What is Shebaa Farms, and how its occupation by Israel is intertwined with Hezbollah's existence?

Hezbollah is a Shia militant outfit that was founded in 1985 in Lebanon with the aim of fighting against the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 1982. In the decades that followed, the Iran-backed militia has emerged as the biggest enemy of Israel in the region, and today it is the largest non-state military in the world, with a fighting force stronger than the Lebanese state military.

CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA

How Hezbollah survived after Lebanese Civil War

But what many don't know is that Hezbollah should not have existed in Lebanon after 1990. Just five years after it was created, Hezbollah, like other militias in Lebanon at that time, was to be disarmed and disbanded.

That is because the Taif Agreement, which ended the 15-year-long Lebanese Civil War in 1990, also mandated the disarmament of all national and non-national militias in the country.

Also read: How Lebanon, once a Christian country, became the battleground for Israel and Palestine

CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA

However, Hezbollah refused to disarm and continued to remain a "resistance force" by exploiting a legal loophole: the Israeli presence in Shebaa Farms, a strip of land 9 km in length and 2.5 km in width on the Lebanese¨CSyrian border.

What is Shebaa Farms

Shebaa Farms, which was a disputed territory claimed by both Lebanon and Syria, fell into the control of Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 when it captured the Golan Heights from Syria.

While Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon, it continued to occupy Shebaa Farms, which Syria later acknowledged as Lebanese territory.

CREDIT: REUTERS

Hezbollah's justification to continue

Hezbollah has since used this to justify its continued existence as a militia, citing another provision in the Taif Agreement that specifies ¡°the reinstatement of state jurisdiction to Lebanon¡¯s internationally recognised borders.¡±

According to Hezbollah, since Shebaa Farms continued to be occupied by Israel, it has the right to exist and be armed to fight the occupation.

Also read: Hezbollah, Hamas and Houthis - How Iran built its 'Axis of Resistance' against Israel

CREDIT: REUTERS

Conflicts in Shebaa Farms

Since 2000, Shebaa Farms has been a major flashpoint between Israel and Hezbollah. In October 2023, Hezbollah targeted five Israeli outposts in the Farms with guided missiles, which resulted in a retaliatory strike by Israel in Lebanon.

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