Saudi Arabia is not a nation to take a backseat to its regional developments, and Lebanon has been no exception. The Kingdom intervened in the 1975-1990 Civil War between right-wing Christian factions and the left-wing predominantly Arab nationalist Sunni front.

The events in Lebanon now no longer pit Christians verses Muslims, but, rather, a conflict between Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims with the Christians divided more or less evenly with alliances with both Muslim factions.

Saudi Arabia’s has its alliances. A strong foe of the Shiite party-cum-militia Hezbollah (the Saudi state ideology preaches that Shiites are heretics, as best), the Saudis have been working to dislodge the powerful party from its position of Lebanese near-hegemony.

The Saudis, no stranger to such tactics, have been actively funding extreme Sunni militia men (Salafe) to engage against Hezbollah. This was not the initial Saudi policy in Lebanon though. Saudi Arabia had previously put its weight behind the Sunni-Christian government of Fouad Siniora, particularly the Sunni (and partly Saudi) Hariri family. But in recent months the Saudi government has bet that the best manner in which to undermine Hezbollah is through street fighting.

This change in policy is due to the fact that Hezbollah is now part of the government and undermining it by keeping it out is simply no longer a policy option. The Hariri faction has followed the Saudi lead by arming the Sunni extremists as well. The Saudis have also commissioned Mosques in order to further bring these factions under their influence.

If recent developments are any guide the Saudi policy to dislodge Hezbollah through engaging them in armed conflict with Sunnis is not working to undermine the party, but, rather, is creating widespread animosity between Sunnis and Shiites in Lebanon, perhaps a civil war between the two.

Concern with the deadly consequences of their actions has never tempered the Saudi’s pursuit of their interests. The Kingdom seems not to care that Lebanon might descend into full scale war as long as the Saudi order dominates in Lebanon. But such policies might be shortsighted.

The government backed Usama Bin Ladin in the 1980’s only to have him later turn his war against them. The Lebanese Sunni extremists adhere to a similar ideology to that of Al’Qeada. Lebanon could be only one of the nations to have to contend with the Saudi policy of funding, once again, fundamentalists.