copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Lebanon (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-04-26): The Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamiyah, said in a press statement on 16 March that the Lebanese government had "approved the establishment of a new crossing with Syria in the Hermel district," explicating that its purpose is to relieve the people of the area from the burden of heading to al-Qaa or al-Masnaa border posts when entering Syria. [...] Smuggling operations into Lebanese territory are frequent and are active through groups from both countries across the land borders, especially with the large number of militias affiliated with the regime forces and the Lebanese Hezbollah. [...] Speaking to Enab Baladi, he explained that the Hermel crossing, between the al-Masnaa and al-Qaa crossings, helps facilitate the passage of people through it. Shaar ruled out that the primary purpose of advertising the crossing would be economical.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Lebanon (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-08-20): Lebanon’s army began its operation in the Ras Baalbek and Qaa region early on Saturday, and has already recaptured two-thirds of the territory in the area, the military said. [...] The army says around 600 ISIL fighters were deployed in the Jurud Ras Baalbek and Jurud al-Qaa areas and controlled around 120sq km of territory before the latest advances.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Lebanon (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-08-02): Since then, the Lebanese army has reinforced areas around Ras Baalbeck and Al-Qaa near the IS-held Lebanese territory, warning that they would soon launch an offensive to push the militant group out of the country.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Lebanon (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-08-21): Army led an offensive to expel Daech from Lebanese territory On the 19th, the Lebanese launched 'Fajr al-Joroud' (Dawn of the Outskirts) operation against Daesh (ISIS) positions on the outskirts of al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek towns. Army helicopters, artillery, and rocket launchers pounded Daesh positions on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek. [...] Heavy clashes erupted in Dhour al-Kahf and a number of Daesh militants flee towards Wadi Mira. The army recaptured 20 sq.m. of strategic Daech's territory in al-Qaa outskirts, including the important Ras al-Kaf hilltops. It was followed by a demining operation during which units dismantled explosives and booby traps left behind by Daesh militants.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Lebanon (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-08-20): Lebanon's army began its operation in the Jurud Ras Baalbek and Jurud al-Qaa region early on Saturday, and in the first day captured around 30 square kilometres (11 miles square) of territory, a military spokesman said. [...] Lebanon's military estimated around 600 IS fighters were present in the Jurud Ras Baalbek and Jurud al-Qaa areas, controlling around 120 square kilometres of territory before Saturday's advances.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Lebanon (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-07-13): Description [edit]The border starts at confluence of the Nahr al-Kabir river with the Mediterranean Sea, and then follows this river eastwards some distance inland. The Lebanese border forms a salient to include the villages of Karha and Knaisse Akkar in the north-east of Akkar District, just west of the Syrian Lake Homs, before turning to the south-east via a series of irregular lines, cutting across the Orontes (at 34°27′18″N 36°29′24″E / 34.455°N 36.490°E) and the trans-Beqaa road between Qaa and Al-Qusayr (at 34°25′18″N 36°32′36″E / 34.4217°N 36.5433°E), reaching the Anti-Lebanon Mountains at about 34°13′N 36°36′E / 34.22°N 36.60°E. The border then turns towards the south-west, generally following the Anti-Lebanon Mountains via a series of irregular lines, until reaching Mount Hermon. [...] Relations between the two new states were often tense, and a precise border has never been fixed officially with any precision, in spite of Lebanese demands to this effect and some preliminary conducted in the 1950–1960s.[11][12] Many Lebanese feared that its larger neighbour harboured designs to annex the country. In 1975 long-standing sectarian tensions within Lebanon erupted into civil war, prompting Syria to occupy the country the following year; Syrian troops were to remain in Lebanon until 2005.[13][14] Since 2011, the border region has been seriously affected by the spillover from the Syrian Civil War. [...] - Jusiyah al-Amar-Qaa Border Crossing[15]
