original].{{pb}}Lebanon trash not fit to produce fuel: Export firm. {{Cite web |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Lebanon-News/2016/Jan-05/330225-lebanon-trash-not-fit-to-produce-fuel-export-firm.ashx |title=Archived copy |access-date=14 April 2019 |archive-date=10 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110135228/http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Lebanon-News/2016/Jan-05/330225-lebanon-trash-not-fit-to-produce-fuel-export-firm.ashx |url-status=bot: unknown }} from [http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2016/Jan-05/330225-lebanon-trash-not-fit-to-produce-fuel-export-firm.ashx the original].{{pb}}Environmentalists: Keep trash here. {{Cite web |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Lebanon-News/2015/Dec-28/329143-environmentalists-keep-trash-here.ashx |title=Archived copy |access-date=14 April 2019 |archive-date=9 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109120705/http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Lebanon-News/2015/Dec-28/329143-environmentalists-keep-trash-here.ashx |url-status=bot: unknown }} from [http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2015/Dec-28/329143-environmentalists-keep-trash-here.ashx the original]. Initial reports that the waste was to be exported to Sierra Leone have been denied by diplomats.{{cite journal |title=Sierra Leone denies agreement to accept Lebanon waste |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2016/Jan-10/331125-sierra-leone-denies-agreement-to-accept-lebanon-waste.ashx |journal=The Daily Star |date=10 January 2016 |access-date=10 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111072951/http://dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2016/Jan-10/331125-sierra-leone-denies-agreement-to-accept-lebanon-waste.ashx |archive-date=11 January 2016 |url-status=live}}

In February 2016, the government withdrew from negotiations after it was revealed that documents relating to the export of the trash to Russia were forgeries.The Daily Star (Lebanon) 16 February 2016. On 19 March 2016, the Cabinet reopened the Naameh landfill for 60 days in line with a plan it passed a few days earlier to end the trash crisis. The plan also stipulates the establishment of landfills in Bourj Hammoud and Costa Brava, east and south of Beirut respectively. Sukleen trucks began removing piled garbage from Karantina and heading to Naameh. Environment Minister Mohammad Machnouk announced during a chat with activists that over 8,000 tons of garbage had been collected up to that point in only 24 hours as part of the government's trash plan. The plan's execution was ongoing at last report.{{cite news |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2016/Mar-21/343245-trash-arrives-at-naameh-under-army-escort.ashx |title=Trash arrives at Naameh under Army escort |work=The Daily Star |access-date=8 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125115608/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2016/Mar-21/343245-trash-arrives-at-naameh-under-army-escort.ashx |archive-date=25 November 2018 |url-status=live}}{{pb}}{{cite web|author=Esperance Ghanem |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/03/lebanon-trash-crisis-government-plan-landfills.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411122651/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/03/lebanon-trash-crisis-government-plan-landfills.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 April 2016 |title=Will short-term solution help Lebanon solve trash crisis? |date=21 March 2016 |access-date=8 December 2018}} In 2017, Human Rights Watch found that Lebanon's garbage crisis, and open burning of waste in particular, was posing a health risk to residents and violating the state's obligations under international law.{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/12/01/lebanon-waste-crisis-posing-health-risks |title=Human Rights Watch |work=Hrw.org |date=December 2017 |access-date=8 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002042942/https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/12/01/lebanon-waste-crisis-posing-health-risks |archive-date=2 October 2018 |url-status=live}}

In September 2018, Lebanon's parliament passed a law that banned open dumping and burning of waste. Despite penalties set in case of violations, Lebanese municipalities have been openly burning the waste, putting the lives of people in danger. In October 2018, Human Rights Watch researchers witnessed the open burning of dumps in al-Qantara and Qabrikha.{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/10/18/lebanon-no-action-enforce-new-waste-law|title=Lebanon: No Action to Enforce New Waste Law|date=18 October 2018|access-date=18 October 2018|publisher=Human Rights Watch|archive-date=24 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190224075741/https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/10/18/lebanon-no-action-enforce-new-waste-law|url-status=live}} On Sunday 13 October 2019 at night, a series of about 100 forest fires according to Lebanese Civil Defense, broke out and spread over large areas of Lebanon's forests. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri confirmed his contact with a number of countries to send assistance via helicopters and firefighting planes,{{Cite web|date=15 October 2019|title=الحريري يستغيث بأوروبا.. حرائق مهولة تلتهم أحراج لبنان|url=https://www.aljazeera.net/news/politics/2019/10/15/%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%82-%D8%BA%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%82%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AB%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A6%D8%A9|trans-title=Massive fires devour the forest of Lebanon|access-date=14 March 2023|website=Al Jazeera|language=ar|archive-date=14 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414165455/https://www.aljazeera.net/news/politics/2019/10/15/%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%82-%D8%BA%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%82%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AB%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A6%D8%A9|url-status=live}} Cyprus, Jordan, Turkey and Greece participated in firefighting. According to press reports on Tuesday (15 October), fire has decreased in different places due to the rains.{{Cite web|last=بيروت|first=واس-|date=15 October 2019|title=الأمطار تشارك في إطفاء حرائق لبنان|url=https://www.alyaum.com/articles/6216373/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%B9/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%83-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A5%D8%B7%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%82-%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86|language=ar|trans-title=Rain participates in extinguishing the fires of Lebanon|access-date=14 March 2023|website=Al Yaum|archive-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022080843/https://www.alyaum.com/articles/6216373/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%B9/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%83-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A5%D8%B7%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%82-%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86|url-status=live}} Lebanon's ongoing economic crisis has precipitated electricity shortages, prompting an increased reliance on diesel generators and subsequently contributing to environmental deterioration and health hazards. The scarcity of power has led to a heightened contamination of water sources. The compromised infrastructure, marked by sewage infiltrating drinking water, has given rise to significant health concerns, including an increase in cases of Hepatitis A. The health service, grappling with workforce shortages due to emigration, struggles amid a growing public health crisis.{{Cite news |date=6 October 2023 |title=Lebanon's economic crisis is wrecking the environment, too |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/10/06/lebanons-economic-crisis-is-wrecking-the-environment-too |access-date=25 December 2023 |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=25 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225155400/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/10/06/lebanons-economic-crisis-is-wrecking-the-environment-too |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Politics of Lebanon|Human rights in Lebanon}}

File:Parliament Beirut.jpg building at the Place de l'Étoile]]

Lebanon is a parliamentary democracy that includes confessionalism.{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/18281.htm |title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – 2002: Lebanon |author=((Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor)) |publisher=US Department of State |date=31 March 2003 |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225073712/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/18281.htm |url-status=live }} The National Pact, erected in 1943, laid out a governing arrangement intended to harmonize the interests of the country's major religious groups.{{Cite book |last=Cohen |first=Saul Bernard |title=Geopolitics: the geography of international relations |date=2015 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-2349-3 |edition=3rd |location=Lanham Boulder New York London |pages=402 |chapter=Chapter 12: The Middle East Shatterbelt}} The President has to be a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim, the Speaker of the Parliament a Shi'a Muslim, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Eastern Orthodox.{{cite web|url=http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2006/0330_lebanon_confessionalism.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322103601/http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2006/0330_lebanon_confessionalism.html |archive-date=22 March 2009 |title=Lebanon's Confessionalism: Problems and Prospects |publisher=United States Institute of Peace |date=22 March 2009 |access-date=17 January 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.prio.no/files/file46602_zahar_-_power_sharing_in_lebanon.doc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613143921/http://www.prio.no/files/file46602_zahar_-_power_sharing_in_lebanon.doc |archive-date=13 June 2011 |title=Chapter 9 Power sharing in Lebanon: Foreign protectors, domestic peace, and democratic failure |author=Marie-Joëlle Zahar |access-date=17 January 2013}} This system is intended to deter sectarian conflict and to represent fairly the demographic distribution of the 18 recognized religious groups in government.{{cite journal|author=Lijphart, Arend|title=Consociational Democracy |journal=World Politics|volume=21|issue= 2|year=1969|doi=10.2307/2009820|pages=207–225|jstor=2009820|s2cid=251572712 }}Lijphart, Arend. Multiethnic democracy, in S. Lipset (ed.), "The Encyclopedia of Democracy". London, Routledge, 1995, Volume III, pp. 853–865 {{ISBN|0871878887}}.

Until 1975, Freedom House considered Lebanon to be among only two (together with Israel) politically free countries in the Middle East and North Africa region.{{cite web|title=Freedom in the World, Country Ratings by Region, 1972–2013|publisher=Freedom House|url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/Country%20Status%20and%20Ratings%20By%20Region%2C%201973-2013_0.xls|access-date=10 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021043232/http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/Country%20Status%20and%20Ratings%20By%20Region%2C%201973-2013_0.xls|archive-date=21 October 2013|url-status=live}} The country lost this status with the outbreak of the Civil War, and has not regained it since. Lebanon was rated "Partly Free" in 2013. Even so, Freedom House still ranks Lebanon as among the most democratic nations in the Arab world. According to the V-Dem Democracy indices Lebanon is 2023 the second most electoral democratic country in the Middle East.{{cite web |last=V-Dem Institute |date=2023 |title=The V-Dem Dataset |url=https://www.v-dem.net/data/the-v-dem-dataset/ |access-date=14 October 2023 |archive-date=8 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208183458/https://www.v-dem.net/data/the-v-dem-dataset/ |url-status=live }}

Until 2005, Palestinians were forbidden to work in over 70 jobs because they did not have Lebanese citizenship. After liberalization laws were passed in 2007, the number of banned jobs dropped to around 20. In 2010, Palestinians were granted the same rights to work as other foreigners in the country.{{cite news|last=Bakri|first=Nada|title=Lebanon Gives Palestinians New Work Rights|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/world/middleeast/18lebanon.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=17 August 2010|access-date=19 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610090345/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/world/middleeast/18lebanon.html|archive-date=10 June 2017|url-status=live|url-access= subscription}} Lebanon's national legislature is the unicameral Parliament of Lebanon. Its 128 seats are divided equally between Christians and Muslims, proportionately between the 18 different denominations and proportionately between its 26 regions.{{cite web |url=http://www.alarabiya.net/save_pdf.php?cont_id=75167 |title=Eager Lebanese race to polls to cast their ballots |publisher=AlArabbia |access-date=17 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117043045/http://www.alarabiya.net/save_pdf.php?cont_id=75167 |archive-date=17 January 2013}} Prior to 1990, the ratio stood at 6:5 in favor of Christians, but the Taif Agreement, which put an end to the 1975–1990 civil war, adjusted the ratio to grant equal representation to followers of the two religions.File:Beirut protest in 2010.jpg

The Parliament is elected for a four-year term by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation.{{Citation|title=Lebanon|date=2 March 2023|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/lebanon/|work=The World Factbook|access-date=14 March 2023|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|language=en|archive-date=11 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111113708/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/lebanon/|url-status=live}} The executive branch consists of the President, the head of state, and the Prime Minister, the head of government. The parliament elects the president for a non-renewable six-year term by a two-thirds majority. The president appoints the Prime Minister,{{cite web|url=http://www.pogar.org/countries/theme.aspx?cid=9&t=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718200246/http://www.pogar.org/countries/theme.aspx?cid=9&t=3 |archive-date=18 July 2011 |title=Democratic Governance, Elections, Lebanon |publisher=UNDP |access-date=17 January 2013}} following consultations with the parliament. The president and the prime minister form a cabinet, which must also adhere to the sectarian distribution set out by confessionalism.

