Lebanon Military Power Ranking 2025

MPR Rank: 82nd
MPR SCORE: 342
MPR Index: 0.1160 (1.0000 is perfect)
Reverse MPR Index: 0.8378 (0.0000 is perfect)
Z Score: -0.284 (standard deviations above the mean)

Overview

Lebanon ranks 82nd globally in the 2025 Military Power Rankings. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) face deep structural and resource challenges due to the country’s enduring economic collapse, political dysfunction, and institutional fragility. Despite these systemic constraints, the LAF remains a functioning state military tasked with internal security, border defense, and non-state actor containment—most notably in the context of Hezbollah’s armed presence within Lebanon.

The LAF is a modestly sized force with limited offensive capability and aging equipment, relying heavily on foreign military assistance, especially from the United States, France, and other NATO countries. Lebanon’s strategic geography, wedged between Israel, Syria, and the eastern Mediterranean, makes it a flashpoint for both regional and proxy conflicts. While the LAF has stayed largely neutral in sectarian politics, its operational effectiveness is deeply influenced by the power imbalance with Hezbollah, which maintains its own heavily armed forces.

Strengths

1. Internal Security and Neutrality Mandate

The LAF plays a stabilizing role in Lebanon’s fractured political landscape, maintaining a reputation for institutional neutrality and non-sectarianism. It has been instrumental in curbing internal unrest, managing protests, and preserving public order despite volatile political conditions.

2. Foreign Military Assistance

The LAF survives and trains largely through consistent external aid, particularly from the U.S. Department of Defense, which provides light weapons, armored vehicles, intelligence support, and training. France also supports air and naval modernization, helping the LAF remain minimally functional despite the national crisis.

3. Counterterrorism Experience

Lebanese forces have developed significant experience in urban counterterrorism, especially in northern areas and Palestinian refugee camps, confronting ISIS-linked groups, al-Nusra Front, and others. The LAF has conducted successful special operations raids, border interdictions, and joint security missions since 2014.

Why Lebanon Is Still Ranked 82nd

1. Lack of Air, Naval, and Heavy Armor Assets

Lebanon’s military has no combat aircraft, no functioning air defense systems, and only limited naval patrol capability. Its ground force lacks main battle tanks or modern artillery, severely restricting deterrence and rapid-response potential.

2. Strategic Subordination to Hezbollah

The LAF coexists uneasily with Hezbollah, a well-armed paramilitary group with missiles, drones, and combat veterans. This undermines state sovereignty and creates a dual security structure in Lebanon that weakens centralized military authority.

3. Economic Collapse and Brain Drain

The 2019–2024 economic crisis has devastated military salaries, forced troop desertions, and crippled operational budgets, with many LAF units surviving on foreign food rations and fuel donations. Institutional resilience is being tested under extreme duress.

Conclusion

The Lebanese Armed Forces are a disciplined but fragile institution, operating within a highly unstable domestic environment and lacking the tools to defend against external aggression. While their professionalism and external support remain pillars of survival, Lebanon’s security architecture is fundamentally compromised by its parallel armed groups, economic collapse, and inability to modernize. The LAF plays a critical containment role but remains a defensive and symbolic force, not a conventional deterrent.

Military Strength and Force Projection

Active Military Personnel: 60,000 (IISS 2023)
Reserve Personnel: 10,000 (CIA World Factbook)
Paramilitary Forces: 30,000 (Internal Security Forces, General Security, State Security)
Army Personnel: 45,000
Navy Personnel: 1,000
Air Force Personnel: 3,000

Ground Forces

Main Battle Tanks (MBTs): 200+ (M60 Patton, T-55)
Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs): 600+
Artillery (Towed and Self-Propelled): 150+

Air Force

Combat Aircraft: 10+ (SIPRI 2023)
Helicopters: 20+
Transport Aircraft: 5+

Aircraft Breakdown:

Hawker Hunter Jets: 5 (combat aircraft)
Mi-24 Helicopters: 5 (attack helicopters)

Naval Forces

Lebanon’s naval forces are small, with a focus on coastal patrol and securing the country’s territorial waters in the Mediterranean Sea.

Patrol Vessels: 10+

Missile Capabilities

Lebanon does not possess strategic missile systems, and its military lacks the infrastructure for ballistic or cruise missiles. The country’s defense strategy is centered on conventional ground and air capabilities.

Strategic Partnerships

Lebanon receives substantial military aid from the United States and France, particularly in the form of training, equipment, and logistical support. The presence of Hezbollah, an armed non-state actor, complicates Lebanon’s internal security, but the LAF continues to focus on maintaining stability within the country and along its borders with Syria and Israel.

Military History & Combat Experience

Lebanon’s military history is dominated by civil conflict, external intervention, and non-state armed group activity, with the LAF traditionally playing a reactive, containment-based role rather than projecting combat power.

Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990):
A prolonged and devastating conflict involving sectarian militias, Palestinian factions, Syrian occupation forces, and Israeli incursions. The LAF fractured early in the war, with units splitting along sectarian lines. Post-war reforms under the Taif Agreement restructured the LAF into a non-sectarian national force, though combat experience was fragmented and uneven.
Israeli Invasion and Occupation (1982–2000):
The 1982 Israeli invasion aimed to expel the PLO from Lebanon and later evolved into a Southern Lebanon occupation. The LAF was largely sidelined during this period, while Hezbollah emerged as the primary resistance force, gaining weapons, training, and legitimacy. The LAF played only a limited role in engagements during and after the occupation.
2007 Nahr al-Bared Conflict:
A major confrontation between the LAF and Fatah al-Islam, an al-Qaeda-linked group in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp. After weeks of urban fighting, artillery bombardment, and siege warfare, the LAF defeated the insurgents, marking one of its most decisive postwar operations. The battle revealed both operational gains and limits in firepower and logistics.
Syrian Spillover Conflicts (2013–2017):
During the Syrian Civil War, Lebanon faced cross-border incursions by ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra. The LAF, often in coordination with Hezbollah, conducted joint campaigns in Arsal, Ras Baalbek, and other areas, eventually clearing jihadist enclaves from northeastern Lebanon. These operations gave the LAF renewed confidence and recognition, particularly in mountain warfare and intelligence-led raids.
2021–Present Border Tensions and Internal Deployment:
The LAF continues to be deployed for domestic security, anti-smuggling operations, and de-escalation patrols along the Blue Line with Israel. While it avoids confrontation with Hezbollah or Israel, the LAF remains at the center of national stability enforcement, operating with extreme resource limitations but critical civil support.

Lebanon’s military experience reflects a unique legacy of civil-military fragility, non-state dominance, and proxy warfare. Despite overwhelming constraints, the LAF has managed to conduct meaningful operations against both jihadist insurgents and domestic destabilization, making it one of the most politically restrained but battle-tested militaries in the region.

General Information

Demographics and Geography

Population: ~5.1 million (2024 est., excluding ~1.5 million refugees)
Population Available for Military Service: ~1.8 million
Geographic Area: 10,452 km²
Land Boundaries: 484 km
Bordering Countries: Israel, Syria
Coastline: 225 km
Climate: Mediterranean; wet winters, hot and dry summers
Terrain: Narrow coastal plain, central mountains, fertile Bekaa Valley
Natural Resources: Limestone, iron ore, salt, arable land, potentially offshore gas
Proven Oil Reserves: None (exploratory phase)
Proven Natural Gas Reserves: ~0.3 trillion cubic feet (unconfirmed; under dispute)

Economic Indicators

Defense Budget (2025): ~$800 million USD (mostly salaries and basic operations)
Defense Budget as % of GDP: ~2.7%
GDP (PPP): ~$56 billion USD
GDP per Capita (PPP): ~$11,000
External Debt: ~$95 billion USD
Military Expenditure Trend (last 5 years): Declining due to economic collapse; reliant on U.S. and EU aid

Military Infrastructure and Readiness

Military Service Obligation: Voluntary; conscription abolished in 2005
Primary Defense Focus: Internal security, border control, counterterrorism
Military Industry Base: Minimal; maintenance, light arms, logistics
Cyber/Electronic Warfare Capability: Basic; under development
Nuclear Warhead Inventory: None (non-nuclear state)
Major Military Districts / Commands: Five regional commands under LAF
Missile Inventory Highlights: TOW, Mistral, MANPADS; Hezbollah operates advanced Iranian missiles independently
Reservist Call-up Readiness / Timeline: Moderate; political constraints
Reservist Force Size: ~20,000

Space, Intelligence, and Strategic Infrastructure

Space or Satellite Programs: None
Military Satellite Inventory: None
Intelligence Infrastructure: Directorate of Military Intelligence, General Security Directorate
Intelligence Sharing Partnerships: U.S., France, UNIFIL cooperation
Airports (Total): ~8
Major Military Airports: Beirut, Rayak AB

Naval Power and Maritime Logistics

Merchant Marine Fleet: ~40 vessels
Major Ports: Beirut, Tripoli, Sidon
Naval Infrastructure: Small patrol force; focused on maritime policing
Naval Replenishment Capability: Minimal

Domestic Mobility and Infrastructure

Railway Network: Defunct
Roadways: ~7,200 km

Energy and Fuel Logistics

Oil Production: None
Energy Imports: Nearly 100% dependent on imports
Strategic Petroleum Reserves: Minimal; ad hoc reserves maintained by private sector

Defense Production and Strategic Forces

Domestic Defense Production: Limited to basic logistics and repair
Military Installations (Domestic): Bases in Beirut, Baalbek, Zahle, Tyre
Military Installations (Overseas): None
Foreign Military Personnel Presence: UNIFIL forces, U.S. military assistance groups
Defense Alliances: Non-aligned; receives Western military aid
Strategic Airlift Capability: Minimal; relies on external support
Wartime Industrial Surge Capacity: Extremely limited

Research and Industry Support