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Lebanon (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2012-09-01): Syrian Troops Abduct Two Lebanese Men in al-Qaa إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربيةSyrian troops infiltrated on Saturday the border region of al-Qaa in the northern Bekaa and abducted two citizens, reported the National News Agency. [...] Syrian troops have repeatedly carried out incursions into Lebanese border areas in the northern Bekaa and Akkar since the eruption of anti-regime protests in Syria in March 2011. [...] Rockets fired during clashes in Syria have also occasionally landed in Lebanese territory.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Lebanon (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-07-09): Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper said that the Lebanese army, with the support of the al-Beqaa Intelligence Directorate, arrested (90) Syrian refugees last night, Sunday, July 7, 2024, who attempted to enter Lebanese territory through smuggling. The newspaper added that Lebanese General Security returned 60 of them to Syria through the Al-Qaa border crossing, in the far north-east of Lebanon. The newspaper pointed out that a number of Syrian families were arrested through mobile ambushes set up on smuggling routes inside Lebanon in the northern Beqaa in the towns of Labwa, Ras Ba’albak and Harbta.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Lebanon (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2014-01-23): Army Foils Armed Group Bid to Infiltrate Lebanon from Syria via al-Qaa إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربيةThe Lebanese Army on Thursday clashed with gunmen who were trying to infiltrate Lebanon from Syria through the Masharii al-Qaa border area. [...] The gunmen were attempting to enter the country through the al-Naamat barren mountains and the illegal border crossings in Masharii al-Qaa, NNA said. [...] For its part, al-Mayadeen television said "the army has deployed in some points in Masharii al-Qaa after detecting movements by armed groups in the Eastern Mountain Range."
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-09): Another disputed territory is the Shebaa farms, located in the intersection of the Lebanese-Syrian border and the Israeli occupied Golan Heights. The farms, which are 11 km long and about 3 kilometers wide were occupied by Israel in 1981, along with rest of the Golan Heights.[251] Yet following Syrian army advances the Israeli occupation ended and Syria became the de facto ruling power over the farms. Yet after Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah claimed that the withdrawal was not complete because Shebaa was on Lebanese – not Syrian – territory.[252] After studying 81 different maps, the United Nations concluded that there is no evidence of the abandoned farmlands being Lebanese.[253] Nevertheless, Lebanon has continued to claim ownership of the territory.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2015-07-06): Beyond the barren mountains separating the Lebanese village of Qaa from Syria, fears of missile attacks, abductions and incursions have persisted since the conflict erupted more than four years ago. The barren mountains separating the Lebanese village of Qaa from Syria have helped shield it from the war raging next door, yet fears of missile attacks, abductions and incursions have persisted since the conflict erupted more than four years ago.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-04): The territory around Jazira province of northeastern Syria is called Gozarto (Classical Syriac: ܓܙܪܬܐ, romanized: Gozarto), part of the historical Assyrian homeland, by Syriac-Assyrians.[63] The area has also been nicknamed Federal Northern Syria, and the Democratic Confederalist Autonomous Areas of Northern Syria.[9] [...] Currently, the relations of the region to the Damascus government are determined by the context of the Syrian civil war. The Constitution of Syria and the Constitution of North and East Syria are legally incompatible with respect to legislative and executive authority. In the military realm, combat between the People's Protection Units (YPG) and Syrian government forces has been rare, in the most instances some of the territory still controlled by the Syrian government in Qamishli and al-Hasakah has been lost to the YPG. In some military campaigns, in particular in northern Aleppo governate and in al-Hasakah, YPG and Syrian government forces have tacitly cooperated against Islamist forces, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and others.[19] [...] - ^ a b c "Final statement of Autonomous Administration of North , East Syria – ANHA | Ajansa Nûçeyan a Hawar". Archived from the original on 19 March 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2016-06-28): Lebanon army detains 100 Syrians after Qaa bombings - Published [...] Troops also searched the Qaa Projects (Masharia Qaa) camp for "wanted individuals", according to an NNA reporter in the area. Masharia Qaa is located outside the village of Qaa, where the mayor advised residents to stay indoors after Monday's unprecedented attacks.