In an unprecedented move, the Lebanese parliament has extended its own term twice amid protests, the last being on 5 November 2014,{{cite news|title=Lebanese parliament extends own term till 2017 amid protests|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-parliament-idUSKBN0IP18T20141105|author1=Oliver Holmes|work=Reuters|date=5 November 2014|access-date=1 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706045427/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-parliament-idUSKBN0IP18T20141105|archive-date=6 July 2017|url-status=live}} an act which comes in direct contradiction with democracy and article #42 of the Lebanese constitution as no elections have taken place. Lebanon was without a President between May 2014 and October 2016.{{cite journal|title=Results of 2nd round of Lebanon presidential election: Michel Aoun – 83 (winner); blank votes – 36; others/cancelled – 8|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2016/Oct-31/378975-michel-aoun-secures-vote-majority-to-win-lebanon-presidency.ashx|journal=The Daily Star|date=31 October 2016 |access-date=31 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031213833/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2016/Oct-31/378975-michel-aoun-secures-vote-majority-to-win-lebanon-presidency.ashx|archive-date=31 October 2016|url-status=live}}[http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2016/Jan-11/331259-lebanese-rivals-meet-for-fresh-round-of-talks.ashx] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111200102/http://dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2016/Jan-11/331259-lebanese-rivals-meet-for-fresh-round-of-talks.ashx|date=11 January 2016}} Daily Star (Lebanon) 11 January 2016 Nationwide elections were finally scheduled for May 2018.{{cite news|title=Will Lebanon's new electoral law end the stalemate?|agency=Al Jazeera|date=15 June 2017|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/06/lebanon-electoral-law-stalemate-170615064815219.html|access-date=2 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903025604/http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/06/lebanon-electoral-law-stalemate-170615064815219.html|archive-date=3 September 2017|url-status=live}} As of August 2019, the Lebanese cabinet included two ministers directly affiliated with Hezbollah, in addition to a close but officially non-member minister.{{cite news|url=http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/256021-lebanon-s-new-cabinet-up-to-the-challenge|title=Lebanon's New Cabinet: Up to the Challenge?|work=Naharnet|access-date=4 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190206195659/http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/256021-lebanon-s-new-cabinet-up-to-the-challenge|archive-date=6 February 2019|url-status=live}} The most recent parliamentary elections were held on 15 May 2022.{{cite news |title=IntelBrief: Lebanon Election Shakes Up Political Landscape |url=https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2022-may-17/ |work=The Soufan Center |date=17 May 2022 |access-date=28 May 2022 |archive-date=17 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517080159/https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2022-may-17/ |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Governorates of Lebanon|Districts of Lebanon|Municipalities of Lebanon}}

Lebanon is divided into nine governorates (muḥāfaẓāt, {{langx|ar|محافظات}}; singular muḥāfaẓah, {{langx|ar|محافظة}}) which are further subdivided into twenty-five districts ({{lang|ar|aqdyah}}, {{langx|ar|أقضية}}; singular: qadāʾ {{langx|ar|قضاء}}).{{cite web |url=https://www.libandata.org/en/article/list-lebanese-muhafazah-s |title=List of the Lebanese muhafazahs |publisher=Localiban |date=17 May 2017 |access-date=17 April 2021 |archive-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420014938/https://www.libandata.org/en/article/list-lebanese-muhafazah-s |url-status=dead }} The districts themselves are also divided into several municipalities, each enclosing a group of cities or villages. The governorates and their respective districts are listed below:

{{Lebanon Labelled Map|float=right}}

File:Lebanon, Baalbek, Temple of Jupiter in Baalbek.jpg capitals of the Temple of Jupiter in Baalbek]]

• Beirut Governorate
• Beirut Governorate comprises the city of Beirut and is not divided into districts.
• Akkar Governorate
• Akkar
• Baalbek-Hermel Governorate
• Baalbek
• Hermel
• Beqaa Governorate
• Rashaya
• Western Beqaa (al-Beqaa al-Gharbi)
• Zahle
• Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate
• Byblos (Jbeil)
• Keserwan
• Mount Lebanon Governorate (Jabal Lubnan/Jabal Lebnen)
• Aley
• Baabda
• Chouf
• Matn
• Nabatieh Governorate (Jabal Amel)
• Bint Jbeil
• Hasbaya
• Marjeyoun
• Nabatieh
• North Governorate (ash-Shamal/shmel)
• Batroun
• Bsharri
• Koura
• Miniyeh-Danniyeh
• Tripoli
• Zgharta
• South Governorate (al-Janoub/Jnub)
• Jezzine
• Sidon (Saida)
• Tyre (Sur)

{{Main|Foreign relations of Lebanon}}

File:UNbeirut.jpg

Lebanon concluded negotiations on an association agreement with the European Union in late 2001, and both sides initialed the accord in January 2002. It is included in the European Union's European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), which aims at bringing the EU and its neighbours closer. Lebanon also has bilateral trade agreements with several Arab states and is working toward accession to the World Trade Organization.

Lebanon enjoys good relations with virtually all of the other Arab countries (despite historic tensions with Libya and Syria), and hosted an Arab League Summit in March 2002 for the first time in over 35 years. Lebanon is a member of the Francophonie countries and hosted the Francophonie Summit in October 2002 as well as the Jeux de la Francophonie in 2009.

{{Main|Lebanese Armed Forces}}

File:Lebanese Armed Forces.jpg

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) has 72,000 active personnel,{{cite news|title=Lebanese Armed Forces, CSIS (Page 78)|date=10 February 2009|url=http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/090210_lafsecurity3.pdf|access-date=7 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805164253/http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/090210_lafsecurity3.pdf|archive-date=5 August 2012|url-status=live}} including 1,100 in the air force, and 1,000 in the navy.{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-08-01-lebanon-forces_x.htm|title=Lebanese forces may play bigger role in war|last=Stinson|first=Jefferey|date=1 August 2006|work=USA Today|access-date=22 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521121942/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-08-01-lebanon-forces_x.htm|archive-date=21 May 2010|url-status=live}} The LAF is considered less powerful and influential than Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah has 20,000 active fighters and 20,000 in reserves and is supplied with advanced weaponry, including rockets and drones from Iran.{{Cite news |title=Mediterranean gas sends sparks flying between Lebanon and Israel |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/08/21/mediterranean-gas-sends-sparks-flying-between-lebanon-and-israel |access-date=25 December 2023 |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=25 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225132203/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/08/21/mediterranean-gas-sends-sparks-flying-between-lebanon-and-israel |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=What Is Hezbollah? |url=https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-hezbollah |access-date=25 December 2023 |website=Council on Foreign Relations |language=en |archive-date=29 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129032149/https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-hezbollah |url-status=live }}

The Lebanese Armed Forces' primary missions include defending Lebanon and its citizens against external aggression, maintaining internal stability and security, confronting threats against the country's vital interests, engaging in social development activities, and undertaking relief operations in coordination with public and humanitarian institutions.{{cite web|url=http://www.lebarmy.gov.lb/english/mission.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040808145709/http://www.lebarmy.gov.lb/English/Mission.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 August 2004|title=LAF Mission|publisher=Lebanese Armed Forces|access-date=19 May 2009}}

Lebanon is a major recipient of foreign military aid.{{cite news |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gfs5KFnHsffexKiQgh0f4eWb4Nbw |title=US military aid at stake in Lebanon elections |last=Lanteaume |first=Sylvie |date=4 August 2009 |agency=Agence France-Presse |access-date=22 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523054703/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gfs5KFnHsffexKiQgh0f4eWb4Nbw |archive-date=23 May 2012}} With over $400 million since 2005, it is the second largest per capita recipient of American military aid behind Israel.{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2933|title=The Future of U.S. Military Aid to Lebanon|last=Schenker|first=David|date=3 October 2008|work=Washington Institute for Near East Policy|access-date=9 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826093558/http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2933|archive-date=26 August 2009|url-status=live}}

Hezbollah effectively controls large portions of southern Lebanon, and has greater military strength than the Lebanese armed forces.{{Cite web |last=Nashed |first=Mat |title=Could rival Lebanese factions exploit a weakened Hezbollah? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/30/could-rival-lebanese-factions-exploit-a-weakened-hezbollah |access-date=2024-12-01 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}} The government of Lebanon has been unable or unwilling to prevent Hezbollah attacks on Israel, and violent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.{{Cite web |title=What Is Hezbollah? {{!}} Council on Foreign Relations |url=https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-hezbollah |access-date=2024-12-01 |website=www.cfr.org |language=en}} Many Islamist and Palestinian militias operate in refugee camps because of an agreement that prevents the Lebanese Army from entering them. Many people wanted by the Lebanese government are believed to have taken refuge in the camp as a result of the lack of Lebanese authority.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

File:Grand serail solidere 4.jpg from Riad El Solh Square, Beirut]]

There are 18 officially recognized religious groups in Lebanon, each with its own family law legislation and set of religious courts.{{cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/SHS/pdf/Women_in_Personal_Status_Laws.pdf |title=Women In Personal Status Laws |access-date=26 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010052503/http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/SHS/pdf/Women_in_Personal_Status_Laws.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2017 |url-status=live}} The Lebanese legal system is based on the French system, and is a civil law country, with the exception for matters related to personal status (succession, marriage, divorce, adoption, etc.), which are governed by a separate set of laws designed for each sectarian community. For instance, the Islamic personal status laws are inspired by the Sharia law.

For Muslims, these tribunals deal with questions of marriage, divorce, custody, and inheritance and wills. For non-Muslims, personal status jurisdiction is split: the law of inheritance and wills falls under national civil jurisdiction, while Christian and Jewish religious courts are competent for marriage, divorce, and custody. Catholics can additionally appeal before the Vatican Rota court.{{cite web |url=http://www.mallat.com/articles/T/The%20Lebanese%20Legal%20System.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516171921/http://www.mallat.com/articles/T/The%20Lebanese%20Legal%20System.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 May 2011 |title=The Lebanese Legal System |author=Chibli Mallat |access-date=17 January 2013}}

The most notable set of codified laws is the Code des Obligations et des Contrats promulgated in 1932 and equivalent to the French Civil Code.{{cite web |url=http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Lebanon.htm |title=The Lebanese Legal System and Research |author=El Samad, Firas |publisher=Nyulawglobal.org |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117000049/http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Lebanon.htm |archive-date=17 January 2013 |url-status=live}} Capital punishment is still de facto used to sanction certain crimes, but no longer enforced.{{Clarify|date=August 2024|reason=De facto or de jure? The reference only says that it's still used for certain crimes, it doesn't say anything about de facto or de jure, but certainly claiming it's used "de facto" but then "no longer enforced" seems confusing and contradictory}} The Lebanese court system consists of three levels: courts of first instance, courts of appeal, and the court of cassation. The Constitutional Council rules on constitutionality of laws and electoral frauds. There also is a system of religious courts having jurisdiction over personal status matters within their own communities, with rules on matters such as marriage and inheritance.{{cite web | publisher = Carnegie Endowment for International Peace | last = Carnegie Endowment for International Peace | title = Arab Political Systems: Baseline Information and Reforms – Lebanon | access-date = 4 July 2009 | url = http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/Lebanon_APS.doc | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090725093222/https://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/Lebanon_APS.doc | archive-date = 25 July 2009 | url-status=live | df = dmy-all}}

In 1990, article 95 was amended to provide that the parliament shall take necessary measures to abolish political structure based on religious affiliation, but that until such time only the highest positions in public civil service, including the judiciary, military, security forces, public and mixed institutions, shall be divided equally between Christians and Muslims without regard to the denominational affiliation within each community.{{cite web|last=Saliba|first=Issam|date=3 May 2012|title=Legal Research Guide: Lebanon|url=https://www.loc.gov/law/help/legal-research-guide/lebanon.php|access-date=19 March 2021|website=Law Library of Congress|archive-date=8 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508141014/https://www.loc.gov/law/help/legal-research-guide/lebanon.php|url-status=live}}

{{Main|LGBTQ rights in Lebanon}}

Male homosexuality is illegal in Lebanon.{{cite news |title=The countries where homosexuality is still illegal |url=https://www.theweek.co.uk/96298/the-countries-where-homosexuality-is-still-illegal |work=The Week |date=12 June 2019 |access-date=22 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128203653/https://www.theweek.co.uk/96298/the-countries-where-homosexuality-is-still-illegal |archive-date=28 November 2019 |url-status=dead}} Discrimination against LGBTQ people in Lebanon is widespread.{{cite news |title=Lebanon: No Justification for LGBT Crackdown |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/02/11/lebanon-no-justification-lgbt-crackdown |work=Human Rights Watch |date=11 February 2019 |access-date=15 August 2019 |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506001010/https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/02/11/lebanon-no-justification-lgbt-crackdown |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=1 April 2019 |title=Human rights group urges Lebanon to abolish anti-LGBT law |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/human-rights-group-urges-lebanon-to-abolish-anti-lgbt-law |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414054835/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/human-rights-group-urges-lebanon-to-abolish-anti-lgbt-law |archive-date=14 April 2021 |access-date=15 August 2019 |work=PBS}} According to 2019 survey by the Pew Research Center, 85% of Lebanese respondents believe that homosexuality should not be accepted by society.{{Citation|date=6 September 2020|title=The Global Divide on Homosexuality Persists|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/06/25/global-divide-on-homosexuality-persists/|access-date=3 October 2021|archive-date=1 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701105248/https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/06/25/global-divide-on-homosexuality-persists/|url-status=live}}

A gender and sexuality conference, held annually in Lebanon, since 2013, was moved abroad in 2019 after a religious group on Facebook called for the organizers' arrest and the cancellation of the conference for "inciting immorality." General Security Forces shut down the 2018 conference and indefinitely denied non-Lebanese LGBT activists who attended the conference permission to re-enter the country.{{Cite web |date=4 August 2021 |title="Clean the Streets of Faggots" |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/08/04/clean-streets-faggots |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425122215/https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/08/04/clean-streets-faggots |archive-date=25 April 2022 |access-date=25 April 2022 |website=Human Rights Watch}}

{{Main|Economy of Lebanon}}

File:Seafront_Towers_at_Zaitunay_Bay,_Downtown_Beirut.jpg]]

Lebanon's constitution states that 'the economic system is free and ensures private initiative and the right to private property'. Lebanon's economy follows a laissez-faire model.{{cite web |url=http://export.gov/lebanon/static/Doing%20Business%20in%20Lebanon_Latest_eg_lb_037171.doc |title=Doing Business in Lebanon |publisher=Export.gov |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116235829/http://export.gov/lebanon/static/Doing%20Business%20in%20Lebanon_Latest_eg_lb_037171.doc |archive-date=16 January 2013 |url-status=live}} Most of the economy is dollarized, and the country has no restrictions on the movement of capital across its borders. The Lebanese government's intervention in foreign trade is minimal. The Investment Development Authority of Lebanon was established with the aim of promoting investment in Lebanon. In 2001, Investment Law No.360{{cite web |title=Investment Law No.360 |url=http://www.idal.com.lb/OurProfile.aspx?ID=76 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721012718/http://www.idal.com.lb/OurProfile.aspx?ID=76 |archive-date=21 July 2011 |access-date=29 July 2011}} was enacted to reinforce the organisation's mission.

