Sour's beach on the first day of Eid al-Adha on 16 June 2024. (Credit: Olivia Le Poidevin/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — "Why should I fear coming to my southern village when Sayed Hassan [Nasrallah] is leading the fight against Israel?" said Dana Hamdan, a 20-year-old university student from Tyr Debba in the Sour district, on the second day of Eid al-Adha.
Despite Israeli fighter jets breaking the sound barrier over multiple southern regions, launching thermal balloons, conducting air raids, and deadly strikes, traffic remained heavy on the highway from Beirut to the south in the lead-up to Eid al-Adha.
"We are southerners; we don’t abandon our land. We are not afraid of Israel’s aggression," said Hajj Mohammad Hamdan, a 62-year-old father of three and grandfather of three, who spoke to L'Orient Today on the sidelines of his granddaughter's third birthday in his hometown Kfar Hatta (Saida).
"In my long life, I've witnessed Israel's harsh brutality, but I've also seen the selflessness of our resistance fighters [Hezbollah]. Just as we achieved victory in 2000, we will prevail now, but at a heavy cost — one that we southerners are accustomed to paying, and we so we aren't really afraid of coming to our hometowns because of Israel," he concluded with a smile.
On May 25, 2000, 22 years after its first invasion, the Israeli army withdrew from southern Lebanon, marking the end of its occupation (1985–2000). This withdrawal, in the context of persistent attacks from Hezbollah, greatly contributed to the party's popularity in Lebanon, and was followed by continued attacks against Israeli positions in the disputed Shebaa Farms. This area, annexed by Israel, has been claimed by Lebanon as Lebanese territory but is internationally recognized to belong to Syria.
‘It’s not Eid if I’m not in spending it in my grandmother's garden in Odaisseh’
"For me, Eid means barbecuing lamb chops, chicken tawouk, and enjoying tabbouleh prepared by my grandmother in her garden in Odaisseh," said Hussein Attieh. "It doesn't feel like Eid if I'm not at my grandparents' place in Odaisseh."
Due to the heavy bombardment of the border village and its proximity to Israeli military bases, Attieh and his family opted to spend Eid at his aunt's house in Saida instead.
"I yearn to be in the south, but I also yearn for safety," Attieh lamented, expressing his distress at seeing his village repeatedly devastated by Israeli attacks.
"I don't know when I'll return, but until then, I will continue to denounce Israel and pray for the Hezbollah fighters who are bravely defending our lands," he concluded.
Residents who returned to the border town of Dhaira (Sour) on Monday to assess their homes were met with gunfire from the Israeli army in an attempt to intimidate them, local sources informed L’Orient Today.
On Sunday, the first day of Eid al-Adha, dozens of civilians headed to Sour's beach, describing it as their own form of resistance. Smoke could be seen billowing from a hill in Naqoura, which was shelled multiple times by the Israeli army that day.
According to figures from the International Organization for Migration, published in a report on Feb. 29, more than 90,000 people had been displaced by what was then five months of daily Israeli bombardment on southern Lebanese villages.
Since fighting began on Oct.8 , Israel has reportedly killed 72 civilians, 21 medics, and 303 Hezbollah members in Lebanon. Dozens of fighters from other factions have also been killed in the fighting. Hezbollah has consistently stated that its actions are in support of its Palestinian ally, Hamas, in Gaza.
