Nabatiyeh
Nabatieh ( ar, النبطية, links=no, ', ), or Nabatîyé (), is the city of the Nabatieh Governorate, in southern Lebanon. The population is not accurately known as no census has been taken in Lebanon since the 1930s; estimates range from ...
, in
Nabatiyeh Governorate
Nabatieh Governorate ( ar, محافظة النبطية, ') is one of the nine governorates of Lebanon. The area of this governorate is 1,058 km2. The capital is Nabatieh.
Districts
The governorate is divided into four districts (Aqdiya, singu ...
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
. The village is located approximately from the
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i border. The village is approximately 550 metres (1,800 feet) above sea level, and approximately one kilometre (0.62 miles) from the
Beaufort Castle Beaufort Castle can refer to several places:
* Beaufort Castle, Florennes, Belgium
* Beaufort Castle, France, in the historical region of Auvergne
* Beaufort Castle in Huy, Belgium
* Beaufort Castle, Greece, a Frankish castle in Laconia
* Beaufor ...
.
The noted academic and commentator
Fouad Ajami
Fouad A. Ajami ( ar, فؤاد عجمي; September 18, 1945 – June 22, 2014) was a MacArthur Fellowship winning, Lebanese-born American university professor and writer on Middle Eastern issues. He was a senior fellow at Stanford University's Ho ...
was born in Arnoun.
History
Arnoun is linked to the nearby
Beaufort Castle Beaufort Castle can refer to several places:
* Beaufort Castle, Florennes, Belgium
* Beaufort Castle, France, in the historical region of Auvergne
* Beaufort Castle in Huy, Belgium
* Beaufort Castle, Greece, a Frankish castle in Laconia
* Beaufor ...
. The town's name is derived from the
Aramaic
The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...
''arnoun'', meaning ''"little top"'', referring to the highland where the Beaufort Castle stands. The castle itself was referred to as ''Qal'at Shqif Arnoun'' (
Aramaic
The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...
: ''the castle of the high rock on the hill''), from which the town took its name.
In 1875
Victor Guérin
Victor Guérin (15 September 1821 – 21 Septembe 1890) was a French intellectual, explorer and amateur archaeologist. He published books describing the geography, archeology and history of the areas he explored, which included Greece, Asia Mino ...
noted that it contained one hundred "
Metualis
Lebanese Shia Muslims ( ar, المسلمون الشيعة اللبنانيين), historically known as ''matāwila'' ( ar, متاولة, plural of ''mutawālin'' ebanese pronounced as ''metouali'' refers to Lebanese people who are adherents ...
southern Lebanon
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 distric ...
in 1985, Arnoun lay just outside its boundaries, although, from its position at the
Beaufort Castle Beaufort Castle can refer to several places:
* Beaufort Castle, Florennes, Belgium
* Beaufort Castle, France, in the historical region of Auvergne
* Beaufort Castle in Huy, Belgium
* Beaufort Castle, Greece, a Frankish castle in Laconia
* Beaufor ...
, the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
(IDF) effectively controlled the village.
On February 17, 1999, after Israel alleged that attacks on
IDF
IDF or idf may refer to:
Defence forces
* Irish Defence Forces
* Israel Defense Forces
*Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006
* Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917
Organizations
* Israeli Diving Federation
* Interac ...
forces were launched from Arnoun, the village was formally incorporated into the Security Zone. Most of the village’s 2,000 inhabitants had left in November 1998 when
Hizbullah
Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's paramili ...
increased the number of operations in the area. In the subsequent months the IDF had demolished twenty-two houses. On February 18 IDF and SLA forces erected fences and laid minefields around the village. The thirty-five remaining villagers were left with a 3km track as their only access. In response, two days later, Hizbullah attacked SLA positions in
Jezzine
Jezzine ( ''Jizzīn'') is a town in Lebanon, located from Sidon and south of Beirut. It is the capital of Jezzine District. Surrounded by mountain peaks, pine forests (like the Bkassine Pine Forest), and at an average altitude of 950 m (3 ...
killing one militiaman and blowing up buildings. Then on the night of 22/23 February Hizbullah killed three IDF officers, including a major, in an ambush which led to a three-hour firefight.
On February 28, 1999, two thousand university students, from all over Lebanon, followed by local demonstrators, broke through the fence surrounding Aroun. The following day government bulldozers restored access to the village. The IDF did not immediately attempt to retake the village but was left with a dilemma since Aroun overlooked the road which the army used to supply its strategic base in Beaufort Castle.
Two weeks later, 14-15 March, the IDF retook the Arnoun. A force of twenty soldiers backed by tanks and APCs entered the village firing tear gas and shooting over the heads of assembled journalists. One photographer was wounded. After clearing the village and restoring the fencing the IDF installed a SLA checkpoint at the entrance.Middle East International No 598, 23 April 1999; Michael Jansen pp.14-16
The
IDF
IDF or idf may refer to:
Defence forces
* Irish Defence Forces
* Israel Defense Forces
*Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006
* Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917
Organizations
* Israeli Diving Federation
* Interac ...
left Arnoun on May 24, 2000, when it withdrew from the Security Zone.
Notable residents
*
Fouad Ajami
Fouad A. Ajami ( ar, فؤاد عجمي; September 18, 1945 – June 22, 2014) was a MacArthur Fellowship winning, Lebanese-born American university professor and writer on Middle Eastern issues. He was a senior fellow at Stanford University's Ho ...
, university professor and writer on Middle Eastern issues
*