Lebanon is now suffering the worst economic crisis in decades. As of 2023, the GDP has shrunk by 40% since 2018, and the currency has experienced a significant depreciation of 95%.{{Cite news |date=31 July 2023 |title=The world's worst central banker retires |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/07/31/the-worlds-worst-central-banker-retires |access-date=24 December 2023 |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=2 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202173927/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/07/31/the-worlds-worst-central-banker-retires |url-status=live }} The annual inflation rate exceeds 200%, rendering the minimum wage equivalent to approximately $1 per day.{{Cite news |date=28 April 2022 |title=Lebanon goes to the polls amid its worst-ever financial crisis |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/04/28/lebanon-goes-to-the-polls-amid-its-worst-ever-financial-crisis |access-date=25 December 2023 |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=25 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225145646/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/04/28/lebanon-goes-to-the-polls-amid-its-worst-ever-financial-crisis |url-status=live }} This was the first time Lebanon had devalued its official exchange rate in 25 years. According to the United Nations, three out of every four Lebanese individuals fall below the poverty line. The crisis stems from a long-term Ponzi scheme by the Central Bank of Lebanon, borrowing dollars at high interest rates to sustain deficits and maintain a currency peg. By 2019, insufficient new deposits led to an unsustainable situation, resulting in weeks-long bank closures, arbitrary capital controls, and ultimately, the country's default in 2020.

Throughout the Ottoman and French mandatory periods and into the 1960s, Lebanon experienced prosperity, serving as a hub for banking, financial services, and a key distribution center for the Middle East. The local economy thrived with a foundation in industries related to food processing, clothing, jewelry, and carpets. This prosperity was later marred by four decades of conflict. Following the end of the civil war, Lebanon has developed a service-based economy centered around finance, real estate, and tourism.{{Cite news |date=9 May 2020 |title=Why protesters firebomb banks in Lebanon |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/05/09/why-protesters-firebomb-banks-in-lebanon |access-date=25 December 2023 |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=25 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225135224/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/05/09/why-protesters-firebomb-banks-in-lebanon |url-status=live }} Nearly 65% of the Lebanese workforce attain employment in the services sector.Jean Hayek et al, 1999. The Structure, Properties, and Main Foundations of the Lebanese Economy. In The Scientific Series in Geography, Grade 11, 110–114. Beirut: Dar Habib. The GDP contribution, accordingly, amounts to roughly 67.3% of the annual Lebanese GDP. However, dependence on the tourism and banking sectors leaves the economy vulnerable to political instability.{{cite web |date=28 May 2009 |title=Lebanon |url=http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/lebanon |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080530095337/http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/lebanon |archive-date=30 May 2008 |access-date=24 August 2009 |work=Canadian International Development Agency |publisher=Government of Canada |format=Governmental}}

The urban population in Lebanon is noted for its commercial enterprise.{{cite web |title=Header: People, 4th paragraph |url=http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/bgnotes/nea/lebanon9401.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210031905/http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/bgnotes/nea/lebanon9401.html |archive-date=10 February 2007 |access-date=17 January 2013 |publisher=U.S. Department of State}} Emigration has yielded Lebanese "commercial networks" throughout the world.{{cite web |title=Background Note: Lebanon |url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/documents/41e1aa0d7d676.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325004042/http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/documents/41e1aa0d7d676.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2009 |access-date=17 January 2013 |publisher=washingtoninstitute.org}} In 2008, Remittances from Lebanese abroad totalled $8.2 billion{{cite web |title=Lebanon – Facts and Figures |url=http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/pid/426 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611182611/http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/pid/426 |archive-date=11 June 2008 |access-date=17 January 2013 |publisher=Iom.int}} and account for one-fifth of the country's economy.{{cite news |title=Facts on Lebanon's economy |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSTRE5570SJ20090608 |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309005436/https://www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSTRE5570SJ20090608 |url-status=live }} In 2005, Lebanon had the largest proportion of skilled labor among Arab States.{{citation |author=((United Nations Population Fund)) |title=Lebanon |url=http://www.unfpa.org/profile/lebanon.cfm |access-date=9 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051027182552/http://www.unfpa.org/profile/lebanon.cfm |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-date=27 October 2005 |author-link=United Nations Population Fund}}

The agricultural sector in Lebanon employs 20–25% of the total workforce, and contributed 3.1% to the country's GDP,{{Cite web |title=World Bank Open Data |url=https://data.worldbank.org/ |access-date=25 December 2023 |website=World Bank Open Data |archive-date=26 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230526025607/https://data.worldbank.org/ |url-status=live }} as of 2020. Lebanon has the highest proportion of cultivable land in the Arab world.{{cite web |date=13 June 1978 |title=Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, U.S.A. 1986–1988 |url=http://countrystudies.us/lebanon/71.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116234919/http://countrystudies.us/lebanon/71.htm |archive-date=16 January 2013 |access-date=17 January 2013 |publisher=Countrystudies.us}} Major crops include apples, peaches, oranges, and lemons. A significant portion of the country's factories, approximately one-third, is dedicated to producing packaged food items, ranging from poultry to pickles. However, despite favorable conditions for farming and diverse microclimates, the country depends on food imports, constituting 80% of its consumption. This is mainly attributed to the small scale of many farms, preventing the benefits of economies of scale. The ongoing economic crisis and devaluation of the Lebanese pound have also negatively impacted the agricultural sector, particularly through elevated costs for essential imports such as seeds and fertilizers. This economic strain compounds existing burdens for farmers, including escalating debts and inefficient agricultural practices. Consequently, farmers are observing a decline in revenues and encountering difficulties in meeting loan repayment obligations.{{Cite news |date=28 May 2020 |title=Hobbyists hope to halt hunger in Lebanon by growing their own crops |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/05/28/hobbyists-hope-to-halt-hunger-in-lebanon-by-growing-their-own-crops |access-date=25 December 2023 |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=25 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225125126/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/05/28/hobbyists-hope-to-halt-hunger-in-lebanon-by-growing-their-own-crops |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=15 June 2021 |title=Lebanese farmers face toughening crisis – DW – 06/15/2021 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/lebanese-farmers-struggle-amid-toughening-economic-crisis/a-57887925 |access-date=12 January 2024 |website=dw.com |language=en |archive-date=12 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112201846/https://www.dw.com/en/lebanese-farmers-struggle-amid-toughening-economic-crisis/a-57887925 |url-status=live }}

The commodities market in Lebanon includes substantial gold coin production, however according to International Air Transport Association (IATA) standards, they must be declared upon exportation to any foreign country.{{cite web|url=http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/LB-Lebanon-customs-currency-airport-tax-regulations-details.htm|title=IATA – Lebanon Customs, Currency & Airport Tax regulations details|website=www.iatatravelcentre.com|access-date=1 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203163402/http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/LB-Lebanon-customs-currency-airport-tax-regulations-details.htm|archive-date=3 February 2014|url-status=live}}

Industry in Lebanon is mainly limited to small businesses that reassemble and package imported parts. In 2004, industry ranked second in workforce, with 26% of the Lebanese working population, and second in GDP contribution, with 21% of Lebanon's GDP.

Oil has recently been discovered inland and in the seabed between Lebanon, Cyprus, Israel and Egypt and talks are underway between Cyprus and Egypt to reach an agreement regarding the exploration of these resources. The seabed separating Lebanon and Cyprus is believed to hold significant quantities of crude oil and natural gas.{{cite magazine | url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2061187,00.html | magazine=Time | title=The Next Big Lebanon-Israel Flare-Up: Gas | date=6 April 2011 | access-date=14 April 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110410005921/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2061187,00.html | archive-date=10 April 2011 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all}} On 10 May 2013, the Lebanese minister of energy and water clarified that seismic images of the Lebanese sea bed are undergoing detailed explanation of their contents and that up till now, approximately 10% have been covered. Preliminary inspection of the results showed, with over 50% probability, that 10% of Lebanon's exclusive economic zone held up to 660 million barrels of oil and up to 30×10¹² cu ft of gas.{{cite web |title=باسيل: حلم النفط صار واقعا وأنجزنا كل الخطوات الأساسية في فترة قياسية |trans-title=Basil: Oil dream became a reality and we did all the basic steps in record time |url=http://www.lebanonfiles.com/news/543122 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110162323/http://www.lebanonfiles.com/news/543122 |archive-date=10 November 2013 |access-date=28 May 2013 |publisher=Lebanonfiles.com}}

Lebanon has a significant drug industry, including both production and trade. Western intelligence estimate an annual production of over 4 million pounds of hashish and 20,000 pounds of heroin, generating profits exceeding $4 billion. In recent decades, Hezbollah has intensified its engagement in the drug economy, with narcotics serving as a significant revenue stream for the group. Despite some of the harvest being retained for local use, a significant amount is smuggled worldwide. Despite ongoing efforts, the government's inability to control the drug-producing Beqaa Valley and address illicit Captagon factories allows for the persistent occurrence of drug trades, impacting Lebanon's economy and regional stability.{{Cite web |date=5 July 2021 |title=Lebanon's drug trade booms with help from Hezbollah's Captagon connection |url=https://arab.news/bbm33 |access-date=28 December 2023 |website=Arab News |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=The Gulf, Lebanon and The War on Drugs |url=https://www.egic.info/the-gulf-lebanon-war-on-drugs |access-date=28 December 2023 |website=egic |language=en |archive-date=28 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228160414/https://www.egic.info/the-gulf-lebanon-war-on-drugs |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Cwerman |first=Ralph |title=Lebanon's Valley of Drugs |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1990/11/18/lebanons-valley-of-drugs/9cca8a22-5a60-4529-9d5c-cfedf083af4f/ |access-date=31 December 2023 |archive-date=15 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515013450/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1990/11/18/lebanons-valley-of-drugs/9cca8a22-5a60-4529-9d5c-cfedf083af4f/ |url-status=live }}

File:USJ Campus.jpg's Campus of Innovation and Sports on Damascus Street, Beirut]]

Lebanon was ranked 94th in the Global Innovation Index in 2024, down from 88th in 2019.{{Cite web |title=Global Innovation Index 2024 : Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/ |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=www.wipo.int |language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Global Innovation Index 2019|url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2019/index.html|access-date=2 September 2021|website=www.wipo.int|language=en|archive-date=2 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902101818/https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2019/index.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=28 October 2013|title=Global Innovation Index|url=https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/global-innovation-index-2930|access-date=2 September 2021|website=INSEAD Knowledge|language=en|archive-date=2 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902101622/https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/global-innovation-index-2930|url-status=dead}} Notable scientists from Lebanon include Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah, Rammal Rammal, and Edgar Choueiri.{{cite web|last=ago·|first=M. Srour·People·2 years|date=15 March 2019|title=6 Lebanese Geniuses That Make Us Proud|url=https://www.the961.com/6-lebanese-geniuses-that-make-us-proud/|access-date=14 October 2020|website=The961|language=en-US|archive-date=18 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018193018/https://www.the961.com/6-lebanese-geniuses-that-make-us-proud/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|date=5 January 2009|title=Rammal Award attribution by the Euroscience Foundation|url=http://www.euroscience.org/RAMMAL/rammal.htm|access-date=14 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105212227/http://www.euroscience.org/RAMMAL/rammal.htm|archive-date=5 January 2009}}

