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A security source said that an arsenal for the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah exploded in southern Lebanon today, Tuesday (September 22), due to a technical error, according to Reuters. Another security source told the same agency earlier that Hezbollah imposed a security cordon around the area where the explosion occurred in the village of Ain Qana. Security sources said the explosion caused several injuries and there were no immediate confirmations of deaths.
A resident of the town of Ain Qana told AFP that “it is a center of the party in the shape of a house”, noting that party members imposed a security cordon at the place where ambulances rushed. “The town completely shook us,” he said.
A military source confirmed to France Press that “the initial information indicates that it is a Hezbollah center”, without being able to determine the reasons for what happened. So far, there have been no official comments from Hezbollah.
The explosion occurred around three in the afternoon local time, and clouds of black smoke covered the sky and the surroundings. Citizens shared videos on social media showing clouds of smoke. Local media also published photos showing a charred area near the buildings outside the town.
Hezbollah is a major player on the Lebanese political scene and possesses a huge arsenal of weapons including precision missiles that Israel, its arch enemy, has always warned against. There was also no comment from Israel about the explosion.
The Lebanese have yet to overcome the aftermath of the horrific explosion in the port of Beirut on August 4, which killed more than 190 people and injured more than 6,500.
AJM / A.SH (Reuters, AFP)
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Lebanon turns 100 … from the sects of the mountains to a country on the brink of collapse
Sedition of Mount Lebanon
Various sects inhabited the areas known today as Lebanon, especially the Mount Lebanon region. But the most prominent sects were six: Maronites, Orthodox and Catholics, and on the other side the Druze, Sunnis and Shiites. The mountain remained under Ottoman control, but witnessed serious sectarian tensions, especially the massacres between the Druze and Maronites in 1860. European powers intervened in the region, especially France, and Mount Lebanon, under European pressure, witnessed the establishment of the “mutasarrifiyya” system, which strengthened the Maronite presence.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from the sects of the mountains to a country on the brink of collapse
The rise of Greater Lebanon
After the Ottomans were defeated in World War I, France was able to impose its mandate on Lebanon after its expansion to include Bekaa and Beirut, as well as demarcate the borders with Syria. Joseph Bahout says in an article on Carnegie that France aimed to create a quasi-national home for Christians in the Middle East, but Muslim sects vehemently rejected the new situation. Lebanon declared its independence in 1943 at the hands of President Bechara El-Khoury, but the evacuation of French forces did not occur until 1946.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from mountain sects to a state on the brink of collapse
The National Charter
Lebanon’s declaration of independence witnessed what is known as the National Pact, which gave the presidency of the state to the Maronites, the prime minister to the Sunnis and the presidency of the parliament to the Shiites. The aim of the letter was to facilitate independence so that Christians did not demand the protection of France and Muslims did not demand unity with Syria. The letter was not drafted, but it has remained in force in the country since then, and observers believe it caused the sectarian problems in the country, as it was the basis of the quota system.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from the sects of the mountains to a country on the brink of collapse
Ending Shamon’s rule
Beirut has become a city that unites everyone since the years of independence, but the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli conflict cast a shadow over a country struggling to create its identity. Beirut hosted thousands of Palestinian refugees, as well as Arab immigrants, and witnessed economic growth, but at the same time, warring Arab powers have focused their influence on the city ever since. However, the most prominent event that Beirut witnessed in the 1950s was the uprising against President Camille Chamoun, who had strong ties to the West.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from mountain sects to a state on the brink of collapse
The Shehab era
Among Lebanon’s most respected presidents is Fouad Chehab, who ruled the country from 1958 to 1964 and rejected an extension despite his overwhelming popularity. During Shehab’s reign, much stability was achieved in the country, despite the criticism leveled at him for strengthening the role of the intelligence services after the coup attempt. Then came Charles Helou, who tried to follow Shehabi’s approach by not preferring any political party over another, but the country witnessed various economic problems during his reign, which paved the door for Suleiman Franjieh to succeed him.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from mountain sects to a state on the brink of collapse
Civil war breaks out
Lebanon witnessed the signing of the Cairo Agreement in 1969 between the Palestinian factions in the refugee camps and the Lebanese state, so as not to repeat skirmishes between the two parties, according to which the Palestinian armed presence in Lebanon was recognized. The Lebanese left supported the Palestinians, while the right, which was made up mainly of Maronite organizations, rejected them. With the rise of Palestinian influence, frictions with the right-wing forces multiplied and civil war officially broke out in April 1975.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from the sects of the mountains to a country on the brink of collapse
Beirut is on fire
Beirut was divided into the east, under the control of right-wing forces, and the west by Palestinians and left-wing forces. The sectarian rivalry between Muslims and Christians increased the war, especially with the social imbalances between them. The Syrian intervention increased the price of the war, as did Israel when it invaded Lebanon in 1982 and besieged West Beirut, prompting the evacuation of Palestinian militants, but the war did not end, and after that, clashes even broke out. within the allied parties.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from mountain sects to a state on the brink of collapse
Hezbollah is victorious
The war officially ended in 1991, two years after the signing of the Taif Agreement. The war witnessed horrible massacres such as those of Karantina, Damour, Sabra and Shatila, and cameras documented horrible scenes such as the siege of Beirut and the war in the countryside. Subsequently, the Shiite organizations were strengthened, especially Hezbollah, which is linked to Iran, and the organization remained in possession of its weapons after the dissolution of all the militias, thus the influence of the armed organizations of the right, left and Palestinian it declined, and Syria guaranteed its continued presence in the country.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from mountain sects to a state on the brink of collapse
The murders continue
Lebanon was relatively stable in the 1990s, but the millennium years saw armed clashes between Hezbollah and Israel in the summer of 2006, but the most violent earthquake was the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister who contributed to the reconstruction of Lebanon. One of the results of the assassination was the departure of Syrian forces as a result of what became known as the “Cedar Revolution”. In those years, the country witnessed the continuation of political assassinations in which accusations were brought against Damascus, such as the murder of communist George Hawi and journalist Samir Kassir.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from mountain sects to a state on the brink of collapse
The Lebanon movement
For the first time in the country’s history, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese came out in 2019 to reject the sectarian quota system, demanding the departure of the political class as a whole. The protests came in light of the continuing deterioration of the economic situation and high rates of corruption, which led to the resignation of the Saad Hariri government and the formation of the Hassan Diab government, who in turn resigned after the bombing in the port of Beirut, which killed almost two hundred people. Report: Ismail Azzam
Writer: Ismail Azzam
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