Lebanese people in Syria
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 114,000 - 800,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mostly Damascus and Aleppo. Also Yabroud, Al-Zabadani, Homs, Hama, Latakia, Tartus | |
| Languages | |
| Arabic, French, English | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (Shia/Sunni) and Christianity (Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Maronite Catholic, Protestant) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Lebanese people, Lebanese diaspora, Lebanese American, Lebanese Argentine, Lebanese Brazilian, Lebanese Canadians, Lebanese Mexican, Lebanese Colombian |
The Lebanese people in Syria are people from Lebanon or those of Lebanese descent who live in the country of Syria. There are many prominent people in Syria who are of Lebanese descent.
On 1 September 1920, France reestablished Greater Lebanon after the Moutasarrifiya rule removed several regions belonging to the Principality of Lebanon and gave them to Syria. The exact population of Lebanese people in Syria is quite difficult to define. In terms of social consequences, the division of Bilad al-Sham presented many dilemmas for its inhabitants. For example, up until 1950, the Lebanese who were born before 1920 considered themselves Syrians; that is why a Lebanese—and a Christian—Fares al-Khoury, was able to assume the position of Prime Minister of Syria in the 1940s. Many who were considered Lebanese by the French mandate worked as Syrian educators, businessmen, traders, etc. and did not distinguish themselves from the Syrians as such. As to border lines, they were fictitious in the eyes of the population, especially for those who were living on one side or the other of the border. Hence, an extended family, tribe or clan, found itself divided by such lines, placing one part of the family within Syrian territory, and the other part within Lebanon. In addition, there are several towns and villages inhabited by a community of some 15,000 Lebanese Shiites who have lived for decades on the Syrian side of a frontier that is not clearly demarcated in places and not fully controlled by border authorities. They are mostly Lebanese citizens, though some have dual citizenship or are only Syrian citizens.
The Lebanese people of Syria are predominantly Lebanese Shia Twelver Muslim and Lebanese Christian (Greek Orthodox, Melkite, Maronite, Protestant) with a tiny minority that belongs to Sunni Islam in Lebanon.
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