Terrorist groups - home based:
Abdallah Azzam Brigades (AAB): aim(s): enhance its networks in Lebanon to combat Shia Muslim influence in the country, including Hizballah; seeks to disrupt Israel's economy and its efforts to establish security and attack Western interests in the Middle East area(s) of operation: headquartered in the Ayn al-Hilwah Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon in the south; responsible for several blasts and suicide attacks in Beirut's Shia Muslim-populated suburbs, such as Dahiyeh, that frequently kill or injure dozens of innocent civilians; responsible for numerous rocket attacks fired from Lebanon into populated Israeli territory; assessed in 2017 to have dozens of members
Asbat al-Ansar (AAA): aim(s): overthrow the Lebanese Government, rid Lebanon of Western influences, and destroy the state of Israel to seize Jerusalem and, ultimately, establish an Islamic state in the Levant region area(s) of operation: headquartered in the Ayn al-Hilwah Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon in the south; this group is essentially defunct; active primarily as recruiters in Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps; until the mid-2000s, operatives conducted small-scale bombing and shooting attacks in Lebanon against Christian, secular, and Shia Muslim figures and institutions, elements of foreign influence inside the country, and Lebanese Government officials (including the assassination of judges); assessed in 2017 to have a few dozen members
Hizballah: aim(s): destroy the state of Israel, counter the West, provide paramilitary support to Syrian President Bashar al-ASAD's regime, and accrue military resources, and defend its position of strength in Lebanon area(s) of operation: headquartered in Beruit, with considerable support from Iran; Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has had a presence in Lebanon since the early 1980s and coordinates closely with Hizballah on military operations and training; remains the most capable terrorist group in the country, enjoying popular support among many Lebanese Shia and allied Christians; engages in terrorist activity against Israel, including an incident on 28 January 2015, when operatives attacked an Israeli military convoy near Lebanon's Shebaa Farms area, killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding several others; the attack was the most severe eruption of violence between Israel and Hizballah since their lethal 34-day conflict in 2006; continues to operate as an armed militia beyond the control of the state and as a powerful political actor in Lebanon; receives funds from Lebanese donors and the Lebanese diaspora

Terrorist groups - foreign based:
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AAMB): aim(s): bolster its recruitment presence in Lebanon and, ultimately, establish a Palestinian state comprising the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem area(s) of operation: recruits youths in Palestinian refugee camps
al-Nusrah Front: aim(s): bolster networks in Lebanon and, ultimately, establish a regional Islamic caliphate area(s) of operation: targets Lebanese Armed Forces, especially in the east in the Beqaa Valley and along the Lebanon-Syria border; has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks against Shia Muslims, including suicide bombings aimed at Hizballah members; fighters transit Lebanon to fight in Syria
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL): aim(s): replace the Lebanese Government with an Islamic state and implement ISIL's strict interpretation of Sharia area(s) of operation: operational primarily in the east along the border with Syria; targets Lebanese army personnel and Shia Muslims, including Hizballah members and facilities; the Lebanese army has intensified offenses against ISIL since it claimed responsibility for double suicide bombings in Beirut on 12 November 2015, killing 43 civilians and wounding over 200 in the worst attack in years to hit the city
Palestine Liberation Front (PLF): aim(s): enhance its networks in Lebanon and, ultimately, destroy the state of Israel to establish a secular, Marxist Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital area(s) of operation: maintains a recruitment and limited training presence in many refugee camps
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP): aim(s): enhance its recruitment network in Lebanon and, ultimately, establish a secular, Marxist Palestinian nation area(s) of operation: recruits youth residing in the country's Palestinian refugee camps
PFLP-General Command (PFLP-GC): aim(s): enhance recruitment and operational networks in Lebanon area(s) of operation: recruits young men living in Palestinian refugee camps, including camps in the Beqaa Valley; operates paramilitary bases; receives funds and training from Hizballah and Iranian elements working with Hizballah