Southern Lebanon () is the area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. The two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s. The Rashaya and Western Beqaa Districts, the southernmost districts of the Beqaa Governorate, in Southern Lebanon are sometimes included.
The main cities of the region are Sidon, Tyre, Jezzine and Nabatiyeh. The cazas of Bint Jbeil, Tyre, and Nabatieh in Southern Lebanon are known for their large Shi'a Muslim population with a minority of Christians. Sidon is predominantly Sunni, with the rest of the caza of Sidon having a Shi'a Muslim majority, with a considerable Christian minority, mainly Melkite Greek Catholics. The cazas of Jezzine and Marjeyoun have a Christian majority and also Shia Muslims. The villages of Ain Ebel, Debel, Qaouzah, and Rmaich are entirely Christian Maronite. The caza of Hasbaya has a Druze majority.
History
Free Lebanon State and South Lebanon security belt
Southern Lebanon became the location of the self-proclaimed Free Lebanon State, announced in 1979 by Saad Haddad. The state failed to gain international recognition, and its authority deteriorated with the death of Saad Haddad in 1984.
Southern Lebanon has also featured prominently in the Israel-Lebanon conflict.
Ahmadinejad's state visit
In October 2010 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited South Lebanon. This was his first visit to Lebanon since he first assumed office in Tehran in 2005. Both Israel and the United States condemned the trip as being "provocative." Ahmadinejad was welcomed by tens of thousands of supporters of Hezbollah, Iran's Shiite Muslim ally in Lebanon which has been branded a terrorist organization in part or whole by much of South America, the EU, the Arab League, the United States and Israel. This is despite its participation in Lebanon's fragile government.
Cities and districts
Aaramta
Al Rihan
Alma ash-Shab (Aalma ach Chaab) Abbasieh Adlun Al Mansuri Ain Ebel Ain Baal or Ayn Bal Aitaroun or Aytarun Ansariyeh or Insariye Ansar Ash Shawmara At Tayyabah At Tiri Aitit Aynata Ayta ash Shab (Ayta al-Sha'b, Ayta) Baraachit Barish Bayt Lif baytulay Bazouryeh Beit Yahoun Bint Jbeil Blida, Lebanon Borj el Shamali or Borj Chemali Borj Qalaouiyeh Borj Rahal Boustane Brashit Braikeh Chaqra Chtoura Deir Kifa Deyrintar Dayr Qanunc Deir Qanoun En Nahr Derdghaya Dibil or Debel Dibbine Doueir Ebel el Saki El Biyyadah or Al Bayyadah El Hennyeh or Al Hinniyah El Mansoun or Al Mansuri El Qlaile or Al Qulaylah El Soultaniyeh Fardis Frun Ghandouriyeh Ghaziyeh Ghassaniyeh Hadata or Haddathah Hanaway Harris or Harres Hula or Houla Hounin Jabal Amel Jarjouh Jarmaq jebchet Jmaijmah Joiya or Jouaya or Jwayya Qabrikha or Kabrikha Kaakaeit al-Jesser Kafra, Lebanon Kafr Dunin Kafr Kila Kawkaba or Kaoukaba Kfar Melki Kafarrouman Khirbet Selm Khiam Kfarchouba Kfarfila Kfarhamam Kfar Tebnit Kounin Maachouq Mahrouna Majdel Balhis Majdel Selm or Majdal Zun Marakeh Marjayoun—a Lebanese Christian village Markaba (Marqaba) Maroun al-Ras Marwahin Maaroub Mayfadoun Meiss el Jabal or Mays al Jabal Mlikh Miye ou Miye Maghdouche Nabatiye or Nabatiyeh Naqoura (Nakoura, An-Naqurah) Niha Nmairiyeh Odaisseh Oum el Ahmad Qlayaa Qana Qantara Rab El Thalathine Rachaf—a small town Rachaya El Foukhar—Hasbaya Qaza Ramyah Ras Al-Biyada Rmaich Rmadyeh Roûm Selaa Shabriha Shebaa and Shebaa Farms (ownership disputed, occupied by Israel since 1967) Shihin, Lebanon Shhur Siddiqine Sidon or Saida Sir el Gharbiyeh Srifa Sujod As-Sultaniyah Tallousa Tair Debbe Tayr Harfa or Tair Harfa Tayr Falsayh Taibeh Tebnine (Tebnine, Tibneen), site of the former castle town Toron Tulin, Lebanon (Toulin) Tura Tyre or Sur Saida district Jezzine district Tyre district Wadi al-Taym Yarin Yaroun or Yarun Yahun Yater or Yatar Zibdine Zibqin
Other notable sites
Abou Assouad River
Awali River
El Zahrani River
Litani River
Saitaniq River
Kasmieh River
Blue Line (Lebanon) Beaufort Castle Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, including Ain al-Hilweh, Nabatieh camp and Wavel Ras al-Ain, Lebanon
See also
Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon
South Lebanon Army
South Lebanon conflict (1982–2000) Northern District (Israel) Operation Litani against the Palestinian Liberation Organization United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (instituted by United Nations Security Council Resolution 425) South lebanon security belt