Lebanon in the war between Israel and Gaza: “The country will then sink into chaos” Five dead in plane crash in the US

According to the Israeli army, rockets were fired again across the Lebanese border into Israel on Monday. The terrorist organization Hezbollah from Lebanon has been attacking the Jewish state for months. It acts independently of the Lebanese army. For a long time this was considered a guarantee of national security in Lebanon. But today it has been weakened and cannot stop Hezbollah.

Their weakness is mainly reflected economically: in the salaries of their soldiers. “In the morning I do my job in the army,” a military member who prefers to remain anonymous told the German news agency. “I drive a taxi in the afternoon and at night.” Many soldiers in Lebanon are like him. But in times of increasing tensions with neighboring Israel and even the threat of war, their dire economic situation poses a security risk to Lebanon and the region.

The Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah, which controls large parts of the country, further increases the risk of conflict. The country not only presents itself as the stronger and more capable competitor, but has also built a kind of ‘state within a state’ in Lebanon – with dangerous consequences.

Concerns about militias taking power

Before 2019, before Lebanon entered the worst economic crisis in its history, a regular soldier earned about 1,500 euros per month. But the country is running out of foreign currency. State institutions can sometimes only pay their salaries in the local currency, which has lost more than 95 percent of its value as a result of the crisis. Today, a soldier brings home an average of just under 130 euros. A salary that is barely enough to survive in the deeply corrupt Mediterranean country, let alone support a family.

“The economic situation has forced many soldiers and police officers to take other jobs to make ends meet,” said ex-general and military expert Wehbe Katicha. So far, the military has looked the other way because it simply does not have enough resources to pay full salaries. “That’s very dangerous.”

If the army were to disintegrate, this could have serious consequences. “If there is no army, militias will assume their role and the country will fall into chaos,” Katicha warns. This was already the case during the Lebanese civil war. Between 1975 and 1990 the army collapsed. Militias from different sects seized power and drove Lebanon into a bloody intersectarian struggle.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) also warned of a similar scenario in early January after a visit to the capital Beirut. A well-equipped and trained Lebanese army, whose soldiers are paid like any other army, is an indispensable part of exercising effective control over Lebanese territory and containing armed militias and terrorist organizations.

Lebanon in crisis

For many soldiers, however, their actual work has now become a side issue. And this at a time when Lebanon is in the midst of its worst escalation with Israel in years due to attacks by Hezbollah, which is an ally of the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Without a diplomatic solution, war seems more likely every day. Israel also recently said it is preparing for war on its border with Lebanon. In addition, the civil war in neighboring Syria and its refugees are testing Lebanon.

Regardless of the military’s lack of funding, there is also a lack of almost everything else: there is neither a head of state nor a fully functioning government. “I’m just tired. My colleagues in the army feel the same way,” says the taxi-driving army employee. “Even on my days off, I work day and night. If I find a job that pays me better and in dollars – here or abroad – I resign and leave the service. Ultimately, the survival of my family is the most important thing,” he says.

With the outbreak of the Gaza war, Hezbollah decided to involve Lebanon in the conflict. Just one day after Hamas’ major attack on Israel on October 7, the first rockets flew at targets in the north of the neighboring country. Since then, there has been mutual and sometimes deadly shelling at the border every day. Tens of thousands of people on both sides have already had to leave their homes.

Shadow state Hezbollah

“The army’s power is not only weakened by economic problems,” said Lebanon expert and analyst Makram Rabah. Their power has also been destroyed by Hezbollah’s strategies. The terrorist organization propagates that the army is unable to protect the border with enemy Israel. In general, “The destruction of the idea of ​​the state has destroyed the idea of ​​the military,” says Rabah.

Hezbollah mainly controls the south on the border with Israel, the Shia-inhabited districts of Beirut and the Bekaa Valley in the north of the country. It is a strong political force and the only group that was officially allowed to keep its weapons after the civil war. It claims to be in possession of tens of thousands of missiles that can reach all of Israeli territory. According to leader Hassan Nasrallah, the country has about 100,000 fighters. This number cannot be verified. But if true, Hezbollah would be bigger than the Lebanese army, which officially has 85,000 members.

Military expert Katicha also sees the actions of the militia as a danger. Despite the economic problems, the Lebanese armed forces are sufficiently trained to “maintain peace at the border without any problems.” Hezbollah should just allow them. “If Hezbollah does not allow this, the entire country will be at risk.”

Support also comes from Germany. After Baerbock’s visit to Beirut, she promised Lebanon financial support of 15 million euros so that the army can better guarantee security in the south of the country. This is intended to pay for fuel, but also for medium-term measures, including landside border control. However, this does not include military salaries.

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