Lebanon was asked by the UN (Security Council Resolution 1559, in 2004) to disband all militias, including Hezbollah, operating within its borders. It refused to disband Hezbollah, on the grounds that it was part of the resistance against "the enemy" (no prizes for guessing who that is), and stated that preserving Hezbollah constitutes a "Lebanese strategic interest". This is from the Lebanese Army's website - see the section on "The Resolution 1559"
here. The relevant paragraph, in its entirety, is reproduced below:
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An immediate withdrawal of the Syrian Arab forces according to the security council's resolution number 1559 cannot be executed however the redeployment operations are carried out in cooperation between the two countries and specifically in the framework of the high military committee. The national resistance which is confronting the Israeli occupation is not a guerilla and it has no security role inside the country and its activities are restricted to facing the Israeli enemy. This resistance led to the withdrawal of the enemy from the bigger part of our occupied land and is still persistent to free the farms of Shebaa. Preserving this resistance constitutes a Lebanese strategic interest with the aim of relating the struggle with the enemy and regain all the Lebanese legitimate rights achieving and at the forefront the withdrawal of Israel from the farms of Shebaa and the return of the refugees to their land.
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So yes, Lebanon does keep Hezbollah sheltered, at the very least - and very enthusiastically.
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Originally Posted by Xazy
But if it is murder, then when is Lebannon going to go after the murders? Oh wait the answer to that would be never...
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Yes, exactly. What people seem to miss, and what I have not heard reported in the media once in this whole mess, is that Lebanon has been saying openly, for anyone who cares to look, that Hezbollah is very welcome and Lebanon isn't going to do anything to remove them - anything at all.