Zahle residents warn of demographic threat amid suspicious land sales

ZAHLE, Lebanon — A wave of concern is sweeping through Zahle, the predominantly Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) city in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, as local leaders warn of what they describe as a coordinated effort to alter the area’s demographic makeup through illegal and opaque land sales.

In a strongly worded statement, the Zahle Coordinating Committee of the Syriac Union Party Lebanon (SUP Lebanon) joined Christian clerics and local political groups in denouncing what they called “suspicious” real estate transactions. The statement, titled Zahle Is Not for Sale … Its Identity Is a Red Line, was released this week amid growing unease over increasing land sales in and around Zahle to non-Syriac buyers — allegedly facilitated by brokers both from inside and outside the city.

“These sales pose a direct threat to Zahle’s unique character and its deep-rooted Christian heritage,” the committee stated. “Zahle is not a commodity on the investment market, but a city that has long resisted demographic manipulation.”

The committee expressed full support for recent declarations by Zahle’s bishops and regional leaders who have spoken out against what they consider a dangerous trend. It emphasized that preserving Zahle’s historical and cultural identity is not merely a local concern but a national and moral responsibility.

Calling on residents to remain vigilant and united, the SUP Lebanon urged the community not to fall into complacency. “Defending Zahle’s identity and land is a shared responsibility,” the statement read.

The message ended on a defiant note, “Zahle will remain free, proud, and steadfast — uncompromising in the face of any attempt to erase its identity or fracture its social fabric.”