the Lebanese Shiites supported by Leftists control much of South Lebanon and Nabatieh, and some Shiite parts of Beqqa
Lebanese Christians supported by SACTO control most of the country,the Lebanese Christians control most of Mount Lebanon, Beirut, the North canton, Bsharri, and some of the Beqqa (mainly Zahle), and also Jezzine in the South.
IC:
Things were going bad for Shiites in the South and the Beqqa valley, Hezbollah and Amal lost political power, the lack of influence left heavily, Maronites were becoming the majority again, in what many have said was a growth miracle, Maronites were becoming more fertile and reproducing at a higher rate, and Lebanese Maronite Christian diaspora was returning to Lebanon as well.
Eventually tensions between the Maronite Christians and the Shia Muslim community got worse under election of Charbel Zgheib a hard-core Maronite who formed the National-Lebanese Christian Phalange of Free Enterprise. his wife a Maronite who converted to protestantism Lauren had big say in the politics of Lebanon as well trying to help the poor community,
Charbel Zgheib ordered Hezbollah and Amal to end their militias, but they refused claiming it was necessary for "resistance" they sought out financial and military support from Iran, many Communist nations and neighboring Baathist Syria.
Eventually Charbel was arrested by UN and executed for war-crimes in Bangladesh, the now widowed Lauren would then go to marry Carlos Silva of El-Cuscatlan, his daughter Mary Zgheib who was raised by her mother would marry Samir Chamoun. After Charbel numerous members of powerful right-wing Maronite families the Gemayel family, Chamoun family, Franjieh family would get elected, Samir Maroun Howayek being big leader and military man was most hard-core mainly against Sunni Wahhabi groups causing revolts in the Northern sector, but also leftist terrorist groups.
Samir Howayek would later resign, and Samir Chamoun came to power, he had to fight huge Druze insurgency in the Chouf and Beqqa, Shouf Anarcho-Progressive Democratic Army terrorists made his job hard, he however crushed them, the remnants of the Druze terrorist group fled and joined Hezbollah and Amal, angered members of the PFLP who were secretly allied with SPDA eventually killed Samir Chamoun in bombing, his nephew James Chamoun a wealthy right-wing businessman and military officer, ethnic-Maronite and Born-Again Christian who's devout faith he believed in all his heart was Protestantism after hearing preaching with Cuscatlani preacher in Zavala, was president for a while, upholding ideology of the National-Liberal Party and being a strong proponent of Lebanon's free-market economics, he help make Lebanon economic pearl of middle-east with added bonus of a gold-standard which helped the economy greatly, he and his adviser Maria Franjieh helped make Beirut center for banking, education, tourism and culture again, Beirut was once again competing with Dubai with its prosperity.
James Chamoun being very young for a leader resigned, but new president after him was Charbel Adal Ayoub and prime minister was Charbel Elias Khoury, Lebanese Christians mainly Christian Maronites were now dominating politics, Lebanon soon was considered Lebanese-Maronite identity instead of Arab, this not only angered Muslims, most Leftists, but it especially angered the Shia Muslims the 2nd biggest sect in Lebanon.
They were angered at the Maronite Christians, the Maronite Christians were mostly Lower or Upper Middle class, or also wealthy, Socially-Conservative and believed in Free-Market economics, the Maronites were the biggest ethno-religious group in the country, and tended to favor members of the Maronite Catholic sect and other Christian sects, (Melkite, Orthodox, Protestant) and tended to be well-educated. The Maronites lived in nice Urban, Sub-Urban and also nice and prosperous Rural Farming communities, their main militias are the Kataeb (Phalangists),South Lebanese Army, Lebanese National Bloc, Guardians of the Cedars, National Liberal (Tigers), Lebanese Forces, and the Lebanese Constitutional Renewal Forces and various smaller groups backed by the Lebanese Government and Lebanese Army, SACTO, and France, and (allegedly Israel)
The Christian Maronites to defend their community, formed the "Lebanese Patriot Nationalist Front"
The Shia Muslims were poorer, often uneducated and lived in slums in the South, poorer farm villages in the Beqqa, and often blamed Christian Lebanese for their problems, even though the real reason was Shia land-lords trying to hold political power in shia areas and keeping them poor, the main militias are Hezbollah and Amal, backed by Iran, Syria, and also various Leftist Governments, and oppose the Lebanese Government which they view as a "Christian Maronite dominated Sectarian entity"
Hezbollah was not alone in this hatred, nor was the smaller Amal, volunteers from the broken Riysan Zuliqar Battalions, the Communist party and Druze Progressive Socialist Party, remnants of the Shouf Anarcho-Progressivist Democratic Army, small leftist Alawite militias, the Leftist Sunni group Al-Mourabitoun, Leftist Palestinian refugees from the PFLP, DFLP, and PFLP-GC joined up with Hezbollah and formed the "Lebanese Popular Liberation Movement" to oppose the SACTO backed Right-Wing Lebanese Maronite Christians, they are supported by Syrian Arab Army troops at the border, and secretive Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces
