Shebaa

Shebaa (شبعا, Chebaa) is a town on the south-eastern tip of Lebanon. It has a largely Sunni Muslim population of 25,000 people. It is situated at an altitude of approximately 1700 metres above sea level; spread across two steep rocky mountainsides. It lies adjacent to the contested Shebaa farms—which sit between the town and the Golan Heights. Before 1967, residents of Shebaa farmed in the disputed Shebaa farms territory.



History
In 1838, Eli Smith noted Chebaa's population as being Sunni Muslim and Greek Orthodox Christians.

Following the 1982 invasion Chebaa became part of the Israel’s security zone with Norwegian soldiers from UNIFIL stationed in the area. One night, late January 1989, the Israeli backed SLA expelled 40 villagers, ordering them not to return. This brought the total over a period of several months to around 80. In the words of the UNIFIL spokesperson those expelled were “mostly women and children”. There was outrage when a Norbat Colonel compared IDF actions to those of the Nazis.

As of 2015, the town housed several thousand Syrian refugees.