Lebanon

The Lebanese Republic is a parliamentary republic. Political power is concentrated in the offices of the President, Speaker of Parliament, and Prime Minister, each representing one of Lebanon's three largest religious sects (Maronite Christians, Shia and Sunni Muslims, respectively). Lebanon has been in a state of war with Israel since the 1970s; UN peacekeeping forces are present in southern Lebanon under the mandate of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. Read the Department of State’s Fact Sheet on Lebanon for additional political and historical information.