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Lebanese Resistance Brigades (Lebanon)

Saraya, Saraya al Moqawama el Lebnaneya

images located by Esteban Rivera, 1 March 2021 and William Garrison, 2 December 2025
Sources: https://www.almodon.com/, https://3sjshop.com

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Description

I assume the blue flag in this image and this image is the flag of a Lebanese guerrilla [organization], but not one I know of. I cannot determine what guerrilla [group] is it. I found these images referenced as "SARAIA." In my opinion, the use of the Lebanese national flag aside with this flag, and the biblical origin of the name "Saraia" is a clue that could suggest any of the Christian Lebanese paramilitary organisations, even if I found these images looking around Hezbollah stuff.
Santiago Tazón, 03 Dec 2001

The Saraya, whose correct name is Saraya al Moqawama el Lebnaneya, meaning "The Lebanese Resistance Brigades" is a subgroup of Hizbollah. Hizbollah only allows a select few into its ranks who have to meet certain criteria, among which that they have to belong to the Shi'ite sect of Islam. The reason being that Hizbollah's ideology has its roots in Shi'ite beliefs. During the decade of the 1990's, Hizbollah was gaining popularity within the Lebanese community due to its struggle with Israel to free the Lebanese occupied territories. Many non-Shi'ite Lebanese approached Hizbollah wishing to enroll so that they could help in the fight against Israel. Hizbollah then established the Saraya as a group of non-Shi'ite Lebanese – Christians, Druze, and Sunni Muslims – who were trained by qualified Hizbollah personnel, and were also funded and directed by Hizbollah's main command. I am not sure of the year of establishment of these brigades but I would doubt [sic – "guess"?] it was about 1997-1998. Since the withdrawal of Israel from southern Lebanon (May 2000), I have not heard of the group. I really doubt that it still exists and most probably it does not.
Anonymous, 26 Nov 2005

This is the flag of السرايا اللبنانية (English: The Lebanese Brigades, other sources mention Lebanese Resistance Brigades). "Hizb Allah’s Lebanese Resistance Brigades – commonly referred to as the سرايا (English: Saraya) (Brigades) – in Lebanon" and it is widely assumed that they were established on November 3, 1997, although other sources mention 1990, 2004 and even 2009. Its first military action was carried out on March 14, 1998. It is a structure separated from Hezbollah's political party, كتلة الوفاء للمقاومة‎ (English: Loyalty block to resistance ). It is considered as the first non-denominational Lebanese paramilitary group affiliated with Hezbollah.

Sources: https://www.ctc.usma.edu/hizb-allahs-lebanese-resistance-brigades/, https://www.aljazeera.net/news/reportsandinterviews/2013/, https://www.economist.com/pomegranate/2014/06/15/taking-charge, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalty_to_the_Resistance_Bloc and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_Resistance_Brigades

Its flag is a horizontal blue background with the emblem (which features one AK-47 with bayonet along another AK-47 assault rifle, and the last one features two dripping blood drops over a covered green cedar) in the middle.
Esteban Rivera, 1 March 2021

Detail of Logo

image located by Esteban Rivera, 1 March 2021

Cropped from https://www.aljazeera.net/, source: https://www.aljazeera.net/news/reportsandinterviews/2013

Esteban Rivera, 1 March 2021

A clearer image of a "Saraya al Moqawama el Lebnaneya" or "Saraya al-Muqawama al-Lubnaniyya" flag (second flag above) features the group’s standard emblem/logo: two stylized rifles (and a bayonet in the middle) rising diagonally in front of a green cedar silhouette with two red blood-drops symbolizing sacrifice. The green cedar tree is featured prominently in Lebanese culture. The Arabic text along the bottom reads: السرايا اللبنانية لمقاومة الاحتلال الإسرائيلي (when read right-to-left reads: "alsaraya allubnaniat limuqawamat alaihtilal al'iisrayiylii"), or in English as: "The brigades Lebanon resistance against/ occupation Israel" or more colloquially as: “The Lebanese Resistance Brigades against the Israeli occupation” (of southern Lebanon at least, and indirectly of all Israel-Palestine). The black AK-47 rifles are slanted and stylized to read: "al-Sarya" ["The Brigades"] and mimic Hezbollah-logo imagery. From the source website: "The combination of the cedar silhouette, rifles, and blood-drops symbolism reflects the group’s attempt to merge Lebanese national imagery with resistance themes, distinguishing it visually from Hezbollah’s primary insignia." The yellow areas on the upper area of the rifles indicate their wooden upper handguards. There is a hidden flagpole-sleeve at the right hoist side. Some Lebanese Sunnis have charged the Iranian-Shia-oriented "Resistance Brigades" with focusing more on countering Sunni fundamentalism inside Lebanon than countering Israel, per Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_Resistance_Brigades
Bill Garrison, 2 December 2025