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2000-01-01): El-Qaa is a plain located in Baalbek–Hermel District, bordered by Syria, Hermel and Ras Baalbek. Since the Middle Ages, El-Qaa was famous for its honey production and its remarkable landscape. Its beautiful natural lake was a crossroad for traders. El-Qaa remains the village for religious tourists. Its many religious sites attract local residents and foreign visitors. Located between Anti-Lebanon mountain range and the Assi River, El-Qaa is best known for its hot semiarid summer and its cold winter. What marks El-Qaa are the Roman and Ottoman monuments that engrave the ancient civilizations in this village. El-Qaa attracts visitors from many cities and countries. Gathering various cultures, it created many stories that the locals keep telling to their children and guests. El-Qaa is marked by the eras and wars that befell it, as well as by its breathtaking scenery. [...] Read moreEl-Qaa is best known for its hospitality and warmth. If you drive a long way to visit this village, we recommend you to stay at one of its hotels and experience El-Qaa fine living from dawn until sunset.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-08): Syria, country located on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea in southwestern Asia. Its area includes territory in the Golan Heights that has been occupied by Israel since 1967. The present area does not coincide with ancient Syria, which was the strip of fertile land lying between the eastern Mediterranean coast and the desert of northern Arabia. The capital is Damascus (Dimashq), on the Baradā River, situated in an oasis at the foot of Mount Qāsiyūn. [...] Syria is bounded by Turkey to the north, by Iraq to the east and southeast, by Jordan to the south, and by Lebanon and Israel to the southwest.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-08-08): Since 2016, Turkey has also conducted three large-scale military operations into Syria, capturing territory along Syria's northern border in the provinces of Aleppo, Ar Raqqah, and Al Hasakah. Political negotiations between the government and opposition delegations at UN-sponsored Geneva conferences since 2014 have failed to produce a resolution of the conflict. Since early 2017, Iran, Russia, and Turkey have held separate political negotiations outside of UN auspices to attempt to reduce violence in Syria. According to an April 2016 UN estimate, the death toll among Syrian Government forces, opposition forces, and civilians was over 400,000, though other estimates placed the number well over 500,000. As of December 2019, approximately 6 million Syrians were internally displaced. Approximately 11.1 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance across the country, and an additional 5.7 million Syrians were registered refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and North Africa. The conflict in Syria remains one of the largest humanitarian crises worldwide. [...] against opposition forces and civilians; in addition, France, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UK have provided forms of military assistance to opposition forces and/or conducted operations against ISIS, including air strikes
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-04-19): 1098-1189 - Areas of Syria held by various Crusader states, primarily the Principality of Antioch.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-07-01): Coastal plain [edit]Along the Mediterranean, a narrow coastal plain stretches south from the Turkish border to Lebanon. The flatness of this littoral, covered with sand dunes, is broken only by lateral promontories running down from the mountains to the sea. The major ports are Latakia and Tartous. Syria claimed a territorial limit of 35 nautical miles (64.8 km; 40.3 mi) off its Mediterranean coastline. However, in 2003, Syria unilaterally declared its maritime zones, adhering to the 12 nautical miles allowed by the United Nations Law of the Sea.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2015-07-10): Territorial control in Syria has changed many times since the country's uprising began more than four years ago, with long periods of attrition characterising the conflict. [...] Elsewhere, primarily moderate Syrian rebels have made gains in the southern cities of Deraa and Quneitra, where groups have remained relatively united. In June, they seized the Syrian government's largest military base in Deraa, though this is far from the rebels' stated goal of reaching rural Damascus.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-05-26): THE ASSADS came to power in 1970 promising to recreate Greater Syria, a swathe of the Levant that included Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Syria, and lead an Arab baath, or renaissance. But as Bashar al-Assad prepares to win his fourth seven-year term as president in a sham election on May 26th, his family’s hold on the country has shrivelled to a fraction of its original domain. Syria has been balkanised into a patchwork of fiefs. Scores of checkpoints line the route between Qamishli in the far east and the capital, Damascus, many beyond the regime’s control. So who actually controls Syria?
