The long history of the occupied territories of Chebaa Farms and Kfarchouba Hills

In the southern region of Lebanon, within the area known as the Arkoub, lies Chebaa, a town in the Hasbaya-Marjaayoun district. 

With every renewal of clashes with the Israeli army, its residents pay the price for the attacks on civilians, primarily because numerous military sites surround this town. 

These sites are scattered across the Chebaa Farms and the Kfarschouba Hills, marred by territorial disputes. 

Among the military positions targeted by the Hezbollah group during the attack on Saturday, five sites were particularly significant: Zebdine, Ramtha, Al-Sammaqa, Al-Radar site, and Rwaisat al-Alam. This attack was in retaliation to Israel's shelling of various Hezbollah positions.

What exactly are the Chebaa Farms and the Kfarchouba Hills?

These regions are between the towns of Chebaa, Kfarchouba, the Halta Farm, the outskirts of Al-Mari, and Wadi Al Assal. They form the border between Lebanon and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. 

Israel occupied these areas in 1967 when it seized the Syrian Golan Heights and declined to withdraw from it in 2000 when it withdrew from the south, arguing that they were Syrian lands. 

However, the residents of Chebaa have consistently affirmed that the demarcation had been completed with Syria since 1933:

Mohammad Hamdan, Head of the Arkoub Inhabitants' Authority, said, "Chebaa Farms comprise 14 small villages; we call them farms. In 1978, Israel erected barbed wire around them, excluding Chebaa's residents, who had their livelihoods within. This area spans vast territories, nearly 200 square kilometers. Israel occupied these farms, but we assert that this land is Lebanese. The area lies between Lebanon and Syria and has been marked on maps as Lebanese since 1933."

In summary, from 1933 to this day, numerous maps confirm the Lebanese ownership of Chebaa Farms. 

Nevertheless, a lack of official delineation with Syria, a matter postponed before Israel's withdrawal, still lingers.