Armed Groups in Lebanon

Hezbollah:
Hezbollah is a Shiite group that was founded in 1982 as a reaction to the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon. The group, which is responsible for acts of terror, has called for the elimination of Israel and advocated for Islamic rule in Lebanon. Hezbollah has participated in the Lebanese political system since 1992. The exact number of active militants is unknown, but estimates are in the range of about 700 full-time fighters and somewhere between 8,000 and 20,000 part-time fighters. The group is based in Lebanon’s Shiite-dominated areas, including parts of Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley. On July 12, 2006, Hezbollah militants ambushed two Israeli Humvees, resulting in the capture of two soldiers and the death of three others. In response, the IDF pursued Hezbollah in Lebanon, resulting in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War. Since the end of the war, Hezbollah has undergone large-scale recruitment and training. On November 5, 2007, Hezbollah sources told Agence France-Presse that the Shiite militia group staged unarmed training exercises along the border with Israel, which had conducted war games on the other side of the frontier the week before.

Fatah Al-Islam:
Fatah Al-Islam was founded in November 2006 (when it split from Fatah al-Intifada) and is led by Shaker Abssi. At its height, Fatah al-Islam had between 100 and 300 members, 222 of whom were killed in the Nahr Al-Bared fighting with the Lebanese army between May and September. The group had previously been accused by Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora of being armed by the Syrians, who said that the Syrians were using Fatah Al-Islam, "to serve its political and security objectives in Lebanon."

Amal Movement:
The Amal movement is a political party under the leadership of Nabih Berri. The party was founded in 1975, by the Iranian born imam Musa Sadr, as the military wing of the Movement of the Dispossessed, an organization for the emancipation of the Shiite population. Amal draws support from the moderate Shiite population in Lebanon. Unlike Hezbollah, it does not call for an Islamic state in Lebanon. In the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War, CNN reported on July 27 that militias loyal to Berri were involved in the fighting against Israel. Last year two Amal ministers resigned alongside three Hezbollah members after power-sharing negotiations among Lebanese factions collapsed.

The Lebanese Forces:
The Lebanese Forces were founded in 1976 under the leadership of Bashir Jumayyil when a joint command council was established to formally integrate various Christian militias in order combat the coalition of Palestinian and Muslim militias. The party is currently led by Samir Geagea, and its members have reportedly been organizing themselves in anticipation of a violent confrontation between Lebanese Shiites and Sunnis, in order to maintain the neutrality of the Christian- and Druze- dominated Mount Lebanon district.

Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party (SSNP):
The SSNP is a nationalist political party in Syria and Lebanon which was founded in 1932, by Antun Saadah. The party’s primary goal is the re-establishment of Greater Syria. Though the SSNP’s ideology was originally influenced by Fascism, the movement moved to the left during the 1960s and was allied with the PLO during the Lebanese Civil War. Its stronghold is Beirut’s northern suburb of Metn. The U.S. government recently placed sanctions on the current leader of the SSNP, Assaad Halim Hardan and three others, citing that the SSNP had received arms and military training from Syria and Hezbollah.

Free Patriotic Movement (FPM):
The FPM is a political movement led by MP Michel Aoun. The group was founded between 1988 and 1990, when Michel Aoun was the interim prime minister of Lebanon. Though the political movement largely draws its support from the Christian middle class, Aoun has recently aligned with Hezbollah against Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. It is the largest Maronite Christian political party in Lebanon. A report from September by An-Nahar claimed that FPM were receiving military training in the Bekaa Valley and in Jbeil, where FPM followers receive two days of military training from former Lebanese Army officers. FPM MP Ibrahim Kanaan and MP Michel Aoun have denied that the party is arming or training its followers.