Zawtar al-Gharbiyah (Arabic: زوطر الغربية) is a municipality in the Nabatieh District in Lebanon.
Zawtar al-Gharbiyah
زوطر الغربية | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
  Zawtar al-Gharbiyah Location within Lebanon | |
| Coordinates: 33°19′20″N 35°27′45″E / 33.32222°N 35.46250°E | |
| Grid position | 125/154 L |
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Governorate | Nabatieh Governorate |
| District | Nabatieh District |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
History
editIn the 1596 tax records, it was named as a village, Sarqiyya, in the Ottoman nahiya (subdistrict) of Sagif under the liwa' (district) of Safad, with a population of 24 households, all Muslim. The villagers paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, fruit trees, goats and beehives, in addition to "occasional revenues"; a total of 1,240 akçe.[1][2]
On March 31, 2025 it was reported that in a significant development, Lebanese Army and UNIFIL forces entered a major Hezbollah weapons and storage camp in East Zawtar, near the Litani River—one of Hezbollah's largest and most strategic facilities in Southern Lebanon. The move follows renewed tensions and Israeli threats to resume military operations, amid accusations of recent rocket fire toward Kiryat Shmona. Joint forces reportedly searched Hezbollah vehicles and found an empty missile launcher. It remains unclear whether Hezbollah consented to the operation. This action is seen as part of efforts to enforce UN Resolution 1701, which calls for disarming illegal groups south of the Litani and reinforcing the army’s presence in the region.[3]
Demographics
editIn 2014, Muslims made up 99.47% of registered voters in Zawtar al-Gharbiyah. 98.78% of the voters were Shiite Muslims.[4]
References
edit- ^ Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 186
- ^ Note that Rhode, 1979, p. 6 Archived 2019-04-20 at the Wayback Machine writes that the register that Hütteroth and Abdulfattah studied was not from 1595/6, but from 1548/9
- ^ massoud (2025-03-31). "خاص: الجيش و«اليونيفيل» يدخلان أضخم معسكر أسلحة وتخزين في زوطر الشرقية". جنوبية (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-04-01.
- ^ "التوزيع حسب المذاهب للناخبين/ناخبات في بلدة زوطر الغربية، قضاء النبطية محافظة النبطية في لبنان". إعْرَفْ لبنان.
Bibliography
edit- Hütteroth, W.-D.; Abdulfattah, K. (1977). Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century. Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. ISBN 3-920405-41-2.
- Rhode, H. (1979). Administration and Population of the Sancak of Safed in the Sixteenth Century. Columbia University. Archived from the original on 2020-03-01. Retrieved 2017-12-04.