Lebanon's Illegal Arms Dealers

VICE News explores Lebanon's illegal arms trade in Tripoli amid sectarian conflict and Syria's war spillover.

Key Takeaways

Sectarian divisions and the Syrian conflict drive the illegal arms trade in Tripoli.
The Lebanese government and army have limited control over arms proliferation and violence.
Weapons are easily accessible and normalized in daily life, affecting all generations.
Political factions exploit the arms trade to strengthen their positions, risking wider chaos.
Economic hardship does not prevent the flourishing of the gun market in Lebanon.

What the video covers

Tripoli, Lebanon's second city, is a major flashpoint due to sectarian clashes between Sunni and Alawi communities.
The war in neighboring Syria exacerbates tensions, with Sunnis supporting rebels and Alawis backing the Assad regime.
The Lebanese Army is weak and unable to control the escalating violence and arms proliferation.
Weapons are widely available in Tripoli, with many families owning guns despite widespread poverty.
The arms trade is fueled by sectarian political factions supplying weapons to their communities.
A new generation is growing up familiar with firearms, with children playing with guns and learning to use them early.
Dealers openly sell a variety of weapons including grenades, AKs, M16s, and RPGs in street markets.
Politicians and militias, including Hezbollah, play roles in the illegal arms trade, intensifying instability.
The porous border with Syria and leftover stockpiles from Lebanon's civil war contribute to the arms influx.
Beirut also experiences a booming black market arms trade, divided along sectarian lines.

Chapters

Why is Tripoli a hotspot for illegal arms trade?

Tripoli is divided between Sunni and Alawi communities with ongoing sectarian clashes, worsened by the Syrian war. The weak Lebanese Army and porous borders allow weapons to flow freely, making it a major arms market.

How does the arms trade affect everyday life in Tripoli?

Weapons are widely accessible, with many families owning guns despite poverty. Children grow up learning to use firearms, and the city experiences frequent deadly clashes, creating a war-like environment.

What role do political factions play in Lebanon's arms trade?

Sectarian political parties and militias, including Hezbollah, supply weapons to their communities to maintain influence and pressure rivals. This politicization of arms trade fuels instability and violence across Lebanon.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

Speaker A

In the back street to Tripoli, just off Syria Street, the dividing line between the two warring communities, got an appointment with the weapons dealer. He's finishing off a deal selling a few grenades to local fighters. Welcome to Tripoli, Lebanon's second city.

Speaker A

Second City in a town being ripped apart by the war in neighboring Syria with the city divided between Waring Sunni and alawi Muslim communities Tripoli is a greatest single flasho in lebanon's increasingly fragile ethnic mix over 20 years after the end

Speaker A

In a town being ripped apart by the war in neighboring Syria, with the city divided between warring Sunni and Alawi Muslim communities, Tripoli is the greatest single flashpoint in Lebanon's increasingly fragile ethnic mix.

Speaker A

witnessing increasingly deadly clashes between sunnis who support the rebels and the alawi neighbors who support the regime all watched helplessly by the weak Lebanese Army trip Sunni c as a Hezbollah puppet what makes the situation so volatile is that the whole country is a

Speaker A

Over 20 years after the end of Lebanon's bitter civil war, the tiny country is on the edge of chaos once again. Lebanon's Hezbollah-controlled government is hated by the country's Sunni minority for intervening on the Assad regime's side in the war in Syria.

Speaker A

window shopping to see what's available able welcome to the great Lebanese arms Bazar it's an ordinary day in Tripoli and guns are everywhere like 90% of tripoli's population these Fighters are Sunni Muslims who live encircling an alawi minority on the hill of Jebel

Speaker A

Now the northern city is witnessing increasingly deadly clashes between Sunnis who support the rebels and the Alawi neighbors who support the regime, all watched helplessly by the weak Lebanese Army.

Speaker A

weapons and a whole new generation's growing up learning how to use them little kid just came over with his dad's M4 he's playing around with it children grow up with guns early here cry them for their fathers apparently he

Speaker A

Tripoli sees Hezbollah as a puppet. What makes the situation so volatile is that the whole country is awash with weapons, with an almost meaningless border with Syria next door and vast stockpiles left over from the civil war.

Speaker A

beneath the poverty line with most families in tabana surviving on around $300 a month but despite the poverty the gun trade is big business I went to meet Omar a Sunni fighter and small time weapons dealer to find out how big is

Speaker A

The country increasingly resembles a giant weapons market. If you've got enough money, you can buy anything you want, no questions asked. So we went window shopping to see what's available.