In 1960, a science club from a university in Beirut started a Lebanese space program called "the Lebanese Rocket Society". They achieved great success until 1966 where the program was stopped because of both war and external pressure.{{cite news|last=Hooper|first=Richard|date=14 November 2013|title=Lebanon's forgotten space programme|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24735423|access-date=14 October 2020|archive-date=18 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018193017/https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24735423|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=The Bizarre Tale of the Middle East's First Space Program|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/bizarre-tale-middle-easts-first-space-program-180960808/|access-date=14 October 2020|website=Smithsonian Magazine|language=en|archive-date=8 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208131753/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/bizarre-tale-middle-easts-first-space-program-180960808/|url-status=live}}

In the 1950s, GDP growth was the second highest in the world. Despite having no oil reserves, Lebanon, as the Arab world's banking centerPodeh, Elie. The Quest for Hegemony in the Arab World: The Struggle Over the Baghdad Pact, Brill Academic Pub (1 August 1997), page 154 and among its trading center, had a high national income.{{cite book|author=Baten, Jörg |title=A History of the Global Economy. From 1500 to the Present.|date=2016|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=231|isbn=9781107507180}}File:Real-gdp-per-capita-PennWT.png

The 1975–1990 civil war heavily damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a West Asian entrepôt and banking hub. The subsequent period of relative peace enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. Economic recovery has been helped by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers, with family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm exports, and international aid as the main sources of foreign exchange.{{cite web|url=http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/reference/2001WorldFactbook/LEBANON.PDF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614003953/http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/reference/2001WorldFactbook/LEBANON.PDF |archive-date=14 June 2007 |title=CIA World Factbook 2001 |access-date=17 January 2013}}File:Frances_Guy,_Beirut_Dock's_you_can_just_about_see_the_snow-capped_peaks_(2213410431).jpgUntil July 2006, Lebanon enjoyed considerable stability, Beirut's reconstruction was almost complete,{{cite web| url=http://www.csbe.org/saliba/essay1.htm| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725210323/http://www.csbe.org/saliba/essay1.htm| archive-date=25 July 2011| title=Deconstructing Beirut's Reconstruction: 1990–2000| publisher=Center for the Study of the Built Environment| access-date=31 October 2006}} and increasing numbers of tourists poured into the nation's resorts.{{cite news| url=https://www.chron.com/default/article/Lebanon-hopes-for-stability-so-tourism-industry-1895818.php| author=Johnson, Anna| year=2006| title=Lebanon: Tourism Depends on Stability| newspaper=Chron| access-date=31 October 2006| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113012527/http://www.chron.com/default/article/Lebanon-hopes-for-stability-so-tourism-industry-1895818.php| archive-date=13 January 2012| url-status=live| df=dmy-all}} The economy witnessed growth, with bank assets reaching over 75 billion US dollars,{{cite web|url=http://www.audi.com.lb/geteconomy/quarterly/lebanon.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081123013845/http://www.audi.com.lb/geteconomy/quarterly/lebanon.pdf |archive-date=23 November 2008 |title=Lebanon Economic Report: 2nd quarter, 2006 |publisher=Bank Audi |access-date=17 January 2013}} Market capitalization was also at an all-time high, estimated at $10.9 billion at the end of the second quarter of 2006. The month-long 2006 war severely damaged Lebanon's fragile economy, especially the tourism sector. According to a preliminary report published by the Lebanese Ministry of Finance on 30 August 2006, a major economic decline was expected as a result of the fighting.{{cite web |url=http://www.lebanonundersiege.gov.lb/documents/ImpactonfinanceReport-Englishversion-06.pdf |title=Impact of the July Offensive on the Public Finances in 2006 |publisher=Lebanese Ministry of Finance |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325004048/http://www.lebanonundersiege.gov.lb/documents/ImpactonfinanceReport-Englishversion-06.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}

Over the course of 2008 Lebanon rebuilt its infrastructure mainly in the real estate and tourism sectors, resulting in a comparatively robust post war economy. Major contributors to the reconstruction of Lebanon include Saudi Arabia (with US$1.5 billion pledged),{{cite web|url=http://www.cynews.com/news/7005070415/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928180742/http://www.cynews.com/news/7005070415/ |archive-date=28 September 2007 |title=Saudi Arabia Key Contributor To Lebanon's Reconstruction |author=Joseph S. Mayton |publisher=Cyprus News |date=28 September 2007 |access-date=17 January 2013}} the European Union (with about $1 billion){{cite web |url=http://reliefweb.int/node/434440 |title=Donors pledge over $940 million for Lebanon |publisher=Reliefweb.int |date=31 August 2006 |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112150202/http://reliefweb.int/node/434440 |archive-date=12 January 2012 |url-status=live}} and a few other Persian Gulf countries with contributions of up to $800 million.{{cite web|url=http://www.ain-al-yaqeen.com/issues/20060825/feat2en.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20061020061315/http://www.ain-al-yaqeen.com/issues/20060825/feat2en.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 October 2006 |title=The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Reviews with the Jordanian King the Situation in Lebanon... |publisher=Ain-Al-Yaqeen |access-date=17 January 2013}}

File:Beirut Corniche, Beirut, Lebanon.jpg is the tourism hub of the country.]]{{Main|Tourism in Lebanon}}The tourism industry accounts for about 10% of GDP. Lebanon attracted around 1,333,000 tourists in 2008, thus placing it as 79th out of 191 countries.{{cite web |url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_tou_arr-economy-tourist-arrivals |title=Tourist arrivals statistics – Countries Compared |publisher=NationMaster |access-date=4 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111030164748/http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_tou_arr-economy-tourist-arrivals |archive-date=30 October 2011 |url-status=dead}} In 2009, The New York Times ranked Beirut the No. 1 travel destination worldwide due to its nightlife and hospitality.{{cite news |author1=Zach Wise |author2-link=Miki Meek |author2=Miki Meek |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/01/11/travel/20090111_DESTINATIONS.html |title=The 44 Places to Go in 2009 – Interactive Graphic |date=11 January 2009 |access-date=21 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422182843/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/01/11/travel/20090111_DESTINATIONS.html |archive-date=22 April 2009 |url-status=live}} In January 2010, the Ministry of Tourism announced that 1,851,081 tourists had visited Lebanon in 2009, a 39% increase from 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.lebanon-tourism.gov.lb/Ministry/Statistics.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111043318/http://www.lebanon-tourism.gov.lb/Ministry/Statistics.aspx |archive-date=11 January 2010 |title=Ministry of Tourism :: Destination Lebanon |publisher=Lebanon-tourism.gov.lb |access-date=7 January 2012}} In 2009, Lebanon hosted the largest number of tourists to date, eclipsing the previous record set before the Lebanese Civil War.{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory?id=9601315 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122014016/http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory?id=9601315|archive-date=22 January 2010|title=Lebanon Says 2009 Was Best on Record for Tourism|date=19 January 2010|agency=Associated Press|work=ABC News|access-date=1 February 2010}} Tourist arrivals reached two million in 2010, but fell by 37% for the first 10 months of 2012, a decline caused by the war in neighbouring Syria.{{cite news|title=Lebanon's tourists: Can they be lured back?|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/01/lebanon%E2%80%99s-tourists|newspaper=The Economist|date=11 January 2013|access-date=13 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701161212/http://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/01/lebanon%E2%80%99s-tourists|archive-date=1 July 2017|url-status=live}}

In 2011, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Japan were the three most popular origin countries of foreign tourists to Lebanon.{{cite journal|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Lebanon/2011/Jul-16/Hospitality-revenues-plunge-40-percent-in-2011.ashx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716210658/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Lebanon/2011/Jul-16/Hospitality-revenues-plunge-40-percent-in-2011.ashx#axzz1SE0e7i00 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |title=Hospitality revenues plunge 40 percent in 2011 |journal=The Daily Star |date=16 July 2011|author=Qiblawi, Tamara |access-date=4 November 2011}} In summer, a considerable number of visitors to Lebanon consists of Lebanese expatriates coming to visit their hometowns.{{Cite news |date=24 August 2023 |title=Lebanon is experiencing a tourism boom |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/08/24/lebanon-is-experiencing-a-tourism-boom |access-date=24 December 2023 |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=24 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224113936/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/08/24/lebanon-is-experiencing-a-tourism-boom |url-status=live }} In 2012, it was reported that an influx of Japanese tourists had caused a rise in popularity of Japanese cuisine in Lebanon.{{cite web |url=http://www.lb.emb-japan.go.jp/ |title=Lebanese Cuisine With a Japanese Twist |publisher=Embassy of Japan in Lebanon |date=12 September 2012 |access-date=12 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227042626/http://www.lb.emb-japan.go.jp/ |archive-date=27 December 2012 |url-status=live}}

On 4 May, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it will lift its travel ban on Lebanon, effective May 7, 2025. This decision follows a meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi, during which both leaders agreed to facilitate travel and improve movement between the two countries.{{Cite web |date=2025-05-04 |title=UAE to lift Lebanon travel ban on May 7 |url=https://www.arabnews.pk/node/2599485/middle-east?utm_= |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=Arab News PK |language=en}}

{{Main|Demographics of Lebanon}}

{{See also|Lebanese people}}

Lebanon had an estimated population of {{UN_Population|Lebanon}} in {{UN_Population|Year}}, with the number of Lebanese nationals estimated at 4,680,212 in July;{{UN_Population|ref}} however, no official census has been conducted since 1932 due to the sensitive confessional political balance between Lebanon's various religious groups.{{cite web|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,COUNTRYPROF,LBN,4562d8cf2,4954ce52c,0.html |title=Lebanon : Overview Minority Rights Group International |publisher=World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples |access-date=17 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117034013/https://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country%2C%2C%2CCOUNTRYPROF%2CLBN%2C4562d8cf2%2C4954ce52c%2C0.html |archive-date=17 January 2013}} Identifying all Lebanese as ethnically Arab is a widely employed example of panethnicity, as the Lebanese "are descended from many different peoples who are either indigenous, or have occupied, invaded, or settled this corner of the world", making Lebanon, "a mosaic of closely interrelated cultures".{{efn|Some Phoenicianist activists are known to oppose being characterized as Arab,{{Cite journal|last=Khashan|first=Hilal|date=December 1990|title=The Political Values of Lebanese Maronite College Students|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/174186|journal=The Journal of Conflict Resolution|volume=34|issue=4|pages=723–744|doi=10.1177/0022002790034004007|jstor=174186|s2cid=145632505|quote=The heritage of the Maronites is perceived as anything Phoenician, Greco-Roman, Mediterranean, or internationalist, but not Arab.|access-date=15 July 2023|archive-date=15 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715091042/https://www.jstor.org/stable/174186|url-status=live| issn=0022-0027 }}

• {{Cite web|url=https://www.hartsem.edu/wp-content/uploads/hajjar.pdf|title=Aspects of Christian-Muslim Relations in Contemporary Lebanon|access-date=27 March 2021|last=Hajjar|first=George|date=2002|website=hartsem.edu|publisher=Hartford International University for Religion and Peace|archive-date=28 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728123124/https://www.hartsem.edu/wp-content/uploads/hajjar.pdf|url-status=live|quote=In recent years, the Melkites, like the Maronites, have denied affiliation with Arab ethnicity, race and culture.}}

but from a statistical perspective are often counted as such.}}{{cite book|author=Jamie Stokes|title=Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East: L to Z|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=stl97FdyRswC&pg=PA406|access-date=11 December 2011|date=June 2009|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-0-8160-7158-6|page=406|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019011108/http://books.google.com/books?id=stl97FdyRswC&pg=PA406|archive-date=19 October 2013|url-status=live}}

The fertility rate fell from 5.00 in 1971 to 1.75 in 2004. Fertility rates vary considerably among the different religious groups: in 2004, it was 2.10 for Shiites, 1.76 for Sunnis and 1.61 for Maronites.{{cite web|date=14 January 2013|title=The Lebanese Demographic Reality|url=http://www.lstatic.org/PDF/demographenglish.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531002737/http://www.lstatic.org/PDF/demographenglish.pdf|archive-date=31 May 2013|access-date=16 February 2013|publisher=Lebanese Information Center Lebanon}}

File:Beirutpic.jpg, located on the Mediterranean Sea, is the most populous city in Lebanon.]]

Lebanese people have a long history of emigration stretching back to the 19th century; including partial ancestry, more Lebanese live outside the country than in Lebanon itself. The country has experienced a series of migration waves since independence: over 1.8 million people emigrated from the country between 1975 and 2011. Consequently, millions of people of Lebanese descent are spread throughout the world, especially in Latin America;{{cite web |url=http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/648273/ |title=The world's successful diasporas |publisher=Management Today |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115173048/http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/648273/ |archive-date=15 January 2013 |url-status=live}} Brazil and Argentina have the largest Lebanese communities,{{cite news |title=The Arabs of Latin America |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/arabs-latin-america/ |work=The Nation |date=12 July 2017 |access-date=20 July 2020 |archive-date=31 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231233228/https://www.thenation.com/article/arabs-latin-america/ |url-status=live }} with the former having the largest population in the world, at 5-7 million. North America likewise hosts a large diaspora, particularly in Canada (approximately 250,000–700,000) and the United States (around 2 million).{{cite web |date=6 January 2016 |title=10 biggest Lebanese diaspora communities |url=https://stepfeed.com/10-biggest-lebanese-diaspora-communities-4373 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727015201/https://stepfeed.com/10-biggest-lebanese-diaspora-communities-4373 |archive-date=27 July 2021 |access-date=6 January 2016 |publisher=StepFEED}} Australia is home to over 270,000 Lebanese.{{cite web |author=Price, Charles |title=Australian Population: Ethnic Origins |url=http://elecpress.monash.edu.au/pnp/free/pnpv7n4/v7n4_3price.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719124226/http://elecpress.monash.edu.au/pnp/free/pnpv7n4/v7n4_3price.pdf |archive-date=19 July 2011 |access-date=17 January 2013}}

Large numbers of Lebanese migrated to West Africa,{{cite news|title=Tenacity and risk – the Lebanese in West Africa|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8479134.stm|work=BBC News|date=10 January 2010|access-date=23 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202212959/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8479134.stm|archive-date=2 December 2012|url-status=live}} particularly to the Ivory Coast (100,000){{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/ivory-coast/72.htm |title=Ivory Coast – The Levantine Community |publisher=Countrystudies.us |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629081653/http://countrystudies.us/ivory-coast/72.htm |archive-date=29 June 2011 |url-status=live}} and Senegal (30,000).{{cite web|last=Schwarz |first=Naomi |url=http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-07/2007-07-10-voa46.cfm?CFID=213232878&CFTOKEN=70264387 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20081118213343/http://voanews.com/english/archive/2007-07/2007-07-10-voa46.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 November 2008 |title=Lebanese Immigrants Boost West African Commerce |access-date=17 January 2013}} The Persian Gulf hosts many Lebanese expatriates,{{cite web |url=http://bqdoha.com/2013/12/population-qatar |title=Qatar's population by nationality |access-date=21 December 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221142214/http://bqdoha.com/2013/12/population-qatar |archive-date=21 December 2014}} led by Saudi Arabia with 269,000 Lebanese citizens.{{Cite web|last=Project|first=Joshua|title=Arab, Lebanese in Saudi Arabia|url=https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/13017/SA|access-date=30 October 2021|website=joshuaproject.net|language=en|archive-date=7 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407021814/https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/13017/SA|url-status=live}} Around a third of the Lebanese workforce, about 350,000, reportedly live in Gulf countries according to some sources.{{Cite web|title=Lebanon starts to feel the pinch of financial crisis|url=https://gulfnews.com/business/lebanon-starts-to-feel-the-pinch-of-financial-crisis-1.148112|access-date=30 October 2021|website=gulfnews.com|date=6 December 2008|language=en|archive-date=30 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030150334/https://gulfnews.com/business/lebanon-starts-to-feel-the-pinch-of-financial-crisis-1.148112|url-status=live}} Over 50% of the Lebanese diaspora are Christian, partly due to the large period of Christian emigration before 1943.{{cite web|url=http://www.hamline.edu/cla/academics/international_studies/diaspora2002/Lebanese/Paper.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115011357/http://www.hamline.edu/cla/academics/international_studies/diaspora2002/Lebanese/Paper.htm |archive-date=15 January 2009 |title=Senior Seminar: Transnational Migration and Diasporic Communities |publisher=Hamline University |access-date=17 January 2013}} Chapter II, Section B. Emigration Pre-1943

Lebanon has the largest number of refugees per capita in the world.{{Cite news |date=2024-05-27 |title=Lebanon's shift from safe haven to hostile country for Syrian refugees |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-69059929 |access-date=2025-01-10 |language=en-GB}} As of 2024,{{Cite web |title=Lebanon |url=https://reporting.unhcr.org/operational/operations/lebanon#:~:text=The%20Government%20of%20Lebanon%20estimates,by%20the%20end%20of%202022. |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=Global Focus |language=en}} Lebanon hosted over 1.6 million refugees and asylum seekers: 449,957 from Palestine, 100,000 from Iraq,{{cite news |title=Iraqi refugees in Lebanon 'left behind, forgotten': charity |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-foundation-refugees-lebanon-iraq/iraqi-refugees-in-lebanon-left-behind-forgotten-charity-idUSKCN0IA1CV20141021 |work=Reuters |date=21 October 2014 |access-date=20 July 2020 |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414031316/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-foundation-refugees-lebanon-iraq/iraqi-refugees-in-lebanon-left-behind-forgotten-charity-idUSKCN0IA1CV20141021 |url-status=live }} over 1.1 million from Syria,{{cite news|title=Registered Syrian refugees in surrounding states triple in three months|url=http://www.unhcr.org/506ac00c9.html|access-date=10 October 2012|newspaper=UNHCR – United Nations Refugee Agency|date=2 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010173904/http://www.unhcr.org/506ac00c9.html|archive-date=10 October 2012|url-status=live}} and at least 4,000 from Sudan.{{Cite web|title=Sudanese jobless in Lebanon risk life on Israel border|url=https://en.qantara.de/content/sudanese-jobless-in-lebanon-risk-life-on-israel-border|access-date=30 October 2021|website=Qantara.de – Dialogue with the Islamic World|date=23 June 2020|language=en|archive-date=30 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030191205/https://en.qantara.de/content/sudanese-jobless-in-lebanon-risk-life-on-israel-border|url-status=live}} According to the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia of the United Nations, among the Syrian refugees, 71% live in poverty and 80% lack legal residency.{{cite web |last1=Fanack |title=Lebanon: Syrian Refugees Cost the Economy $4.5 Billion Every Year |url=https://chronicle.fanack.com/lebanon/economy/lebanon-syrian-refugees-cost-the-economy-4-5-billion-every-year/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714171926/https://chronicle.fanack.com/lebanon/economy/lebanon-syrian-refugees-cost-the-economy-4-5-billion-every-year/ |archive-date=14 July 2015 |access-date=14 July 2015 |website=Fanack.com}} Other estimates put the Syrian refugee population at 1.5 million in 2024, compared to over 1.25 million according to a 2013 estimate by the United Nations.

In the last three decades, lengthy and destructive armed conflicts have ravaged the country. The majority of Lebanese have been affected by armed conflict; those with direct personal experience include 75% of the population, and most others report suffering a range of hardships. In total, almost the entire population (96%) has been affected in

some way – either personally or because of the wider consequences of armed conflict.{{cite web |url=http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/views-from-field-report-240609/$File/Our-World-Views-from-Lebanon-I-ICRC.pdf |title=Lebanon, Opinion survey 2009 |publisher=ICRC and Ipsos |access-date=17 January 2013 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{Largest cities

| country = Lebanon

| list_by_pop =

| div_name = Governorate

| div_link =

|city_1 = Beirut

|div_1 = Beirut Governorate{{!}}Beirut

|pop_1 = 1,916,100

|img_1 = Beirutcity.jpg

|city_2 = Tripoli, Lebanon{{!}}Tripoli

|div_2 = North Governorate{{!}}North

|pop_2 = 1,150,000

|img_2 = OldTripoli.jpg

|city_3 = Jounieh

|div_3 = Mount Lebanon Governorate{{!}}Mount Lebanon

|pop_3 = 450,000

|img_3 = Jounieh Lebanon.jpg

|city_4 = Zahlé

|div_4 = Beqaa Governorate{{!}}Beqaa

|pop_4 = 130,000

|img_4 = Zahle,Lebanon.JPG

|city_5 = Sidon

|div_5 = South Governorate{{!}}South

|pop_5 = 110,000

|city_6 = Aley

|div_6 = Mount Lebanon Governorate{{!}}Mount Lebanon

|pop_6 = 100,000

|city_7 = Tyre, Lebanon{{!}}Tyre

|div_7 = South Governorate{{!}}South

|pop_7 = 85,000

|city_8 = Byblos

|div_8 = Mount Lebanon Governorate{{!}}Mount Lebanon

|pop_8 = 80,000

|city_9 = Baalbek

|div_9 = Baalbek-Hermel Governorate{{!}}Baalbek-Hermel

|pop_9 = 70,000

|city_10 = Batroun

|div_10 = North Governorate{{!}}North Governorate

|pop_10 = 55,000

|city_11 = Nabatieh

|div_11 = Nabatieh Governorate{{!}}Nabatieh

|pop_11 = 50,000

|city_12 = Zgharta

|div_12 = North Governorate{{!}}North

|pop_12 = 45,000

|city_13 = Bint Jbeil

|div_13 = Nabatieh Governorate{{!}}Nabatieh

|pop_13 = 30,000

|city_14 = Bsharri

|div_14 = North Governorate{{!}}North

|pop_14 = 25,000

|city_15 = Baakleen

|div_15 = Mount Lebanon Governorate{{!}}Mount Lebanon

|pop_15 = 20,000

}}

{{Main|Religion in Lebanon}}

{{See also|Islam in Lebanon|Christianity in Lebanon|Irreligion in Lebanon|Secularism in Lebanon}}

File:Lebanon religious groups distribution.jpgLebanon is the most religiously diverse country in West Asia and the Mediterranean.{{cite book |title=Economics and Geopolitics of the Middle East |last=Dralonge |first=Richard N. |year=2008 |publisher=Nova Science Publishers |location=New York |isbn= 978-1-60456-076-3 |page=150 |quote=Lebanon, with a population of 3.8 million, has the most religiously diverse society in the Middle East, comprising 17 recognized religious sects.}} Because the relative sizes of different religions and religious sects remains a sensitive issue, a national census has not been conducted since 1932.{{cite web|title=Lebanon|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148830.htm|access-date=24 June 2017|work=International Religious Freedom Report 2010|publisher=Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor|archive-date=13 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213121147/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148830.htm|url-status=live}} There are 18 state-recognized religious sects: four Muslim, 12 Christian, one Druze, and one Jewish. The Lebanese government counts its Druze citizens as part of its Muslim population,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wXO8AAAAQBAJ&q=Parliament+of+Lebanon+Seat&pg=PA97|title=Lebanon Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments|date=3 March 2012|publisher=Ibp USA |isbn=9781438774824}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} although most Druze today do not identify as Muslims.{{cite web|date=8 August 2018|title=Are the Druze People Arabs or Muslims? Deciphering Who They Are|url=https://www.arabamerica.com/are-the-druze-people-arabs-or-muslims-deciphering-who-they-are/|access-date=13 April 2020|website=Arab America|language=en|archive-date=20 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020060455/https://www.arabamerica.com/are-the-druze-people-arabs-or-muslims-deciphering-who-they-are/|url-status=live}}{{cite book|last=J. Stewart|first=Dona|title=The Middle East Today: Political, Geographical and Cultural Perspectives|publisher=Routledge|year=2008|isbn=9781135980795|page=33|quote=Most Druze do not consider themselves Muslim. Historically they faced much persecution and keep their religious beliefs secrets.}}

It is believed that there has been a decline in the ratio of Christians to Muslims over the past 60 years, due to higher emigration rates of Christians, and a higher birth rate in the Muslim population. When the last census was held in 1932, Christians made up 53% of Lebanon's population. In 1956, it was estimated that the population was 54% Christian and 44% Muslim.

