Al-Wazzani (Al-Ouazzani, also known as Arab al-Louaizeh or Aarab El Louaizeh),[1] is a small Lebanese village in the Marjayoun District of the Nabatieh Governorate, on the banks of the Hasbani River. The village is located about 1 km from the Wazzani Spring, a major source of the Hasbani, which is a tributary of the Jordan River.[2] The village has about 200 residents.[1]
In 2001 the Lebanese government installed a small pumping station with a 10 cm bore near the village, to supply water to the village as well the nearby villages al-Teiba[3] and Ghajar.[4] In March 2002 Lebanon also diverted part of the Hasbani to supply Wazzani village, an action that then Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, said was a "casus belli" and could lead to war.[5][6][7][8] The pumping station was destroyed during the 2006 Lebanon War. In 2024, a Lebanese soldier was killed by an Israeli drone strike in the village, a day prior to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.[9][10]
Demographics
editIn 2014 Muslims made up 100,00% of registered voters in Al-Wazzani. 87,86% of the voters were Sunni Muslims and 12,14% Shiite Muslims.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b Water Wars in the Middle East: A Looming Threat, Hussein A. Amery, The Geographical Journal, Vol. 168, 2002
- ^ Wazzani Springs pump nearing completion
- ^ Hariri complains against Israeli threats: Lebanon seeks to complete al- Wazzani project
- ^ LA Times Over Israeli Objections, Lebanon Opens Pumping Station on River 29 March 2001
- ^ BBC News 28 March 2002. Lebanon hails 'liberation of water'
- ^ BBC 10 September 2002 Israel warns of war over water
- ^ BBC 16 September 2002. US wades into Mid-East water dispute
- ^ BBC 17 September 2002. Israel hardens stance on water.
- ^ "Lebanese army says soldier killed in Israeli drone strike". The Times of Israel. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ "Israeli ground forces launch targeted raids in south Lebanon". Reuters. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ https://lub-anan.com/المحافظات/النبطية/مرجعيون/الوزاني/المذاهب/