Smoke after an Israeli bombardment on Arnoun, southern Lebanon, Oct. 1, 2024. (Credit: AFP)
The situation is shifting rapidly for the remaining residents of the last inhabited border villages in southern Lebanon.Just an hour before the airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday, which killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, many southern residents expressed their resolve to “stay on their land, no matter the cost.”The oldest among them recall the 1982 Israeli invasion and the deadly war of 2006.Many men, but also entire families, chose to stay in their villages, waiting to “see what will happen.” They are Shiite, Sunni, Druze and Christian, each rooted in the southern towns of Arzoun, Kfar Hamam, Shabaa, Ebel al-Saqi, and Ain Ebel.But the speed and intensity of Israel’s brutal operations derailed their plans and shaken their convictions. Southern Lebanon is rapidly losing its population. People flee in haste, with...
The situation is shifting rapidly for the remaining residents of the last inhabited border villages in southern Lebanon.Just an hour before the airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday, which killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, many southern residents expressed their resolve to “stay on their land, no matter the cost.”The oldest among them recall the 1982 Israeli invasion and the deadly war of 2006.Many men, but also entire families, chose to stay in their villages, waiting to “see what will happen.” They are Shiite, Sunni, Druze and Christian, each rooted in the southern towns of Arzoun, Kfar Hamam, Shabaa, Ebel al-Saqi, and Ain Ebel.But the speed and intensity of Israel’s brutal operations derailed their plans and shaken their convictions. Southern Lebanon is rapidly losing its population. People flee in...