As fighting continues in southern Lebanon, a parallel dispute is unfolding over land sales, with allegations that political figures and officials linked to Hezbollah have helped facilitate property deals in strategic areas for the benefit of Israeli-linked interests, Erem News reported. 

The allegations have triggered political debate and prompted Lebanese authorities to consider legal measures to restrict property transactions in areas affected by the fighting and displacement.

The issue came into the spotlight after retired Gen. Hisham Jaber, head of the Middle East Center for Studies, said he had information about the alleged involvement of Shiite political figures, including a former minister, in facilitating land sales through intermediaries and multinational companies.

Jaber said the transactions could ultimately benefit Israeli-linked parties and warned that economic hardship, displacement and the destruction of southern towns could make property owners more vulnerable to financial pressure.

He called for an immediate internal and judicial investigation into the alleged role of local brokers and anyone who might facilitate what he described as a threat to Lebanon's national security through property transactions.

Lebanon's laws prohibit Israelis from owning property and impose strict restrictions on foreign ownership, making any direct purchase by Israeli citizens or entities acting on their behalf legally difficult.

Reports and media investigations have alleged that those seeking to acquire land instead rely on more complicated structures, including offshore companies registered in tax havens and presented as investment vehicles for tourism or agriculture.

The reports allege that some of those companies are financed by Israeli settler movements that have publicly expressed territorial ambitions in southern Lebanon. Brokers are also said to have offered large amounts of cash in U.S. dollars, sometimes above the market value of damaged properties, to owners facing displacement and financial difficulties.

Another alleged mechanism involves powers of attorney for property sales being drawn up before notaries but not immediately registered with the land registry, allowing transactions to remain outside the view of authorities.

Government moves to freeze transactions

Against that backdrop, the Lebanese government has taken steps to restrict property transactions in areas affected by the conflict.

Following an urgent proposal from the Finance Ministry, the Cabinet approved an exceptional draft law that would prohibit property transfers and sales in areas under occupation or directly affected by military operations in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa.

Legal and legislative experts cited in the reports described the measure as a way to close potential loopholes that could be exploited by brokers or influential figures.

The measure would effectively prevent notaries from issuing powers of attorney related to the sale of properties in the affected southern areas. Any property transaction conducted outside the official legal and land-registration framework would have no legal effect, according to the interpretation presented by those experts.

The restrictions are intended to prevent property from being transferred to unidentified or foreign-linked parties while protecting Lebanese ownership and sovereignty over the affected areas.

Warnings over long-term plans

Political analyst Latif Abu al-Sabaa said Israel's alleged efforts to gain control over strategically important areas in southern Lebanon should be viewed as part of a broader strategy accompanying military operations in the region.

Speaking to Erem News, Abu al-Sabaa said the destruction of southern towns, prolonged displacement and severe economic hardship could create opportunities for attempts to acquire land through local intermediaries and Western-looking investment structures.

He said offshore companies could be used to conceal the identity of the ultimate buyer, making it more difficult to determine who is behind a transaction.

Experts cited in the reports said such efforts could seek to establish a new demographic and geographic reality in the border region that would serve Israel's longer-term interests.

Abu al-Sabaa described the government's decision to freeze property sales and transfers in occupied or conflict-damaged southern towns as a preventive measure aimed at protecting Lebanese sovereignty.

He said the measure effectively removed the use of property-related powers of attorney as a potential tool for brokers or officials seeking to facilitate questionable transactions. Under the new restrictions, he said, any transfer carried out outside the official land-registry system would be legally invalid.

Abu al-Sabaa said protecting southern land required more than military force. It also required strengthening the land registry and supporting the economic resilience of residents so that financial hardship would not leave property owners vulnerable to offers involving suspicious funds.