Lebanon’s Elections Show Hezbollah Survived Its Intervention in Syria

Lebanon’s Elections Show Hezbollah Survived Its Intervention in Syria
Supporters of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah hold a banner with his portrait during an election rally, Beirut, Lebanon, April 13, 2018 (AP photo by Hussein Malla).

For the first time in almost a decade, Lebanese voters went to the polls last weekend and delivered a subtle but important message with regional ramifications. The results will do nothing to ease tensions, instead sharpening enmity between Saudi Arabia and Iran while marginally increasing fears of an impending confrontation between Israel and Iran and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah.

From a regional perspective, the outcome of the Lebanese election is clear: Iran has grown more powerful inside Lebanon, adding to Tehran’s influence across the Middle East.

The election strengthened the hand of Hezbollah, the militant Shiite organization and political party with deep links to Iran that the United States and several other countries designate a terrorist group. Hezbollah and its political allies are in a position to forge a narrow majority in Lebanon’s parliament, so Hezbollah could block any legislation it dislikes. At the same time, the Future Movement of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, friendly to both Saudi Arabia and the West, was unquestionably the election’s biggest loser.

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article by submitting your email address below. You'll also get access to three articles of your choice each month and our free newsletter:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having a personal curator and expert analyst of global affairs news. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of tens of thousands of articles.
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday.
  • Regular in-depth articles with deep dives into important issues and countries.
  • The Daily Review email, with our take on the day’s most important news, the latest WPR analysis, what’s on our radar, and more.
  • The Weekly Review email, with quick summaries of the week’s most important coverage, and what’s to come.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review