Lebanon's role in the Syrian civil war

Lebanon's role in the Syrian Civil War has been limited, compared to the role of other regional and international actors. While the Lebanese Republic has not been officially involved in the conflict, it has been greatly affected by it and some Lebanese factors have taken an active role in the Syrian War and its spillover into Lebanon.

During the war, conflicting statements were issued by Lebanese politicians in regard to the Syrian Civil War, though in general the Lebanese Republic remained neutral in the conflict. Between 2011 and 2017, fighting from the Syrian Civil War spilled over into Lebanon as opponents and supporters of the Syrian rebels travelled to Lebanon to fight and attack each other on Lebanese soil.

Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian Civil War has been substantial since the beginning of the armed insurgency phase of the Syrian Civil War, and turned into active support and troop deployment from 2012 onwards. By 2014, Hezbollah had become actively involved in support of Syrian Ba'athist Government forces across Syria.^[1] Hezbollah deployed several thousand fighters in Syria and by 2015 lost up to 1500 fighters in combat.^[2]

Since 2011, Lebanon has absorbed Syrian refugees and provided humanitarian aid too. According to the UNHCR, there were over 1 million Syrian refugees who had been registered in Lebanon in 2016.^[3]