The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Lebanon Region, commonly known as the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in Lebanon (Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي في لبنانḤizb al-Ba‘th al-‘Arabī al-Ishtirākī fī Lubnān) and officially the Lebanon Regional Branch, is a political party in Lebanon. It is the regional branch of the Damascus-based Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. The leadership has been disputed since 2015; however, Fayez Shukr was the party leader from 2006 to 2015, when he succeeded Sayf al-Din Ghazi, who succeeded Assem Qanso.
History
The Lebanese branch of the undivided Ba'ath Party was formed in 1949–1950.[1]Assem Qanso is the longest-serving secretary (leader) of the Lebanese Ba'ath Party,[2] first from 1971 to 1989 and again from 2000 to 2005.[3] In 1953 it merged with Arab Socialist Party headed by Akram Hourani, and the current title was adopted.[1] One of its secretaries general was Abdallah Al Amin, headquartered in Beirut.[1]
Lebanese Civil War
During the start of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, the party had an armed militia, the Assad Battalion, of some 2,000 armed men.[4] The party joined forces with Kamal Jumblatt's Progressive Socialist Party in organizing the Lebanese National Movement, seeking to abolish the confessional state.[5] The Lebanese National Movement was later superseded by the Lebanese National Resistance Front, in which the party participated.[5] The party organized resistance against Israeli forces in Lebanon.[5] In July 1987, it took part in forming yet another front, the Unification and Liberation Front.[5]
The Lebanese Ba'ath Party is also militarily involved in the Syrian Civil War and has sent forces under its control to aid Bashar al-Assad's government against the Syrian opposition. One contingent, allegedly 400 fighters strong, took part in the Daraa offensive (June 2017).[7] Its commander, Hussein Ali Rabiha from Nabatieh, was killed during this operation.[8]
Before the 2018 Lebanese general election, the Lebanese Ba'ath Party had suffered a split, with Regional Secretary Assem Qanso and Numan Shalq heading in different directions.[9] Both factions had nominated candidates for the elections, but none was accepted into a list and were thus eliminated from the polls. Reportedly, the Syrian ambassador, Ali Abdul Karim, had lobbied against any list accepting Qanso's candidates, as his group is not recognized from Damascus. A Baathist politician, Kassem Hachem, was included in a list in South III as Amal candidate, but not on behalf of the party. Former Regional Secretary Fayez Shukr headed a list in Bekaa III.[10] On 7 April 2019, the Lebanese Ba'ath Party and other parties staged pro-Syrian demonstrations in Beirut; this was the "first such show of its kind" since 2005.[11]
