How did the Lebanese Army break apart during the civil war?

During the Lebanese Civil War, the Lebanese Army experienced a profound disintegration as the country’s administrative and state institutions collapsed. As the conflict intensified, the army splintered into various sectarian components, mirroring the broader fragmentation of Lebanese society along communal lines.12

This breakdown meant that the military could no longer maintain a monopoly on force, leaving the state unable to provide security. Consequently, power shifted to various sectarian-based militias that emerged to provide security where the state could not. By the later stages of the war, the army’s decline was so severe that the country faced competing claims to legitimacy; for instance, in 1988, Gen. Michel Aoun—who led what remained of the army—was named acting prime minister, despite the existence of a rival government. Although Aoun was later dismissed as commander in chief, he retained de facto leadership due to the continued loyalty of large portions of the military. It was not until the end of the war in 1990 that the process of rebuilding the army began under the auspices of Gen. Émile Lahoud.321