Sectarian Violence Grows in Lebanon

Social and economic tensions sparked waves of protests across Lebanon (Wikipedia)

Unidentified gunmen opened fire at a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, on October 14, leaving seven dead and more than thirty injured. The motives of the perpetrators are currently unknown.

The protests, which were aimed at Judge Tarek Bitar and his arbitration of the investigation into the 2020 explosion in Beirut. Members of Hezbollah and Amal staged demonstrations against Bitar, whom they claim has been politically biased in past investigations. The leader of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, blamed the Lebanese Forces Party for the attack, a claim that the group has denied. Nasrallah delivered a televised address, framing the attack as an act of “civil war.”

This incident can be traced back to ethnoreligious tensions between Lebanese Muslims and Christians. The most recent conflict, the Lebanese Civil War, caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens and led nearly one million more to seek asylum in other countries. The rivalry between Muslim group Hezbollah and majority-Christian political group, Lebanese Forces Party, has led to occasionally violent confrontations between the two groups.

Following the civil war, Lebanon’s economic growth remained low while ethnoreligious tensions remained high. The resulting social climate has become increasingly sectarian, leading to conflict between Christian and Muslim political parties as well as armed militant groups. Previous protests in Lebanon against corruption, political gridlock, and lack of basic necessities (such as electricity) have only been exacerbated by the negative economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The 2020 Beirut explosion—viewed by many as a display of the carelessness and inefficiency of the Lebanese government—has triggered massive rallies around the country. These demonstrations have now devolved into historical ‘camps’ dividing the country even further along religious and ethnic lines. The most recent shooting at the Beirut protests will likely result in heightened conflict among the Lebanese population.