The Lebanese Resistance Brigades (known in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

as Saraya al-Muqawama al-Lubnaniya, also known as the Saraya) is a

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

Lebanese paramilitary group affiliated with

Hezbollah Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's parami ...

. The irregular militia is composed of

Sunni Muslims Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a dis ...

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...

Druze The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...

and non-practicing Shiites who subscribe to anti-Israel beliefs. The Resistance Brigades are funded, trained, armed, and founded by Hezbollah. The group's manpower, composition, and strength are unclear. The group was founded in 1997 to counter

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, but its focus has since expanded to countering Sunni extremists like

ISIL An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

as well.

Founding

The Resistance Brigades were founded to increase the manpower of anti-Israeli forces in Lebanon and to deny Israel freedom of movement in non-Shia areas. West Point's

Combating Terrorism Center The Combating Terrorism Center is an academic institution at the United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, New York that provides education, research and policy analysis in the specialty areas of terrorism, counterterrorism, homela ...

reports that the Resistance Brigades were founded in November 1997, while other sources claim early 1990s, 2004, or 2009.

Training

Resistance Brigade members are trained in Hezbollah-run camps alongside normal Hezbollah recruits. However, they do not receive Hezbollah's ideological training. A recruiter described the group as "made for non-extremist people." The militia is popular among Christians in

Beqaa Valley The Beqaa Valley ( ar, links=no, وادي البقاع, ', Lebanese ), also transliterated as Bekaa, Biqâ, and Becaa and known in classical antiquity as Coele-Syria, is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon. It is Lebanon's most important ...

and north Lebanon.

History

The brigades first saw combat in 1998. They claim to have engaged in over three hundred operations before Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000. The group was also involved in the

2006 Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War ( ar, حرب تموز, ''Ḥarb Tammūz'') and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War ( he, מלחמת לבנון השנייה, ''Milhemet Leva ...

with Israel. The militia is described as an "operational auxiliary" or subsidiary of Hezbollah. Group members fight under the Hezbollah flag and command structure in combat, but are at least nominally separate in peacetime. They also receive intelligence from Hezbollah.

Involvement in Syria

Resistance Brigade units have been involved in the Syrian Civil War. They do not engage in combat but rather support Hezbollah logistically and act as interlocutors between Hezbollah and Christian and Sunni communities. Despite this, some fighters have been killed in Syria.

Equipment

Criticism

Resistance Brigade fighters are less disciplined and subject to less strict rules than Hezbollah fighters. Consequently, the brigades have been involved in a large number of violent confrontations with police, the

Lebanese Army ) , founded = 1 August 1945 , current_form = 1991 , disbanded = , branches = Lebanese Ground Forces Lebanese Air ForceLebanese Navy , headquarters = Yarze, Lebanon , flying_hours = , websit ...

, and various Lebanese partisans. Lebanese Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk, member of the

Future Movement The Future Movement ( ar, تيار المستقبل) is a Lebanese political party affiliated with the Sunni sect. The party was founded as a coalition in 1995 led by Rafic Hariri but was officially founded in 2007. The party is led by Saad Har ...

, criticized the group for challenging the sovereignty of the Lebanese government. Critics contend that the group is no longer focused on fighting Israel, but rather exists as political cover for Hezbollah's actions and as a containment group for thugs and troublemakers. Likewise, some Sunnis have charged the Resistance Brigades with focusing more on countering Sunni fundamentalism than Israel. The Resistance Brigades have also been accused of converting Sunni youth to Shia Islam, a charge the group denies.

References

{{Reflist, 30em 2006 Lebanon War Hezbollah Axis of Resistance