Though the Lebanese government has sought to avoid religious discrimination, a significant number of Christians are caught in the crossfire between Israeli military strikes and Hezbollah \u2014 a Lebanese Shia Muslim political and military organization that has received funding, weapons, training, and ideological reinforcement from Iran for the last several decades.<\/p>\n
Conflict with Israel<\/p>\n
The most recent conflict with Israel has seen thousands<\/a> of deaths and 1 million<\/a> people displaced across Lebanon, most of them from the southern part of the country near the Israeli border.<\/p>\n Israeli attacks and counterattacks, ostensibly against Hezbollah, have seen some majority-Christian communities in southern Lebanon all but decimated.<\/p>\n Drawing particular scrutiny has been Israel\u2019s use of white phosphorus<\/a> munitions, which can cause severe burns and render land uninhabitable.<\/p>\n \u201cAnthony,\u201d a Lebanese Christian man, said that both Hezbollah and Israel are disliked by most Christians in his country. But, in his view, Israel is \u201cslightly more\u201d disliked at this point.<\/p>\n Views on Hezbollah and Israel do not always divide neatly according to religious demographics. \u201cTherese,\u201d a Lebanese Christian woman, said that even within her own family, many people have different opinions.<\/p>\n A significant portion of Lebanese \u2014 including some Christians \u2014 believe that Israel would like to annex Lebanon, and that Hezbollah is necessary because the Lebanese military would be unable to effectively defend the country.<\/p>\n Due to its ongoing support from Iran, Hezbollah is better-armed than Lebanon\u2019s actual military. This places the country in what can seem like an impossible situation.<\/p>\n \u201cAmerica expects us to disarm Hezbollah or face the consequences, but [Lebanon\u2019s] government does not have that power,\u201d Therese said.<\/p>\n At the start of the 2020s, support for Hezbollah had been dropping<\/a> significantly, even among Shia Muslims. But this trajectory was disrupted amid the Israeli military strikes of more recent years. These strikes have seemingly prompted some Lebanese, particularly Shia Muslims, to rally around Hezbollah.<\/p>\n Different Viewpoints<\/p>\n Though a minority of Christians supports Hezbollah, Therese said there\u2019s a frequent viewpoint among Christians that if Hezbollah \u201cdidn\u2019t go and provoke Israel\u201d then there would be no conflict.<\/p>\n While making it clear that most Lebanese Christians \u201caren\u2019t exactly willing to trust Israel with open arms,\u201d she said, \u201cthere\u2019s actually a great number of Lebanese Christians who would rather make peace with Israel than have to deal with Hezbollah any longer.\u201d<\/p>\n But such a viewpoint is one you must \u201ckeep under wraps,\u201d Therese said. Otherwise, you will be labeled as pro-Israel or even a collaborator.<\/p>\n Anthony agreed that most Lebanese see Hezbollah as something that pulls their country into ongoing conflict.<\/p>\n Even among Shia Muslims, Therese thinks a sizable minority of them would prefer that Hezbollah \u201cback down so we can live in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Hezbollah, though, does not seem inclined to \u201cback down,\u201d at least not while it receives support from Iran. If the Iranian regime were to fall, however, it would \u201cbe a great start for neutralizing Shia extremists and dismantling Hezbollah too,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Anthony said he thinks that a collapse of the Iranian regime would weaken Hezbollah but might not necessarily bring an end to the group.<\/p>\n Neither of them seemed optimistic about the chances of a truly unified Lebanon.<\/p>\n A Declining Population<\/p>\n Geographically about half the size of New Jersey, Lebanon has a population of 5.9 million people. The U.S. Department of State reported<\/a> that about 31% of the country is Christian, 31% Sunni Muslim, and 32% Shia Muslim. Other sources vary considerably, as Lebanon has not conducted a census in almost 100 years.<\/p>\n A pro-Hezbollah newspaper sparked controversy in 2024 when it ran a survey<\/a> and claimed that less than 16% of the population is Christian. These statistics are politically sensitive: Lower percentages of Christians could be used to argue that Christians should receive a smaller share of political representation.<\/p>\n These stats are also sensitive because, even if you doubt the pro-Hezbollah survey, the Christian population is indeed declining. Lebanon was once a majority-Christian nation, with some 70%<\/a> of the population Christian. By any estimate, that number has shrunk significantly.<\/p>\n In public settings, relations between Christians and Muslims are mostly cordial, Therese said. But she has observed minor controversies that lead to outbursts of genuine animosity.<\/p>\n Anthony hesitated to estimate the portion of Lebanon\u2019s Muslim population that genuinely detests Christians, but said, \u201cit\u2019s quite a large number.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say they all hate us,\u201d Therese said. But she suspects that, as a group, \u201cif they had the option, they\u2019d throw all of us out.\u201d<\/p>\n At this point, though, leaving the country is a goal of many, if not most, younger Lebanese Christians.<\/p>\n Lebanon has been mired in economic crisis since 2019. While such conditions have affected all demographics, they have particularly troubled the nation\u2019s professional class, which Christians heavily represent.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve built my career in a way that maximizes my chances of leaving,\u201d said Therese, adding that every young Christian adult she knows has \u201can escape plan.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Anthony expects that Lebanon\u2019s Christian population \u201cwill keep decreasing.\u201d<\/p>\n Story by R. Cavanaugh<\/p>\n To read more news stories, visit the\u00a0ICC Newsroom<\/a>. For interviews, please email us<\/a>. To support ICC\u2019s work around the world, please give to our Where Most Needed Fund<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lebanon has the highest proportion of Christians anywhere in the Arab World and arguably the region\u2019s least restrictive…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":616413,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[85,46,43],"class_list":["post-616412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=616412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/616413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=616412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=616412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2026-GPI-Cover-232x300.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cHezbollah enthusiasts believe they\u2019re the only reason Lebanon still has sovereignty, and [they] look at everyone else like we\u2019re insane for reproaching them,\u201d Therese said.<\/p>\n