Syria has at times supported Lebanon's claim that the Shebaa Farms are part of Lebanon and not Syrian territory, at the UN and in official government press releases.

The use of this term has persisted since then in Egyptian newspapers, the state-controlled press of Syria, Lebanon's Al-Manar, and the Jordanian media.

Lebanon gained independence in 1943, and established a unique political system, known as confessionalism, a power-sharing mechanism based on religious communities – Bechara El Khoury who became independent Lebanon's first President and Riad El-Solh, who became Lebanon's first prime minister, are considered the founders of the modern Republic of Lebanon and are national heroes for having led the country's independence.

The trade between East and West led to the development of a cosmopolitan culture in Lebanon's port cities, whose inhabitants became known for their multilingualism, flexibility, moderation, and commercial acumen.

Upon the end of Lebanon's Civil War, Hariri became Lebanon's Prime Minister.

It has caused huge damage to Lebanon's

According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, Lebanon's music industry is growing and could attain leading status in the region.

He had a stormy relationship with Lebanon's Presidents, who appointed him because of his political connections, despite substantial political differences.

Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport.

Lebanon's diverse population, composed of different ethnic and religious groups, has further contributed to the country's festivals, musical styles and literature as well as cuisine.

Following 2000 withdrawal, Lebanon's military authorities report Israeli jets have violated the UN resolution 1701 by entering the country's airspace and breaking sound barriers over several villages in southern parts of the nation.

Reflecting Lebanon's long-standing place in the international francophone orbit, the lyrics of the country's proposed first Eurovision entry were in French, a language in which Aline is fluent.

Khoury is remembered for his part in drawing up the National Pact, an agreement between Lebanon's Christian and Muslim leaders which forms the basis of the country's constitutional structure today, although it was not codified in the Constitution until the Taif Agreement of 1989.

Lebanon's small Alawite community also mainly inhabits Tripoli, and their numbers are estimated to be between 40 to 60 thousand people, mainly in the Jabal Mohsen neighbourhood.

Lebanon however historically had a small cosmetic army that was never effective in defending Lebanon's territorial integrity, and this is why in later years the PLO guerrilla factions had found it easy to enter Lebanon and set up bases, as well as takeover army barracks on the border with Israel as early as 1968.

The party's support base is overwhelmingly from Lebanon's Christian community, but includes a small number of Shia Muslims.

It has been active as a paramilitary organization representing Lebanon's Catholic Maronites since 1936, played a major role in the Lebanese civil war of 1975-1990, perpetrated the Sabra and Shatila massacre of 1982 and held the presidency of Lebanon from 1982-1988.

Lebanon's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has dictated its rich history, and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity.

Lebanon's history from independence has been marked by alternating periods of political stability and turmoil interspersed with prosperity built on Beirut's position as a freely trading regional center for finance and trade.

) Lebanon's Shiites, on the other hand, have long supported the Syrian presence, as has the Hezbollah militia group and political party.

The IMF forecast a growth of 7 % for Lebanon's real GDP in 2010 and 2011 following 9 % growth in 2009 and 8. 5 % in 2008 it has 54th richest GDP per capita in the world it is forecasted that Lebanon per capita will be 19, 100 by 2015 which makes it one of the strongest in the region.

Lebanon's economy has made impressive gains since the launch of " Horizon 2000 ," the government's $ 20 billion reconstruction program in 1993.

Progress also has been made in rebuilding Lebanon's war-torn physical and financial infrastructure.

The addition of the new IMEWE underwater cable during the summer of 2011 has dramatically increased Lebanon's international bandwidth capacity, allowing for increased speeds and larger data caps.

It has been argued that the antecedents of the war can be traced back to the conflicts and political compromises reached after the end of Lebanon's administration by the Ottoman Empire.

Israel has lodged multiple complaints regarding Lebanon's conduct.

Lebanon's claim that Israel has not fully withdrawn ( see Shebaa Farms ) was explicitly rejected by the UN's Secretary-General's report which led to Resolution 1583.

These clashes follow a tense three weeks in Lebanon's north, where the Lebanese Army has been battling militant group Fatah al-Islam at a Palestinian refugee camp.

Up to 2005, 14-15, 000 Syrian troops ( down from 35, 000 ) remained in position in many areas of Lebanon, although the Taif called for an agreement between the Syrian and Lebanese Governments by September 1992 on their redeployment to Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.

In 2010, Iran's parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani said takes " pride in Lebanon's Islamic resistance movement for its steadfast Islamic stance.

Although Fakhr ad-Din II's aspirations toward complete independence for Lebanon ended tragically, he greatly enhanced Lebanon's military and economic development.

Only Hezbollah retained its weapons, and was supported by Lebanon's parliament in doing so, because it officially for defending Lebanon against the Israeli occupation.

During Lebanon's civil war, Syria's troop deployment in Lebanon was legitimized by the Lebanese Parliament in the Taif Agreement, supported by the Arab League, and is given a major share of the credit for finally bringing the civil war to an end in October 1990.

The Syrian military and intelligence presence in Lebanon was criticised by some on Lebanon's right-wing inside and outside of the country, others believed it helped to prevent renewed civil war and discourage Israeli aggression, and others believed its presence and influence was helpful for Lebanese stability and peace but should be scaled back.

In 2004, many believe Syria pressured Lebanese MPs to back a constitutional amendment to revise term limitations and allow Lebanon's two term pro-Syrian president Émile Lahoud to run for a third time.

In 2001 de Misura similarly expressed his concern to Lebanon's prime minister for allowing Hezbollah to violate the Blue Line, saying it was a " clear infringement " of UN Resolution 425, under which the UN certified Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon as complete.

Many regarded this as a second time Syria had pressured Lebanon's Parliament to amend the constitution in a way that favored Lahoud ( the first allowing for his election in 1998 immediately after he had resigned as commander-in-chief of the LAF.

Prior to Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon Mr Khaddam was in charge of Syria's Lebanon policy and mainly responsible for Syria's abuse of Lebanon's resources.

* Lebanon's struggle for Independence ( The Political History of Lebanon, 1920 – 1950 ; v. 3-4, 1980.

Sunni parties have not been the standard vehicle for launching political candidates, and tend to focus across Lebanon's borders on issues that are important to the community at large.

The 1975-90 Lebanese civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and had major consequences for Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub.

The Lebanese Navy is responsible for protecting Lebanon's territorial waters, ports, and fighting illegal smuggling of goods.

Later in July, the U. S. Government convinced Chamoun not to seek a second term and this allowed for Fuad Chehab to be elected Lebanon's new president.

Not being close to any waterways, West Lebanon's early growth was relatively slow and for many years had no more than 20 families.

He supported the Palestinians in their struggle against Israel for ideological reasons, but also to garner support from the Palestinian fedayeen based in Lebanon's refugee camps.

On August 3, 2006, Hasan Nasrallah vowed to strike Tel Aviv in retaliation for Israel's bombardment of Lebanon's capital.