Muhaibib (Arabic: محيبيب), also spelled Mhaibib, is a municipality in the Marjayoun District in southern Lebanon.
Muhaibib
محيبيب | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
  Muhaibib Location within Lebanon | |
| Coordinates: 33°09′17″N 35°30′20″E / 33.15472°N 35.50556°E | |
| Grid position | 197/284 PAL |
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Governorate | Nabatieh Governorate |
| District | Marjayoun District |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Dialing code | +961 |
Muhaibib holds a shrine to Benjamin, who Islam considers a prophet, which attracts pilgrims and visitors. As of October 2024, it is unclear whether the shrine remains intact following Israel's demolition of the village.[1][2]
Etymology
E. H. Palmer wrote that the name Neby Muheibîb meant "the prophet Muheibîb", "beloved".[3]
History
In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Neby Muheibib as: "a small village [a]round the stone Neby, containing about seventy Moslems, situated on top of ridge, with olives and arable land; there are two cisterns in the village."[4]
During the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) released footage of themselves destroying nearly the entirety of Muhaibib.[1][5] The New York Times connected a statement in which the IDF claimed that they had 'dismantled a tunnel network used by Hezbollah's elite Radwan Forces' to the destruction of the village.[1] Al Jazeera published footage of soldiers they claimed were celebrating the destruction of the village.[6]
The spokesperson for the US Department of State, Matthew Miller, said that "we do not want to see entire villages destroyed", nor "civilian homes".[7] He claimed that there was potential for Hezbollah presence inside civilian homes.[1] He then said: "I don't know what was in those buildings, I don't know what was potentially underneath those buildings."[8]
Demographics
In 2014 Muslims made up 99.55% of registered voters in Muhaibib. 97.91% of the voters were Shiite Muslims. [9]
References
- ^ a b c d Triebert, Christiaan; Ward, Euan (18 October 2024). "Israel Destroys Nearly All of a Lebanese Village, Photos and Videos Show". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ "Israel military demolishes historic neighbourhood in southern Lebanese town, video reveals". Middle East Monitor. 16 October 2024. Archived from the original on 16 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 92
- ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 202
- ^ "Lebanese village of Mhaibib destroyed by Israeli forces". The Daily Telegraph. 17 October 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Israeli soldiers celebrate destruction of Lebanese village". Al Jazeera. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ Chehayeb, Kareem; Zaatari, Mohammad (16 October 2024). "Israeli strikes kill 27 in Lebanon, including in a town with a dark history of civilian deaths". Associated Press. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ "Matt Lee pressed Matt Miller on Israel blowing up an entire village in southern Lebanon". Dawn. 17 October 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ https://lub-anan.com/المحافظات/النبطية/مرجعيون/محيبيب/المذاهب/
Bibliography
- Conder, C.R.; Kitchener, H.H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology. Vol. 1. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- Palmer, E.H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
External links
- Survey of Western Palestine, Map 4: IAA, Wikimedia commons