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-08-20): Lebanon's army began its operation in the Jurud Ras Baalbek and Jurud al-Qaa region early on Saturday, and in the first day captured around 30 square kilometres (11 miles square) of territory, a military spokesman said. [...] Lebanon's military estimated around 600 IS group fighters were present in the Jurud Ras Baalbek and Jurud al-Qaa areas, controlling around 120 square kilometres of territory before Saturday's advances.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-12-14): The crossing, called al-Qaa in Lebanon and Jussiyeh in Syria, was closed in 2012 as fighting raged between President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebel fighters seeking his overthrow. [...] Ceremonies were held on Thursday on both sides of the al-Qaa/Jussiyeh crossing, which is set to re-open on Friday morning. [...] The mainly Christian al-Qaa area in Lebanon was targeted several times in cross-border attacks, including suicide bombings in June last year that killed five people.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-01): A unit from the Syrian army made a new incursion in Lebanese territories in in the area of Dawrat al-Ghazal and al-Qaa in the northern Bekaa valley, killing a Syrian man and arresting his brother, media reports said Wednesday. [...] There were also unconfirmed reports on Wednesday that two Syrian defected officers and 6 other soldiers were killed in clashes that erupted on Lebanese territories in al-Qaa. [...] The incidents took place as An Nahar said that Syria will send a document to Lebanon detailing the alleged smuggling of arms. A high-ranking security source also told al-Liwaa that Damascus knows the identity of those smuggling the weapons to its territories.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2016-06-28): A wave of suicide bombings was launched by four radical attackers struck al-Qaa, a largely Christian Lebanese village on the border with Syria on Monday, killing five locals and wounding 15. The first attacks came in the morning but that evening a second wave was launched, attacking the funeral for the victims of the morning bombing. Security forces were unable to prevent them. [...] al-Qaa is southeast of Hermel; h/t wikimedia [...] Syrian refugees were banned from entering al-Qaa after the attacks on Monday and were placed on curfew by Baalbak-Hermel governor Bashir Khidr
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-07-31): Lebanese army vehicles are advancing to the northern Bekaa Valley in preparation for a military battle to free the border towns of Ras Baalbek and al-Qaa from the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS). [...] The Lebanese army has stepped up the pressure in the mountainous areas of Ras Baalbek and al-Qaa, bombing ISIS positions after spotting suspicious movements there. [...] As part of the preparations for the battle, Lebanese army chief of staff Maj. Gen. Hatem Mallak on Friday (July 28th) visited military units deployed on the eastern border in the al-Qaa, Ras Baalbek and Arsal areas, and inspected their measures on the ground, the National News Agency reported.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-01): Nine Rockets Fired from Syria Fall between al-Qaa, Ras Baalbek [...] "Nine rockets launched from Syrian territory landed in the area between al-Qaa's barren mountains and Ras Baalbek" near the border with Syria, the source said. [...] Meanwhile, Lebanon's National News Agency said "two shells fell on the outskirts of the town of al-Qaa as an armed group was infiltrating Syrian territory."
