From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Shebaa Farms, is a 25 square kilometer area consisting of 14 farms located south of Shebaa, a village on the western slopes of Mount Hermon, at the corner where Syria, Lebanon and Israel meet. This fertile farm land produces barley, fruits and vegetables.
The region remained under Israeli control after the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah leaders and the Lebanese government considers the Shebaa Farms to be part of Lebanon. Israel considers the Shebaa Farms to be part of the Golan Heights. Syrian authorities consider Shebaa Farms as part of Lebanon. The United Nations has determined that Shebaa Farms is not part of Lebanon.
Israel took control of Shebaa Farms during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and says the area is not covered by United Nations Security Council Resolution 425 that governs its withdrawal from southern Lebanon. This resolution asks for the total withdrawal from Lebanon excluding the Shebaa farms. This decision was based on the 1923 Anglo-French demarcation and the 1949 Armistice line which designate the area as Syrian territory.
The UN recognizes the Shabaa Farms to stand outside of any legitimate Lebanese claim. The United Nations Security Council has accepted a report from the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, that the Israeli army has withdrawn from all Lebanese territory. Lebanon and Syria have rejected the UN's determination of fact regarding Shebaa Farms.
However, Lebanese and Syrian officials insisted that Syria had officially given the territory to Lebanon in 1951. Lebanese officials pointed to the fact that a number of residents in the area have land deeds stamped by the Lebanese government.
Lebanese army maps published in 1961 and 1966 specifically pinpoint several of the Shebaa Farms, including Zebdine, Fashkoul, Mougr Shebaa and Ramta, all of which are designated as being Lebanese. Lebanese Ministry of Tourism maps also show the Lebanese-Syrian border running west of the Shebaa Farms. Syria has officially acknowledged the Farms are Lebanese.
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