Turkey-Lebanon Relations: Perceptions of Turkey Among the Religious and Sectarian Factions in Lebanon

Turkish-Lebanese relations date back to the founding of the Mameluke State when the Mamelukes, who had stopped the Mongol attacks, ended the Ayyubids’ reign. After the military withdrawal of Israel and Syria from Lebanon, respectively, in the aftermath of the Cold War, a new period began in Turkish-Lebanese relations as well. Ankara’s anti-Israel policies during the Israel-Lebanon War that broke out in July 12, 2006 and lasted for 34 days, along with Turkey’s political and economic support of the Lebanese government and factions after the war have caused Turkish-Lebanese relations to shift from low to high intensity.