Members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah are trying to pressure supporters of the Syrian regime in al-Qusayr of Homs countryside in central Syria to sell their lands near the Lebanese border.
Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that owners of agricultural lands west of Orontes River complain that Hezbollah supporters are pressuring them to sell their lands at the lowest prices.
A farmer from a Christian family, known for their loyalty to the regime, is being harassed by Hezbollah supporters because he refuses to sell his land west of the river.
The sources indicated that loyalists who remained in the city and fought alongside the regime, especially the Christians, feel that Hezbollah has turned against them.
Hezbollah commanders met with residents to address the issue and asserted that the party informed its members and supporters that they are not allowed to harass Christian families. However, in reality, the situation is different.
The regime, the security services, and the Baath Party in the region are not pleased with Hezbollah’s attempts to seize land in the western region of the Orontes, according to the sources.
They reported an internal circular for the municipalities in Homs, warning against selling lands in western Orontes areas because "there is a clear fear of turning them into areas loyal to Hezbollah."
The military security secretly intervened to prevent Hezbollah and Iran to resettle the residents of Kefraya and al-Fuah in Qusayr upon the completion of the 2017 Four Cities Agreement, which stipulated a safe exit for the residents and militants.
Despite preparing places for resettlement in the west and east of the city, the project was limited to few houses after the security services instructed the people to occupy empty residences.
After the regime regained control of Qusayr area in 2013, with the support of Hezbollah, only 10,000 of the city’s 111,969 population remained in their homes, while the rest were internally displaced or left to the Lebanese border town of Arsal and other villages in the Bekaa valley.
After regaining control of the region, the displaced were allowed to return to the city, and estimates show that 8,000 persons went back between 2013 and 2019.
In 2021, around 15,000 refugees resided in illegal camps in the Bekaa, constituting 30 percent of the Syrian refugees in the north of Lebanon.
Qusayr fell under the joint control of the regime forces and Hezbollah, although the party had a wider and stronger control over the western villages and agricultural lands near the border.
After the Russian military intervention in Syria in 2015, Moscow proposed initiatives for the return of Syrian refugees, including the residents of Qusayr in Arsal’s camps.
During a speech in the summer of 2019, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah called upon the people of Qusayr to return.
However, many were reluctant and demanded international guarantees for their safety. Their demands were obstructed, and the Russian initiative, which resulted in the return of about 170,000 refugees from Lebanon to several Syrian areas, did not include refugees from Qusayr and was later suspended.
Meanwhile, internally displaced persons, namely state employees, returned to their areas after obtaining security approvals and regularizing their status, according to a plan launched in July 2019.
Local sources reported that most of Qusayr’s internally displaced persons returned to their homes between 2019 and 2020, and many are still returning especially after state institutions, transportation lines, and schools resumed their work in the city.
The sources pointed out that the regime is clearly trying to restore services to most neighborhoods, including water, electricity, communications, and removing rubble from the streets, despite limited capabilities and corruption.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah imposes its full control over the Syrian borderlands in Qusayr. It also controls the legal and illegal crossings over the Orontes River which connects the Lebanese Bekaa region with the Homs governorate through the Jousieh crossing, established in 1919.
The region is historically considered one of the most important centers of trade exchange between Homs and northern Lebanon, especially that it is close to Qalamoun in Damascus countryside and Rabia Valley, from Qalamoun Mountains to Orontes River.
The topography of the areas is suitable for smuggling operations between Syria and Lebanon, but after Hezbollah took over, smuggling became linked to regional networks. It is led by loyalists and the Fourth Division, affiliated with the regime forces, according to an opposition activist from Qusayr.
The activist indicated that the situation resulted in the emergence of "warlords" in Qusayr, who are considered wealthy by rural standards. These persons are very important for the party and help facilitate the purchase of land and real estate in the region.
