| Aynata | |
| Native Name: | عيناتا |
| Native Name Lang: | ara |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | Lebanon |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Map showing the location of Aynata within Lebanon |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within Lebanon |
| Coordinates: | 33.1288°N 35.4351°W |
| Grid Position: | 191/281 PAL |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  |
| Subdivision Type1: | Governorate |
| Subdivision Name1: | Nabatieh Governorate |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Bint Jbeil District |
| Elevation M: | 740 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | EET |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +3 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
Aynata (Arabic: عيناتا)[1] is a village in Lebanon. It is located in the southern part of the country.[2] It is a stronghold for Hezbollah and during the war with Israel in 2006, about 60% of the homes in the town were destroyed.[3]
The terrain consists of plateaus of varying heights, with the Aynata itself located at an elevation of 740m. Several valleys separate Aynata from the nearest villages. Aynata has a moderate climate, cool summers and cold winters.
See also: Beth-Anath. Yohanan Aharoni have suggested that Aynata was ancient En-hazor, and that it was also listed in the topographical lists of Thutmose III.[4]
Aynata was suggested to be Beth-Anath by van de Velde in 1854,[5] also by W.M. Thomson in 1859,[6] and later by Victor Guérin.[7] The same view was held by historical geographer Georg Kampffmeyer (1892).[8]
Foundations and columns of a ruined temple complex in the woods near the village were recorded by William McClure Thomson, who thought them to have once been called Kubrikha. He remarked that "the whole neighborhood is crowded with ancient but deserted sites."[6]
In 1596, it was named as a village, ‘’Aynata’’ in the Ottoman nahiya (subdistrict) of Tibnin under the liwa' (district) of Safad, with a population of 111 households and 22 bachelors, all Muslim. The villagers paid taxes on agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, vineyards, fruit trees, goats and beehives, in addition to "occasional revenues" and a fixed sum; a total of 10,560 akçe.[9] [10]
In 1875, Victor Guérin found a village with 400 Metualis.[7]
In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it: "A village, built of stone, containing about 500 Metawileh. There is a Moslem school in the village; extensive vineyards and a few olives in the wady. Water supplied from birket and many cisterns.”[11]
Aynata is the family home of Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, a prominent twelver Shia cleric.
During the 2006 Lebanon War, on July 19, an Israeli missile killed 4 civilians in the village.[12] On July 24, Israel shelled two houses in the village; killing all inside both houses. One house had 4 Hezbollah fighters, the other house had 8 civilians, aged between 16 and 77.[13]
Aaynata has a population of around 5,000 (dropping to 1,300 in the winter) and is 120 kilometers (74.568 mi) away from Beirut and sits 740 meters above sea level. The area borders Bent Jbayl, Aaitaroun, and Yaroun.[14] It was occupied by Israel and most residents emigrated to Beirut's southern suburbs. Israel pulled out of the area in 2000 and it has seen housing construction since that time. Tobacco and olives are grown in the area.
In 2024, during the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, the Israeli army attacked two vehicles. Hezbollah soldiers were traveling in one of the vehicles and in the other four family members of the journalist Samir Ayoub who were also killed in the attack.[15]
de:Georg Kampffmeyer
. Alte Namen im heutigen Palästina und Syrien . 38, 42, 61, 64, 85, 87. Breitkopf & Härtel. Leipzig. de . 786490264 . 1892.. Charles William Meredith van de Velde . Narrative of a journey through Syria and Palestine in 1851 and 1852 . 1 . 1854 . William Blackwood and son .
