v.
or Al-Bekaa ancient Coele-Syria
Broad valley of central Lebanon.
Located between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountain ranges, it is about 80 mi (130 km) long and 10 mi (15 km) wide. Traversed by the upper Orontes and Litani rivers, it is an agricultural area. The ruins of the ancient city of Baalbek are located there. The majority of the population is Sh 012B; 02BD; ite Muslim. The valley was the scene of some factional fighting during the Lebanese Civil War (197591), and during that time Israel intermittently fought there against forces of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Syrian army. Since the 1980s the valley has been a stronghold of the Sh 012B; 02BD; ite militant organization, Hezbollah.