Speaker A

funding this why why are they giving you money to buy weapons lebanon's political system is almost entirely based on sectarian affiliation with parties representing the countryes sunnis Shia Christians alawites and Drews if it was true that politicians in

Speaker A

Welcome to the great Lebanese arms bazaar. It's an ordinary day in Tripoli, and guns are everywhere. Like 90% of Tripoli's population, these fighters are Sunni Muslims who live encircling an Alawi minority on the hill of Jebel Mosen.

Speaker A

buying drugs in the west and I just arranged a meeting with another Sunny dealer few doors down this what you got few AKs do you think every family in tabana has a weapon I mean where are all the weapons

Speaker A

Clashes between the two groups have left the city on the brink of chaos. An easy availability of automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades has left large chunks of the city looking like a war zone.

Speaker A

itions from their own side the different confessional factions in Lebanese politics are flooding this place with weapons I know they want to put pressure on the other side how old are you he first learned to use a gun I mean how much money would a

Speaker A

Now most households have their own weapons, and a whole new generation is growing up learning how to use them. A little kid just came over with his dad's M4. He's playing around with it. Children grow up with guns early here.

Speaker A

before the neighbors got suspicious and turned Us in I'd asked him how buyers knew they were getting decent Goods so he insisted we go down to his shooting range where they test the kit before agreeing on the deal it's driving past an army

Speaker A

They cry them for their fathers. Apparently, he even takes part in the clashes sometimes. That's training him up as a fighter. Weapons from all across the world can be found here, with the ever-present martyrs' posters a reminder of their deadly effect.

Speaker A

up it's went down into a stretch of reads by the Sea Le off a few rounds the Army TI up for a country that's meant to be at peace the most striking thing about Lebanon is how openly weapons are

Speaker A

Seventy percent of the population here lives beneath the poverty line, with most families in Tabana surviving on around $300 a month. But despite the poverty, the gun trade is big business.

Speaker A

Order here now zad wanted to show off his personal Armory okay let's go think zad's taken us on a day trip somewhere guys his fices in our car not sure about this make sure that these are these are all

Speaker A

I went to meet Omar, a Sunni fighter and small-time weapons dealer, to find out how big is your weapons here? Can I see?

Speaker A

crazy this is nice yeah nice really nice yeah it's like a beach front okay kativa Friday afternoon come down to the beach with group of sunity militants bit training no big though one uh time in one month we come

Speaker A

Yeah, from here. He scratched away the serial number on him. What I don't understand is there's no money in Tabana. Where do they find the money to buy these weapons? Why do you think these politicians are funding this? Why are they giving you money to buy weapons?

Speaker A

and USA sure everybody love democracy anywhere anywhere in the world is it more accurate the M16 it's better than the classic COV in our world Street War here Zing C better for M16 but M16 here for Sniper zad's men may have been posing

Speaker A

Lebanon's political system is almost entirely based on sectarian affiliation, with parties representing the country's Sunnis, Shia, Christians, Alawites, and Druze.

Speaker A

oh it's going to bring you with them [Music] tomorrow even by Lebanese standards Tripoli is an unstable place but even in the capital Beirut the black market arms trade is a booming industry beirut's divided between sectors controlled by the different

Speaker A

If it was true that politicians in Beirut were flooding Tripoli with weapons, then Lebanon's politicians were playing a dangerous game in a country so divided on sectarian lines.

Speaker A

meet a Hezbollah fighter and arms dealer hezbollah's Fighters are banned from talking to the media so this was an incredible opportunity to find out more about the group's role in the weapons trade as long as we didn't get caught

Speaker A

Tripoli's side streets are a no-go area for the army. In these narrow alleyways, weapons are readily available. Buying a gun here seems like buying drugs in the West.

Speaker A

are they cheaper now than they were what kind of person is going to want to buy an rpk or an RPG like a grenade launcher Israeli isra how' you get this from Israel show there's something funny about this I

Speaker A

And I just arranged a meeting with another Sunni dealer a few doors down. This is what you got? A few AKs. Do you think every family in Tabana has a weapon? I mean, where are all the weapons coming from?

Speaker A

Austria yeah Austria 7,000 7,000 so they've taken away the numbers went to the fre Syrian Army and it ended up here with uh the opposite side pretty much $7,000 seven seven I'm I'm pretty tempted well he's got a

Speaker A

So you can just hide it, have it on you all the time. I mean, he says getting all the ammo, all their weapons from Jebel Mosen for the enemies out there, but realistically a lot of this is being brought in from politicians from their own side.

Speaker A

this away no I think I think we've done all we can

Topics:LebanonTripoliillegal arms tradesectarian conflictSunniAlawiHezbollahSyrian warweapons dealersblack market

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