A demographic study conducted{{When|date=September 2024}} by the research firm Statistics Lebanon found that approximately 27% of the population was Sunni, 27% Shia, 21% Maronite, 8% Greek Orthodox, 5% Druze, 5% Melkite, and 1% Protestant, with the remaining 6% mostly belonging to smaller non-native to Lebanon Christian denominations. The CIA World Factbook estimates (2020) the following (data does not include Lebanon's sizable Syrian and Palestinian refugee populations): Muslim 67.8% (31.9% Sunni, 31.2% Shia, smaller percentages of Alawites and Ismailis), Christian 32.4% (Maronite Catholics are the largest Christian group), Druze 4.5%, and very small numbers of Jews, Baha'is, Buddhists, and Hindus.{{cite web|title=Lebanon — The World Factbook|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/lebanon/#people-and-society|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency, United States|access-date=10 January 2021|archive-date=13 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213001530/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/lebanon/#people-and-society|url-status=live}} Other sources like Euronews[http://es.euronews.com/2012/09/15/el-santo-padre-sigue-de-visita-en-el-libano/ «El santo padre sigue de visita en el Líbano»] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427192823/http://es.euronews.com/2012/09/15/el-santo-padre-sigue-de-visita-en-el-libano/|date=27 April 2014}} Euronews . or the Madrid-based diary La Razón[http://www.larazon.es/noticia/6261-el-papa-viaja-manana-al-libano-en-medio-de-la-tension-que-vive-la-zona «El Papa viaja mañana al Líbano en medio de la tensión que vive la zona»] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105092349/http://www.larazon.es/noticia/6261-el-papa-viaja-manana-al-libano-en-medio-de-la-tension-que-vive-la-zona|date=5 November 2012}} La Razón. Consultado el 15 de septiembre de 2012. estimate the percentage of Christians to be around 53%. A study based on voter registration numbers shows that by 2011, the Christian population was stable compared to that of previous years, making up 34.35% of the population; Muslims, the Druze included, were 65.47% of the population.{{cite web|title=Study shows stable Christian population in Lebanon|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2013/Feb-07/205420-study-shows-stable-christian-population-in-lebanon.ashx|date=7 February 2013|work=The Daily Star|access-date=13 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415230548/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2013/Feb-07/205420-study-shows-stable-christian-population-in-lebanon.ashx|archive-date=15 April 2013|url-status=live}} The World Values Survey of 2014 put the percentage of atheists in Lebanon at 3.3%.{{cite web|title=WVS Database|url=http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSOnline.jsp|website=World Values Survey|publisher=Institute for Comparative Survey Research|date=March 2015|access-date=8 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105141038/http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSOnline.jsp|archive-date=5 January 2016|url-status=live}} Survey data indicates a decrease in religious faith within Lebanon, especially noticeable among young people.{{Cite news |title=Miracles are on the rise in Lebanon |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2018/12/15/miracles-are-on-the-rise-in-lebanon |access-date=25 December 2023 |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029015611/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2018/12/15/miracles-are-on-the-rise-in-lebanon |url-status=live }}

The Sunni residents primarily live in Western Beirut, the Southern coast of Lebanon, and Northern Lebanon. The Shi'a residents primarily live in Southern Beirut, the Beqaa Valley, and Southern Lebanon.{{cite book |last=McGowen |first=Afaf Sabeh|editor-last=Collelo|editor-first=Thomas|title=Lebanon: A Country Study|chapter=Glossary|series=Area Handbook Series|edition=3rd|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=The Division|date=1989|oclc=18907889|chapter-url=http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/cntrystd.lb|access-date=30 September 2010}} The Maronite Catholic residents primarily live in Eastern Beirut and around Mount Lebanon. The Greek Orthodox residents primarily live in the Koura region, Akkar, Metn, and Beirut (Achrafieh).{{Cite book |last=Chandler |first=Paul-Gordon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mNK8EAAAQBAJ&dq=Achrafieh+greek+orthodox&pg=PA30 |title=In Search of a Prophet: A Spiritual Journey with Kahlil Gibran |date=15 April 2023 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-5381-8123-2 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last1=Khalaf |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W1ebEAAAQBAJ&dq=Achrafieh+greek+orthodox&pg=PA20 |title=Hamra of Beirut: A Case of Rapid Urbanization |last2=Kongstad |date=7 November 2022 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-49139-7 |language=en}} The Melkite Catholic residents live mainly in Beirut, on the eastern slopes of the Lebanon mountains, and in Zahlé.{{Cite journal|last=Harris|first=William|date=1985|title=The View from Zahle: Security and Economic Conditions in the Central Bekaa 1980–1985|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4327124|journal=Middle East Journal|volume=39|issue=3|pages=270–286|jstor=4327124|issn=0026-3141|access-date=7 May 2021|archive-date=7 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507192511/https://www.jstor.org/stable/4327124|url-status=live}} The Druze residents are concentrated in the rural, mountainous areas east and south of Beirut.

{{Main|Languages of Lebanon}}

Article 11 of Lebanon's Constitution states that "Arabic is the official national language. A law determines the cases in which the French language is to be used".{{cite web |author=Axel Tschentscher, LL.M. |url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/le00000_.html#A011_ |title=Article 11 of the Lebanese Constitution |publisher=Servat.unibe.ch |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116235845/http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/le00000_.html#A011_ |archive-date=16 January 2013 |url-status=live}} The majority of Lebanese people speak Lebanese Arabic, which is grouped in a larger category called Levantine Arabic, while Modern Standard Arabic is mostly used in magazines, newspapers, and formal broadcast media. Lebanese Sign Language is the language of the Deaf community.

There is also significant presence of French, and of English. Almost 40% of Lebanese are considered francophone, and another 15% "partial francophone", and 70% of Lebanon's secondary schools use French as a second language of instruction.{{cite book |title=The Story of French |author=Jean-Benoît Nadeau, Julie Barlow |year=2008 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-312-34184-8 |page=311 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NN5oc0HFC7QC&pg=PA311 |access-date=14 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511134912/http://books.google.com/books?id=NN5oc0HFC7QC&pg=PA311 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |url-status=live}} By comparison, English is used as a secondary language in 30% of Lebanon's secondary schools. The use of French is a legacy of France's historic ties to the region, including its League of Nations mandate over Lebanon following World War I; {{As of|2005|lc=y}}, some 20% of the population used French on a daily basis.{{cite encyclopedia| year=2011| title=Lebanon| encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica| url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/334152/Lebanon| access-date=19 October 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229143132/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/334152/Lebanon| archive-date=29 December 2008| url-status=live| df=dmy-all}} The use of Arabic by Lebanon's educated youth is declining, as they usually prefer to speak in French and, to a lesser extent, English, which are seen as more fashionable.{{cite news|title=Campaign to save the Arabic language in Lebanon|work=BBC News |date=24 June 2010 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10316914|access-date=24 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729000725/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10316914|archive-date=29 July 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Arabic – a dying language?|work=The Observers |url=http://observers.france24.com/content/20100625-arabic-dying-language-lebanon-beirut|publisher=France 24|access-date=25 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607123258/http://observers.france24.com/content/20100625-arabic-dying-language-lebanon-beirut|archive-date=7 June 2011|url-status=live}}

English is increasingly used in science and business interactions.{{cite book|title=Plus ça change |author=Jean-Benoît Nadeau, Julie Barlow |year=2006 |publisher=Robson |isbn=978-1-86105-917-8 |page=483 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F_luCRxg6Q4C&pg=PA317 |access-date=26 January 2010}}{{cite news|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/Jan/19/English-assumes-greater-importance-in-Lebanese-linguistic-universe.ashx##axzz2LJ9F7y9b |title=English assumes greater importance in Lebanese linguistic universe |author=Hodeib, Mirella |newspaper=Daily Star (Lebanon) |date=19 January 2007 |access-date=1 July 2013}} Lebanese citizens of Armenian, Greek, or Assyrian descent often speak their ancestral languages with varying degrees of fluency. {{As of|2009}}, there were around 150,000 Armenians in Lebanon, or around 5% of the population.{{cite news |last=Antelava |first=Natalia |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8000507.stm |title=Armenians jump Lebanon's divide |work=BBC News |date=16 April 2009 |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202180657/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8000507.stm |archive-date=2 December 2012 |url-status=live}}

{{Main|Education in Lebanon}}

File:CISUSJ.jpg]]According to surveys from the World Economic Forum's 2013 Global Information Technology Report, Lebanon has been ranked globally as the fourth best country for math and science education, and as the tenth best overall for quality of education. In quality of management schools, the country was ranked 13th worldwide.{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GITR_Report_2013.pdf |title=The Global Information Technology Report 2013 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=1 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811035513/http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GITR_Report_2013.pdf |archive-date=11 August 2013 |url-status=live}}

The United Nations assigned Lebanon an education index of 0.871 in 2008. The index, which is determined by the adult literacy rate and the combined primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrollment ratio, ranked the country 88th out of the 177 countries participating.{{cite web|url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_LBN.html |title=Human development indicators Lebanon |access-date=17 November 2008 |work=United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Reports |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022021134/http://hdrstats.undp.org/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_LBN.html |archive-date=22 October 2008}} All Lebanese schools are required to follow a prescribed curriculum designed by the Ministry of Education. Some of the 1400 private schools offer IB programs,{{cite web |url=http://www.samidoun.org/?q=node/812 |title=Aid groups scramble to fix buildings; fill backpacks before school bell rings |publisher=Samidoun |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117000049/http://www.samidoun.org/?q=node%2F812 |archive-date=17 January 2013 |url-status=live}} and may also add more courses to their curriculum with approval from the Ministry of Education. The first eight years of education are, by law, compulsory.

Lebanon has forty-one nationally accredited universities, several of which are internationally recognized.{{cite web |url=http://www.opportunities.com.lb/Lebanon/bhb/initdoc.asp?catId=21 |title=Business Information |publisher=Lebanon Opportunities |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914163851/http://www.opportunities.com.lb/Lebanon/bhb/initdoc.asp?catId=21 |archive-date=14 September 2013 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.higher-edu.gov.lb/Marasim.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211044854/http://www.higher-edu.gov.lb/Marasim.html |archive-date=11 December 2007 |title=Decrees |publisher=Lebanese Directory of Higher Education |date=11 December 2007 |access-date=17 January 2013}} The American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ) were the first Anglophone and the first Francophone universities to open in Lebanon, respectively.[http://www.eifl.net/docs/collaborative_management_of_electronic_resources.ppt "Country Report: Lebanon". Retrieved 14 December 2006. eIFL.net Regional Workshop (2005)] {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{cite web|url=http://www.usj.edu.lb/english/history.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060706105323/http://www.usj.edu.lb/english/history.php |archive-date=6 July 2006 |title=125 years of history – A timeline |publisher=Université Saint-Joseph |date=6 July 2006 |access-date=17 January 2013}}

Universities in Lebanon, both public and private, largely operate in French or English.{{cite web|url=http://yalla10.yalla.com.lb/students/abroad/english/lebanon.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618225916/http://yalla10.yalla.com.lb/students/abroad/english/lebanon.html |archive-date=18 June 2008 |title=Yalla! Students |date=18 June 2008 |access-date=17 January 2013}} The top-ranking universities in the country are the American University of Beirut (#2 in the Middle East as of 2022 and #226 worldwide),{{cite web |title=American University of Beirut (AUB) Rankings |url=https://www.the961.com/8-lebanese-universities-qs-world-university-rankings-2022/ |website=Top Universities |date=11 April 2022 |access-date=25 April 2022 |archive-date=28 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428154217/https://www.the961.com/8-lebanese-universities-qs-world-university-rankings-2022/ |url-status=live }} University of Balamand (#17 in the region and #802–850 worldwide),{{Cite web |title=University of Balamand |url=https://www.the961.com/8-lebanese-universities-qs-world-university-rankings-2022/ |website=Top Universities |date=11 April 2022 |access-date=25 April 2022 |archive-date=28 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428154217/https://www.the961.com/8-lebanese-universities-qs-world-university-rankings-2022/ |url-status=live }} Lebanese American University (#17 in the region and #501 worldwide),{{Cite web |title=Lebanese American University |url=https://www.the961.com/8-lebanese-universities-qs-world-university-rankings-2022/ |website=Top Universities |date=11 April 2022 |access-date=25 April 2022 |archive-date=28 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428154217/https://www.the961.com/8-lebanese-universities-qs-world-university-rankings-2022/ |url-status=live }} Université Saint Joseph de Beyrouth (#2 in Lebanon and #631–640 worldwide),{{Cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/saint-joseph-university-beirut-usj|title=Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ)|website=Top Universities|access-date=19 October 2020|archive-date=15 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515105747/https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/saint-joseph-university-beirut-usj|url-status=live}} Université Libanaise (#577 worldwide) and Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (#600s worldwide as of 2020).{{cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/holy-spirit-university-kaslik|title=Holy Spirit University of Kaslik|date=16 July 2015|website=Top Universities|access-date=20 August 2019|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414054526/https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/holy-spirit-university-kaslik|url-status=live}} Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) (#701 as of 2021).{{Cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/notre-dame-university-louaize-ndu|title=Notre Dame University-Louaize NDU|website=Top Universities|access-date=19 October 2020|archive-date=18 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618074927/https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/notre-dame-university-louaize-ndu|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Health in Lebanon}} {{See also|Covid-19 in Lebanon}}

File:CF008854.jpg

In 2010, spending on healthcare accounted for 7.03% of the country's GDP. In 2009, there were 31.29 physicians and 19.71 nurses per 10,000 inhabitants.{{cite web|title=Health|url=http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=32&cat_code=8|publisher=SESRIC|access-date=2 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005001915/http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=32&cat_code=8|archive-date=5 October 2013|url-status=usurped}} The life expectancy at birth was 72.59 years in 2011, or 70.48 years for males and 74.80 years for females.{{cite web|title=Demography|url=http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=32&cat_code=7|publisher=SESRIC|access-date=2 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307071618/http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=32|archive-date=7 March 2013|url-status=usurped}} By the end of the civil war, only one-third of the country's public hospitals were operational, each with an average of 20 beds. By 2009, the country had 28 public hospitals, with a total of 2,550 beds.{{cite web|title=Health Reform In Lebanon: Key Achievements at a glance|url=http://www.moph.gov.lb/Media/Documents/dg08014.pdf|publisher=Ministry of Public Health|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104210829/http://www.moph.gov.lb/Media/Documents/dg08014.pdf|archive-date=4 November 2013}} At public hospitals, hospitalized uninsured patients pay 5% of the bill, in comparison with 15% in private hospitals, with the Ministry of Public Health reimbursing the remainder. The Ministry of Public Health contracts with 138 private hospitals and 25 public hospitals.

