Hizballah, in opposition, takes charge

Since the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005 -- allegedly at the hands of the Syrians -- and the subsequent resignation of Shia ministers from government, conflict between the opposition and majority factions has been brewing. The government is comprised of the Sunni Future Movement (headed by Saad Hariri, son of slain prime minister Hariri), the Druze Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), the Christian Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb party.

For the past three years, the Syrian and Iranian backed opposition has been battling the Western backed majority, originally over the internationalization of the tribunal for the prosecution of Hariri's killers.

Since the end of the Lebanese civil war in 1990 and the signing of the Taef Accord by all participating parties -- which called for the equal division of power among Muslims and Christians and the demilitarization of all militia groups -- Hizballah, under the banner of resistance, has been the only party in Lebanon to keep its military arsenal. However, with the pullout of Israel from Lebanon in 2000 (with the exception of the Shebaa farms enclave, the rights to which remains the subject of much debate among Lebanon, Syria and Israel), the role of Hizballah and the legitimacy of its weapons was once again at the forefront of the political scene.

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