Rmaish

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Rmaish (Arabically: رميش), also spelled Rmeish, Rmaich, or Rmeich, is Lebanon’s southernmost municipality. It’s in the Bint Jbeil District of Nabatieh Governorate, near the Lebanese-Israeli border. The town covers about 20 square kilometers and sits around 570 meters above sea level.

The name is said to mean “scanty herbage.” Ruins around Rmaish show it was inhabited in ancient times by Romans and Crusaders. Over the centuries it came under various rulers, including the Ottoman Empire, and became part of what is now Greater Lebanon in 1920.

Rmaish has a long history of hardship and rebuilding. A church was burned by Ahmad Basha, and later rebuilt. The 1837 earthquake killed about 35 people, and there were other earthquakes in 1887, 1888 and 1927 that damaged homes. In 1920, Rmaish joined Greater Lebanon and hosted Palestinian refugees who lived there until many left in the early 1950s. In 1985, people from east Saida were deported to the area, and some stayed.

In recent decades, the town has seen conflicts linked to Hezbollah. In 2022, Hezbollah construction near Rmaish sparked anger and was dismantled after pressure. During the Gaza war, Hezbollah used southern Lebanon, including Rmaish, to attack Israel, causing fear and displacement among residents. In March 2024, residents confronted Hezbollah members who were trying to install a rocket launcher in the town center.

Today, Rmaish is known for its Christian Maronite community, which makes up most registered voters. The town hosts a Red Cross medical center opened in 1968, several schools dating back to the late 19th and 20th centuries, and the Lady of the Annunciation Monastery completed in 1986—the first Maronite monastery in south Lebanon. The Saint George church, built around 1700 and rebuilt after fires and earthquakes, remains a local landmark.

Agriculture has long supported the town, especially tobacco and olives. In the late 19th century, Rmaish resisted an Ottoman tobacco monopoly imposed in 1883. Surrounding mountains hold remains from ancient settlements, such as Katamoun with Roman fortress ruins and Koura, where remains from Roman and Muslim periods can still be seen.