In 2011, there were 236,643 subsidized admissions to hospitals; 164,244 in private hospitals, and 72,399 in public hospitals. More patients visit private hospitals than public hospitals, because the private beds supply is higher.{{cite web|title=Statistical Bulletin 2011|url=http://www.moph.gov.lb/Publications/Documents/Statistical%20Bulletin%202011.pdf|publisher=Ministry of Public Health|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130612071104/http://www.moph.gov.lb/Publications/Documents/Statistical%20Bulletin%202011.pdf|archive-date=12 June 2013}} According to the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon, the top 10 leading causes of reported hospital deaths in 2017 were: malignant neoplasm of bronchus or lung (4.6%), Acute myocardial infarction (3%), pneumonia (2.2%), exposure to unspecified factor, unspecified place (2.1%), acute kidney injury (1.4%), intra-cerebral hemorrhage (1.2%), malignant neoplasm of colon (1.2%), malignant neoplasm of pancreas (1.1%), malignant neoplasm of prostate (1.1%), malignant neoplasm of bladder (0.8%).{{cite web |url=https://www.moph.gov.lb/en/DynamicPages/download_file/4165 |title=Table B.8: Top 10 leading causes of reported hospital deaths* by ICD10 4-character code and gender, 2017 |publisher=Ministry of Public Health |access-date=22 August 2021 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309021633/https://www.moph.gov.lb/en/DynamicPages/download_file/4165 |url-status=live }}

Recently,{{When|date=October 2024}} there has been an increase in foodborne illnesses in Lebanon. This has raised public awareness on the importance of food safety, including in the realms of food storage, preservation, and preparation. More restaurants are seeking information and compliance with International Organization for Standardization.{{cite web|title=From kebabs to fattoush – keeping Lebanon's food safe|url=https://www.who.int/features/2015/lebanon-food-safety/en/|website=WHO|access-date=19 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320211712/http://www.who.int/features/2015/lebanon-food-safety/en/|archive-date=20 March 2015|url-status=dead}}

The Asfouriyeh Hospital, founded in 1896 in Lebanon, is considered the first modern mental health hospital in the Middle East. The devastating impact of the Lebanese Civil War led to the hospital's closure in 1982.{{cite web |last=Reader |first=The MIT Press |date=19 January 2023 |title=The Tragic Downfall of ʿAṣfūriyyeh (The Lebanon Hospital for the Insane) |url=https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-tragic-downfall-of-%CA%BFa%E1%B9%A3furiyyeh-the-lebanon-hospital-for-the-insane/ |accessdate=28 August 2024 |work=The MIT Press Reader |language=English}}

{{Main|Culture of Lebanon}}

File:Lebanon, Baalbek, Temple of Bacchus 2.jpg is considered among the best preserved Roman temples in the world, {{Circa|150 AD}}.]]

The culture of Lebanon reflects the legacy of various civilizations spanning thousands of years. Originally home to the Canaanite-Phoenicians, and then subsequently conquered and occupied by the Assyrians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Crusaders, the Ottoman Turks and most recently the French, Lebanese culture has over the millennia evolved by borrowing from all of these groups. Lebanon's diverse population, composed of different ethnic and religious groups, has further contributed to the country's festivals, musical styles and literature as well as cuisine. Despite the ethnic, linguistic, religious and denominational diversity of the Lebanese, they "share an almost common culture".Stokes, Jamie. Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East, Facts On File, 2009, p. 406 {{ISBN|0816071586}} Lebanese Arabic is universally spoken while food, music, and literature are deep-rooted "in wider Mediterranean and Levantine norms".

In visual arts, Moustafa Farroukh was among Lebanon's most prominent painters of the 20th century. Formally trained in Rome and Paris, he exhibited in venues from Paris to New York to Beirut over his career.{{cite web |url=http://www.kaftoun.com/component/content/article/197-moustafa-farroukh/358-moustafa-farroukh |title=Moustafa Farroukh |publisher=Kaftoun.com |date=2 July 2010 |access-date=5 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307122305/http://www.kaftoun.com/component/content/article/197-moustafa-farroukh/358-moustafa-farroukh |archive-date=7 March 2012 |url-status=dead}} Many more contemporary artists are active, such as Walid Raad, a contemporary media artist residing in New York.{{cite web |url=http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/artist/raad/biography/ |title=Media Art Net | Ra'ad, Walid: Biography |publisher=Medienkunstnetz.de |access-date=5 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430025450/http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/artist/raad/biography/ |archive-date=30 April 2012 |url-status=live}} In the field of photography, the Arab Image Foundation has a collection of over 400,000 photographs from Lebanon and the Middle East. The photographs can be viewed in a research center and various events and publications have been produced in Lebanon and worldwide to promote the collection.

In literature, Kahlil Gibran is the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Laozi.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/01/07/prophet-motive|title=Prophet Motive|first=Joan|last=Acocella|magazine=The New Yorker |date=31 December 2007|via=www.newyorker.com|access-date=14 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190316101047/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/01/07/prophet-motive|archive-date=16 March 2019|url-status=live}} He is particularly known for his book The Prophet (1923), which has been translated into over twenty different languages.{{cite web|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/lr/2003/01/05/stories/2003010500320500.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812094242/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/lr/2003/01/05/stories/2003010500320500.htm |archive-date=12 August 2010 |title=Called by life |work=The Hindu |url-status=dead |access-date=17 January 2013}} Ameen Rihani was a major figure in the mahjar literary movement developed by Arab emigrants in North America, and an early theorist of Arab nationalism. Mikhail Naimy is widely recognized as among the most important figures in modern Arabic letters and among the most important spiritual writers of the 20th century. Several contemporary Lebanese writers have also achieved international success; including Elias Khoury, Amin Maalouf, Hanan al-Shaykh, and Georges Schéhadé.

{{main|Music of Lebanon}}

File:Fairuz in btd concert 2001.jpg|alt=|251x251px|left]]While traditional folk music remains popular in Lebanon, modern music reconciling Western and traditional Arabic styles, pop, and fusion are rapidly advancing in popularity.{{cite book|last=Sheehan|first=Sean|author2=Latif Zawiah|title=Lebanon|publisher=Marshall Cavendish Children's Books|date=30 August 2007|edition=2|series=Cultures of the World|page=105|chapter=Arts|isbn=978-0-7614-2081-1|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cA-RDzlwVVAC&pg=PA105|access-date=19 September 2009}} Lebanese artists like Fairuz, Majida El Roumi, Wadih El Safi, Sabah, Julia Boutros or Najwa Karam are widely known and appreciated in Lebanon and in the Arab world. Radio stations feature a variety of music, including traditional Lebanese, classical Arabic, ArmenianMcKenzie, Robert. Comparing Media from Around the World, Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2006, p. 372 {{ISBN|0-205-40242-9}} and modern French, English, American, and Latin tunes.{{cite book|last=Kamalipour|first=Yahya|author2=Rampal Kuldip|title=Media, sex, violence, and drugs in the global village|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.|date=15 November 2001|page=[https://archive.org/details/mediasexviolence0000unse/page/265 265]|chapter=Between Globalization and Localization|isbn=978-0-7425-0061-7|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yL3l0GwdNcsC&pg=PA265|access-date=19 September 2009|url=https://archive.org/details/mediasexviolence0000unse/page/265}}

The cinema of Lebanon, according to film critic and historian, Roy Armes, was the only cinema in the Arabic-speaking region, besides the dominant Egyptian cinema,{{Cite web|last=Houissa|first=Ali|title=LibGuides: Middle Eastern & North African Cinema & Film: Egyptian Cinema & Film|url=https://guides.library.cornell.edu/MidEastCinema/Egypt|access-date=7 October 2021|website=guides.library.cornell.edu|language=en|archive-date=7 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007162102/https://guides.library.cornell.edu/MidEastCinema/Egypt|url-status=live}}{{Cite journal|last=Dajani|first=Karen Finlon|date=1 May 1980|title=Cairo: the Hollywood of the Arab World|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/001654928002600202|journal=Gazette (Leiden, Netherlands)|language=en|volume=26|issue=2|pages=89–98|doi=10.1177/001654928002600202|s2cid=144015456|issn=0016-5492}} that could amount to a national cinema.{{cite book|author=Roy Armes|title=Arab filmmakers of the Middle East: a dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rHT8LjR_kC4C&pg=PA26|access-date=11 December 2011|date=23 August 2010|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-35518-8|pages=26–|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018165125/http://books.google.com/books?id=rHT8LjR_kC4C&pg=PA26|archive-date=18 October 2013|url-status=live}} Cinema in Lebanon has been in existence since the 1920s, and the country has produced over 500 films with many films including Egyptian filmmakers and film stars.{{cite web |url=http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/251761/day3creative%20Industry%20WB_version%201.pdf |title=Knowledge Intensive Industries: Four Case Studies of Creative Industries in Arab Countries |page=16 |publisher=World Bank |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117000044/http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/251761/day3creative%20Industry%20WB_version%201.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2013 |url-status=live}} The media of Lebanon is not only a regional center of production but also the most liberal and free in the Arab world.{{cite book |author=Migliorino, Nicola |title=(Re)constructing Armenia in Lebanon and Syria: ethno-cultural diversity and the state in the aftermath of a refugee crisis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y_Sd32i-0owC |access-date=11 December 2011 |year=2008 |publisher=Berghahn Books |isbn=978-1-84545-352-7 |page=122 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620233038/http://books.google.com/books?id=y_Sd32i-0owC |archive-date=20 June 2013 |url-status=live}} According to Press freedom's Reporters Without Borders, "the media have more freedom in Lebanon than in any other Arab country".{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/791071.stm |title=Lebanon profile – Overview |work=BBC News |date=24 August 2011 |access-date=4 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102101223/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/791071.stm |archive-date=2 November 2011 |url-status=live}} Despite its small population and geographic size, Lebanon plays an influential role in the production of information in the Arab world and is "at the core of a regional media network with global implications".{{cite book|author1=Dale F. Eickelman|author2=Jon W. Anderson|title=New media in the Muslim world: the emerging public sphere|url=https://archive.org/details/newmediainmuslim00dale|url-access=registration|access-date=11 December 2011|date=1 July 2003|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-34252-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newmediainmuslim00dale/page/63 63]–65}}

