Shebaa Farms: The disputed land at the crossroads of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel

Report by Toni Mrad, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Who really owns the Shebaa Farms—Syria or Lebanon? 

The Shebaa Farms, located in a border area between Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, have been a point of dispute between the three countries. 

The region holds significance for several reasons. Its strategic geographic location, situated between three countries, makes it a key point for controlling border passages that overlook vast areas of these nations. 

Additionally, it is of considerable economic importance as it is rich in natural resources, particularly water.

After the 1967 war, and specifically starting in 1969, Israel gradually annexed the farms until 1991, when it installed a barbed wire fence that came to define the Blue Line.

However, over the years, a military conflict emerged over the area between Israel and resistance factions in Lebanon, particularly Hezbollah.

But to whom do the Shebaa Farms belong?

French documents show that the farms are part of Lebanon, notably a 1937 report by Pierre Bart, the French military’s head of the maps division. Furthermore, retired Brigadier General Antoine Mrad, who follows the border demarcation issue, confirmed this to LBCI.

In 2007, the Lebanese government submitted a comprehensive set of documents supporting its claim to the Shebaa Farms area.

The Syrian side, according to the rhetoric of the former regime, declared that the farms are Lebanese. However, it did not provide any official documents to substantiate this claim, neither to Lebanon nor to the United Nations. 

As a result, Syria's acknowledgment remains a political position aimed at justifying the presence of Hezbollah's weapons in Lebanon.

The identity of the Shebaa Farms carries significant political implications, as it has provided Hezbollah with a justification for maintaining its weapons in Lebanon and resisting Israel, even after its withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000.

The Israeli government, on the other hand, operates on the premise that the farms are Syrian territory, unrelated to Lebanon, and fall under United Nations Security Council Resolution 242, which states that the Shebaa Farms are part of Syria.

Ultimately, if the Shebaa Farms are indeed Lebanese, the only viable path for Lebanon to reclaim them currently lies through diplomatic and legal channels, avoiding the involvement of any party in armed conflict. 

The process of reclaiming the farms begins with the demarcation of the land border between Lebanon and Syria, particularly following the fall of the Assad regime and the establishment of a new authority in Syria, with the aim of definitively resolving the question of the Shebaa Farms' identity.