South Lebanon, a land twice cursed (1/3) The village of Houla, in the Marjeyoun caza, a few kilometers from the Israeli border, May 13, 1968. Photo archives L'OLJ/Jaimee Haddad
Habib* reflects on a life spent fleeing bombs. At 47, he has witnessed the passage of foreign armies and local militias. First came the Palestinians, then the Israelis, followed by the Christian auxiliaries of the South Lebanon Army (SLA), the Syrians, and finally Hezbollah.Originally from Dhaira, a small predominantly Sunni village in the Sour district nestled along the border, his parents fled in the aftermath of the 1975-90 Civil War, only to return a few years later to resume farming the land.“Wheat, beans, lentils…” he listed, speaking from a school in Saida where he has now taken refuge. A new war, a new departure. Of all the conflicts, the one that began on Oct. 8, 2023, is the most devastating. This time, he leaves behind a field of ruins. Of the village’s 280 houses, only four remain. Perhaps five.Here, history repeats itself....
Habib* reflects on a life spent fleeing bombs. At 47, he has witnessed the passage of foreign armies and local militias. First came the Palestinians, then the Israelis, followed by the Christian auxiliaries of the South Lebanon Army (SLA), the Syrians, and finally Hezbollah.Originally from Dhaira, a small predominantly Sunni village in the Sour district nestled along the border, his parents fled in the aftermath of the 1975-90 Civil War, only to return a few years later to resume farming the land.“Wheat, beans, lentils…” he listed, speaking from a school in Saida where he has now taken refuge. A new war, a new departure. Of all the conflicts, the one that began on Oct. 8, 2023, is the most devastating. This time, he leaves behind a field of ruins. Of the village’s 280 houses, only four remain. Perhaps five.Here, history repeats...