I do appercciate your response really. But you haven't convinced me why Lebanese are or should be classifed as Arab. In fact most Lebanese - not the Iraqis and Syrians who have immigrated into Lebanon over the years...are far from being "Arab" - they are not descended from that part of Arabia that qualifies them as such.
But I am a novice in the question of Lebanon. I have known Lebanese-Americans over the years who called themselves Lebanese but never Arabs. Even a student I have this semester born and raised in Lebanon but of Iraqi ancestry (shia) refuses to call herself Arab. She adamanatly says she is Lebanese. Go figure!
She probably does not want to be called Arab (being her ancestry is Iraqi) because of the current state of affairs. Hell, even some Democrats did not want to be called Democrats after Bill Clinton.
It is just a name thing. Academia refers to the situations we have discussed as Arab.
Lebanon is in the League of Arab Nations. Would you suggest they are not Arab enough to be in the League?
Wikipedia lists Lebanon as an Arab nation? Is that an error?
All of these states have some "issues" regarding language and ancient geography. Check this out from Wikipedia's definition of "Arab World":
The Arabic language forms a unifying feature of the Arab world: though different areas use local dialects of Arabic, all share in the use of the standard classical language. This contrasts with the situation in the wider Islamic world, where Arabic retains its cultural prestige primarily as the language of religion and of theological scholarship, but the populace generally speak non-Arabic languages. The linguistic denotation inherent in the term Arab is generally dominant over genealogical considerations; thus, individuals with little or no Arabian ancestry (e.g., black Africans, Berbers) could be considered Arabs and self-identify as such by virtue of their mother tongue (see Who is an Arab?).
Ethnic identity: someone who considers himself to be an Arab (regardless of racial or ethnic origin) and is recognized as such by others.
Linguistic: someone whose first language is Arabic (including any of its varieties); this definition covers more than 200 million people.
Genealogical: someone who can trace his or her ancestry back to the original inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula.
Political: someone who is a resident or citizen of a country where Arabic is an official or national language, or is a member of the Arab League or is part of the wider Arab world; this definition would cover more than 300 million people, but it is rather simplistic and rigid in that it excludes the entire Diaspora but includes indigenous or migrant minorities.
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab#Who_is_an_Arab.3F