{{Main|Public holidays in Lebanon}}Lebanon celebrates national and both Christian and Muslim holidays. Christian holidays are celebrated following both the Gregorian calendar and Julian calendar. Greek Orthodox (with the exception of Easter), Catholics, Protestants, and Melkite Christians follow the Gregorian Calendar and thus celebrate Christmas on 25 December. Armenian Apostolic Christians celebrate Christmas on 6 January, as they follow the Julian Calendar. Muslim holidays are followed based on the Islamic lunar calendar. Muslim holidays that are celebrated include Eid al-Fitr (the three-day feast at the end of the Ramadan month), Eid al-Adha (The Feast of the Sacrifice) which is celebrated during the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and also celebrates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to God, the Birth of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and Ashura (the Shiite Day of Mourning). Lebanon's National Holidays include Workers Day, Independence Day, and Martyrs Day. Music festivals, often hosted at historical sites, are a customary element of Lebanese culture.{{cite book|last=Sheehan|first=Sean|author2=Latif |others=Zawiah|title=Lebanon|publisher=Marshall Cavendish Children's Books|date=30 August 2007|series=Cultures of the World|volume=13|page=123|chapter=Leisure|isbn=978-0-7614-2081-1|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cA-RDzlwVVAC&pg=PA123}} Among the most famous are Baalbeck International Festival, Byblos International Festival, Beiteddine International Festival, Jounieh International Festival, Broumana Festival, Batroun International Festival, Ehmej Festival, Dhour Chwer Festival and Tyr Festival.{{cite book|last=Carter|first=Terry|author2=Dunston Lara|others=Humphreys Andrew|title=Syria & Lebanon|publisher=Lonely Planet|date=1 August 2004|edition=2|series=Guidebook Series|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781864503333/page/11 11]|chapter=Getting Started|isbn=978-1-86450-333-3|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EskzgI-229IC&pg=PA11|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781864503333/page/11}} These festivals are promoted by Lebanon's Ministry of Tourism. Lebanon hosts about 15 concerts from international performers each year, ranking 1st for nightlife in the Middle East, and 6th worldwide.{{cite web|url=http://www.lebanon-tourism.gov.lb/news/Details.aspx?NewsId=10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722145040/http://www.lebanon-tourism.gov.lb/news/Details.aspx?NewsId=10 |archive-date=22 July 2011 |title=Lebanon Summer & Winter Festivals |publisher=Lebanese Ministry of Tourism |access-date=17 January 2013}}

{{Main|Lebanese cuisine}}

Lebanese cuisine is similar to those of many countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, such as Syria, Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus. The Lebanese national dishes are the kibbe, a meat pie made from finely minced lamb and burghul (cracked wheat), and the tabbouleh, a salad made from parsley, tomatoes, and burghul wheat. Lebanese restaurant meals begin with a wide array of mezze – small savoury dishes, such as dips, salads, and pastries. The mezze are typically followed by a selection of grilled meat or fish. In general, meals are finished with Arabic coffee and fresh fruit, though sometimes a selection of traditional sweets will be offered as well.

{{Main|Sport in Lebanon}}

File:Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium 2018 - Beirut derby (Nejmeh fans).png in Beirut]]

Lebanon has six ski resorts. The country's unique geography makes it possible to go skiing in the morning and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea in the afternoon.{{cite book|author=Aikman, David|title=The Mirage of Peace: Understanding the Never-Ending Conflict in the Middle East|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RI0o-bfRAvIC&pg=PA48|access-date=2 February 2013|date=14 August 2009|publisher=Gospel Light Publications|isbn=978-0-8307-4605-7|page=48|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621091514/http://books.google.com/books?id=RI0o-bfRAvIC&pg=PA48|archive-date=21 June 2013|url-status=live}} At the competitive level, basketball and football are among Lebanon's most popular sports. Canoeing, cycling, rafting, climbing, swimming, sailing and caving are among the other common leisure sports in Lebanon. The Beirut Marathon is held every fall, drawing top runners from Lebanon and abroad.{{cite web |url=http://www.beirutmarathon.org |title=About BMA | Marathon |publisher=Beirutmarathon.org |date=19 October 2003 |access-date=28 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222223634/http://beirutmarathon.org/ |archive-date=22 February 2011 |url-status=live}}

Rugby league is a relatively new but growing sport in Lebanon. The Lebanon national rugby league team participated in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup,{{cite news |last=Hadfield |first=Dave |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/rugby-league/lebanese-rugby-league-team-in-storm-over-funny-substances-636051.html |title=Lebanese rugby league team in storm over funny substances – Rugby League – More Sports |work=The Independent |date=24 October 2000 |access-date=28 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110204851/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/rugby-league/lebanese-rugby-league-team-in-storm-over-funny-substances-636051.html |archive-date=10 November 2012 |url-status=dead}} and narrowly missed qualification for the 2008{{cite news |url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/samoa-into-world-cup/story-e6frep5x-1111114882761 |title=Samoa beats Lebanon to be last team in league world cup |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |date=14 November 2007 |access-date=28 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131063021/http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/samoa-into-world-cup/story-e6frep5x-1111114882761 |archive-date=31 January 2014 |url-status=live}} and 2013 tournaments.{{cite web |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Sports/Rugby/2011/Oct-31/152639-lebanons-rugby-world-cup-bid-ends-with-draw.ashx |title=Lebanon's Rugby World Cup bid ends with draw | Sports, Rugby |work=The Daily Star |date=31 October 2011 |access-date=28 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619005312/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Sports/Rugby/2011/Oct-31/152639-lebanons-rugby-world-cup-bid-ends-with-draw.ashx |archive-date=19 June 2013 |url-status=live}} They qualified again for the 2017 World Cup reaching the quarter-finals, narrowly losing 24–22 to Tonga.{{cite web |last1=Risso |first1=Angelo |title=Tonga hold on against gallant Lebanon |url=http://www.nrl.com/tonga-hold-on-against-gallant-lebanon/tabid/10874/newsid/115449/default.aspx |website=NRL Telstra Premiership |access-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031032/http://www.nrl.com/tonga-hold-on-against-gallant-lebanon/tabid/10874/newsid/115449/default.aspx |archive-date=1 December 2017 |date=18 November 2017}} This ensured qualification for 2021. However, their 2021 quarterfinal was not as competitive, losing 48–4 to eventual champions Australia.{{cite web |title=Rugby League World Cup : Quarter Finals |url=https://rlwc2021.com/report/59 |website=Rugby League World Cup 2021 |access-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240622103122/https://rlwc2021.com/report/59 |archive-date=22 June 2024}} Lebanon also took part in the 2009 European Cup where, after narrowly failing to qualify for the final, the team defeated Ireland to finish 3rd in the tournament.{{cite web |url=http://www.rugbyleagueplanet.com/rugby-league-nations/91-rugby-league-test-match-or-international-game/862-2009-rugby-league-european-cup-flashback |title=2009 Rugby League European Cup Flashback |publisher=Rugby League Planet |access-date=28 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521021019/http://www.rugbyleagueplanet.com/rugby-league-nations/91-rugby-league-test-match-or-international-game/862-2009-rugby-league-european-cup-flashback |archive-date=21 May 2013 |url-status=live}}

File:2020-21_Ahed_vs_Ansar_02.jpg in Beirut]]Lebanon participates in basketball. The Lebanese National Team qualified for the FIBA World Championship three times in a row.{{cite web |url=http://london2012.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/12/olym/team/p/sid/5195/tid/317/profile.html |title=Team Lebanon Profile - 2011 FIBA Asia Championship | FIBA.COM |publisher=London2012.fiba.com |date=23 August 2011 |access-date=28 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529131857/http://london2012.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/12/olym/team/p/sid/5195/tid/317/profile.html |archive-date=29 May 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/10/fwcm/team/p/sid/4728/tid/317/profile.html |title=Team Lebanon Profile – 2010 FIBA World Championship |publisher=Fiba.com |access-date=28 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110164453/http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/10/fwcm/team/p/sid/4728/tid/317/profile.html |archive-date=10 November 2013 |url-status=dead}} Dominant basketball teams are Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut,{{cite web |url=http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/47119/arti.html |title=FIBA Asia – Thrilla in Manila Part II: Riyadi down Mahram again, this time in final video |publisher=Fiba.Com |access-date=28 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110161528/http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/47119/arti.html |archive-date=10 November 2013 |url-status=dead}} who are the Arab and Asian champions, and Club Sagesse, who have earned the Asian and Arab championships.

Football is also among the more popular sports in the country. The top football league is the Lebanese Premier League, whose most successful clubs are Al Ansar FC and Nejmeh SC. In recent years, Lebanon has hosted the AFC Asian Cup{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/00asch.html |title=Asian Nations Cup 2000 |website=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation |date=4 March 2011 |access-date=28 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401085957/http://www.rsssf.com/tables/00asch.html |archive-date=1 April 2015 |url-status=live}} and the Pan Arab Games.{{cite web |url=http://www.goalzz.com/main.aspx?c=208 |title=2nd Pan Arab Games |publisher=goalzz.com |access-date=28 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105131018/http://www.goalzz.com/main.aspx?c=208 |archive-date=5 November 2013 |url-status=live}} Lebanon hosted the 2009 Jeux de la Francophonie,{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20090927-culture-sports-lebanon-beirut-games-francophone-youth |title=Nine days of sport and culture in Beirut |publisher=FRANCE 24 |date=27 September 2009 |access-date=28 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021234302/http://www.france24.com/en/20090927-culture-sports-lebanon-beirut-games-francophone-youth |archive-date=21 October 2012}} and have participated in every Olympic Games since its independence, winning a total of four medals.{{cite web |url=http://www.olympic.org/athletes |title=Athletes | Heroes |publisher=International Olympic Committee |date=26 June 2012 |access-date=28 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529111510/http://www.olympic.org/athletes |archive-date=29 May 2013 |url-status=live}} Water sports have also shown to be very active in the past years, in Lebanon. Since 2012 and with the emergence of the Lebanon Water Festival NGO, more emphasis has been placed on those sports, and Lebanon has been pushed forward as a water sport destination internationally.{{cite web|url=http://lebanonwaterfestival.com/|title=Lebanon Water Festival|website=lebanonwaterfestival.com|access-date=19 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817071438/http://lebanonwaterfestival.com/|archive-date=17 August 2015|url-status=live}} They host different contests and water show sports that encourage their fans to participate and win big.{{cite web|url=http://lebanonwaterfestival.com/past-festivals/|title=Past Festivals « Lebanon Water Festival|website=lebanonwaterfestival.com|access-date=19 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905192243/http://lebanonwaterfestival.com/past-festivals/|archive-date=5 September 2015|url-status=live}}

• Outline of Lebanon

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist|group=nb}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book | last1=Coogan | first1=Michael D. | last2=Smith | first2=Mark S. | title=Stories from Ancient Canaan, Second Edition | publisher=Westminster John Knox Press | publication-place=Louisville, KY | date=15 March 2012 | isbn=978-0-664-23242-9}}
• {{cite book|last=Morris|first=Benny|title=1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War|publisher=Yale University Press|date=April 2008|isbn=978-0-300-12696-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CC7381HrLqcC|access-date=22 August 2020|archive-date=20 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320123844/https://books.google.com/books?id=CC7381HrLqcC|url-status=live}}

• Arkadiusz, Plonka. L’idée de langue libanaise d’après Sa‘īd ‘Aql, Paris, Geuthner, 2004 (French) {{ISBN|2-7053-3739-3}}
• Firzli, Nicola Y. Al-Baath wa-Lubnân [Arabic only] ("The Baath and Lebanon"). Beirut: Dar-al-Tali'a Books, 1973
• Fisk, Robert. Pity the Nation: The Abduction of Lebanon. New York: Nation Books, 2002.
• Glass, Charles, "Tribes with Flags: A Dangerous Passage Through the Chaos of the Middle East", Atlantic Monthly Press (New York) and Picador (London), 1990 {{ISBN|0-436-18130-4}}
• Gorton, TJ and Feghali Gorton, AG. Lebanon: through Writers' Eyes. London: Eland Books, 2009.
• Hitti Philip K. History of Syria Including Lebanon and Palestine, Vol. 2 (2002) ({{ISBN|1-931956-61-8}})
• Norton, Augustus R. Amal and the Shi'a: Struggle for the Soul of Lebanon. Austin and London: University of Texas Press, 1987.
• Sobelman, Daniel. New Rules of the Game: Israel and Hizbollah After the Withdrawal From Lebanon, Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel-Aviv University, 2004.
• Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
• Salibi, Kamal. A House of Many Mansions: The History of Lebanon Reconsidered. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990.
• Schlicht, Alfred. The role of Foreign Powers in the History of Syria and Lebanon 1799–1861 in: Journal of Asian History 14 (1982)
• Georges Corm, Le Liban contemporain. Histoire et société (La découverte, 2003 et 2005)

{{Library resources box}}

• [https://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=LB Key Development Forecasts for Lebanon] from International Futures

• [http://www.presidency.gov.lb/English Presidency] – official website of the president of Lebanon
• [http://www.pcm.gov.lb Prime Minister] – official website of the prime minister of Lebanon
• [http://www.cas.gov.lb/ Statistics] – Official website of Central Administration Statistics

• [http://www.ministryinfo.gov.lb/inc/uploads/2015/12/%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AE.docx "History"] – Lebanese History at Ministry of Information

• {{Wikiatlas}}
• {{Osmrelation-inline|184843}}

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