With Lebanese politics already divided over the relationship between Lebanon and Syria, the revolt that begins in Syria in 2011 and ultimately led into a war inevitably has its impact on the political landscape of Lebanon. 

From 2012, the northern city of Tripoli, which already witnessed periodic flare-ups of violence between the Sunni and Alawi’ite (pro-Assad) neighborhoods following the two-month Hezbollah takeover of Beirut in 2008, sees a sharp increase in armed street clashes, resulting in fatalities and casualties. At the same time, Lebanese factions such as Hezbollah and right wing Sunnis are openly and actively supporting different sides of the Syrian conflict.

Periodic security incidents, such as the 2012 arrest of former Information Minister Samaha on charges of terrorism, the assassination of Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan - head of the information branch of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) - in October 2012, cross-border incursions by Syrian forces, and the assassination of ex-Minister Mohammad Chatah in 2013 lead to outbreaks of violence throughout Lebanon and further polarize an already fractured society. 

 

A joint operation in 2017, involving Hezzbollah and the Lebanese army, drove out the remaining elements of the Syrian opposition which had taken up positions on the Lebanese side of the Syrian border in the Bekaa valley and Hermel. 

At the time of writing, the situation in Syria is moving towards a conclusion in which Bashar al-Assad remains in power, and Lebanese from all sides have largely accepted this outcome. Organized unrest in Lebanon related to the Syrian conflict has not occured since 2017.