New jihadist generation in Lebanon

The latest clashes on Lebanon’s border with Syria in Arsal, between the Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat al-Nusra on the one hand and the Lebanese army on the other, combined with a number of other security incidents, constitute a new escalation in the Land of the Cedar, increasingly identified — along with Syria and Iraq — as another “land of jihad” by extremist organizations.

The power of al-Qaeda like-minded groups seems to be mounting in Lebanon: The country was rocked by border clashes — more specifically in the Sunni majority city of Arsal — as well as multiple bombings this year. Earlier this month, Imad Jomaa, commander of the Fajr Front — an organization that pledged allegiance to IS — whose arrest led to a confrontation with the Lebanese army, said the organization aimed to establish an "emirate" straddling northern and eastern regions connected to Syria's Qalamoun, according to a report by the LBC news network.

This represents an unprecedented shift of priorities for radical organizations. Lebanon has been historically considered as a “land of nusra [support],” a rear front for the support and resupply of jihadist organizations in their battle against the “taghout,” in Salafist terms, dictatorial regimes. For years, Lebanon has been a conduit for jihadists and a financial point of transfer for radical organizations, a former officer in the Internal Security Forces told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.

The Syrian war appears to have reversed the dynamic, with Lebanon becoming a land of jihad, where Muslims must wage a war until the creation of an Islamic state. “Lebanon has definitely become a land of jihad, at least in areas dominated by Hezbollah. This can be clearly sensed in the targeting of specific regions by radical organizations,” Salafist Sheikh Nabil Rahim told Al-Monitor. Over 17 bombings have targeted Hezbollah bastions in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburb, as well as the Bekaa Valley since the start of Syria’s war.