The Shib’a farms (Mount Dov) along Israel’s northern border belongs to Syria and not to Lebanon, according to a ruling by the United Nations Security Council.
The ruling was adopted by 15 members of the Security Council on Friday. It was drafted by France and co-sponsored by the United States, Britain, Denmark and Greece.
Shib’a farms, known to Israelis as Mount Dov, is a 10-square-mile area located at the intersection of Israel, Syria and Lebanon.
Israel pulled its forces out of Lebanon in May 2000 but remained in the Mount Dov area, on the grounds that the land did not belong to Lebanon and therefore was not subject to withdrawal.
The Lebanon-based terror group Hizbullah has continued attacking Israeli communities in the north since the withdrawal, justifying these attacks by claiming that Israel is still occupying Lebanese lands which must be liberated. The organization maintains that Israel should have returned this area to Lebanon in 2000 even though Israel captured it from Syria in the 1967 War (Six Day War).
The Lebanese government also maintains that the Shib’a farms are part of Lebanon but the resolution said this position is not compatible with past council resolutions.
The draft concluded that Israel fully complied with U.N. Security Resolution 425 which obligated Israel to pull out of the area.
The resolution said Lebanon should extend its authority in southern Lebanon, implying that they should rein in Hizbullah terrorists who have taken control over this area.