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2016-07-05): Still, the al-Qaa attacks have significantly raised tensions in Lebanon. Previous reports of Lebanese security forces arresting alleged IS sleeper cells in the north had only heightened fears that the militants may soon lash out in Lebanon as they lose territory in Syria and Iraq. Lebanese security officials warned al-Qaa could be the "harbinger of a wave of terrorist operations," according to a statement released after meeting Prime Minister Tamim Salaam on Tuesday. [...] Senior Lebanese politicians blamed Syrians from nearby camps for the bombings in al-Qaa, although Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk later announced that four of the eight attackers had entered Lebanese territory from Syria itself.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-04-26): The Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamiyah, said in a press statement on 16 March that the Lebanese government had "approved the establishment of a new crossing with Syria in the Hermel district," explicating that its purpose is to relieve the people of the area from the burden of heading to al-Qaa or al-Masnaa border posts when entering Syria. [...] Speaking to Enab Baladi, he explained that the Hermel crossing, between the al-Masnaa and al-Qaa crossings, helps facilitate the passage of people through it. Shaar ruled out that the primary purpose of advertising the crossing would be economical.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2012-03-27): Report: Clashes along Lebanon-Syria Border إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربيةSyrian security forces infiltrated the Bekaa border town of al-Qaa on Tuesday, said various media reports. [...] They stated that the clashes on the Syrian side of the border started on Tuesday in al-Qaa area, adding that bullets struck the Lebanese side of the border. [...] the lebanese army is controlling with mechanised armour the whole area of qaa/ masharih on the lebanese syrian border ,after the retreat of assad forces under attacks from the syrian free army who is controlling the whole area of the syrian border after managing to destroy the " hajjaneh" positoions.it seems that the alawi fourth brigade is the only portion of the syrian army fighting for the regime.... and adnan mansour.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2014-12-02): Ras Baalbek, a town located near the Syrian border in Northeast Lebanon, has a population of around 15,000, 1,500 of whom are Syrian refugees. The area has witnessed ongoing clashes with militants operating in the mountains around the town since the spring of 2014. However, it is unknown exactly how long the militants have been active in the area for. In August 2015, the President of Ras Baalbek’s Municipal Council, Hisham al-Arja, stated that 150 square kilometres of the village’s territory had been occupied for over two years. Importantly, Ras Baalbek is close to Arsal and el-Qaa, both of which have also seen fighting between militants and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) since 2014. [...] Two waves of suicide bombings occurred in the city of el-Qaa on 27th June, 2016, starting at 4am and continuing until 11pm. Each wave involved 4 suicide bombers connected to IS, and in total 9 people were killed whilst 32 were injured (see our infographic here).
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2012-06-13): Syria Troops Plant Mines in al-Qaa إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربيةSyrian troops on Wednesday crossed into Lebanon's eastern border region of Masharii al-Qaa and planted mines around the home of a local resident before withdrawing, a Lebanese security official told Agence France Presse. [...] The mainly Sunni Muslim regions of Arsal and Masharii al-Qaa straddle both countries and are used as escape routes by Syrians fleeing the unrest in their country. [...] Q'aa is 6 and a half miles inside Lebanese territory from the Syrian border. For comparables in teh south, it would be an Israeli incursion on the coast road past Nabatieh to Iskandarouna; in the central district of the South, almost to Tibnine which is a bit more than 7 miles from the Israeli border; and in the eastern sector, well past the Litani river line. Now I know there are some disputes about where the line is between Syria and Lebanon, but 6.5 miles? That's not even close.
Claim: Qaa is a territory of Syria (Qaa, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-07-13): Description [edit]The border starts at confluence of the Nahr al-Kabir river with the Mediterranean Sea, and then follows this river eastwards some distance inland. The Lebanese border forms a salient to include the villages of Karha and Knaisse Akkar in the north-east of Akkar District, just west of the Syrian Lake Homs, before turning to the south-east via a series of irregular lines, cutting across the Orontes (at 34°27′18″N 36°29′24″E / 34.455°N 36.490°E) and the trans-Beqaa road between Qaa and Al-Qusayr (at 34°25′18″N 36°32′36″E / 34.4217°N 36.5433°E), reaching the Anti-Lebanon Mountains at about 34°13′N 36°36′E / 34.22°N 36.60°E. The border then turns towards the south-west, generally following the Anti-Lebanon Mountains via a series of irregular lines, until reaching Mount Hermon. [...] Relations between the two new states were often tense, and a precise border has never been fixed officially with any precision, in spite of Lebanese demands to this effect and some preliminary conducted in the 1950–1960s.[11][12] Many Lebanese feared that its larger neighbour harboured designs to annex the country. In 1975 long-standing sectarian tensions within Lebanon erupted into civil war, prompting Syria to occupy the country the following year; Syrian troops were to remain in Lebanon until 2005.[13][14] Since 2011, the border region has been seriously affected by the spillover from the Syrian Civil War. [...] - Jusiyah al-Amar-Qaa Border Crossing[15]