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Episode 138: Lebanon - from Paris of the Middle East to a den of the Hezbollah

The Y in History··9 August 2026·26 min

About this episode

From 1950 to 1970, Lebanon's Capital, Beirut, was known as the Paris of the Middle East. But after the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) moved its Headquarters to West Beirut in 1971, South Lebanon became an active battlefield against Israel. Fractures in Lebanese society emerged and from 1975 to 1990, it descended into a disastrous Civil War. Amidst the melee, Hezbollah emerged as the new militant organization, in South Lebanon, with backing from Iran.