A woman walks by a bombed-out building in Beirut's southern suburbs on the first day of the cease-fire on Nov. 27, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)
While waiting to see if the initial 60-day cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel would hold, the residents and business owners of Beirut's southern suburbs had conflicting opinions. Some debated whether to proceed with rebuilding or hold off in case the war restarted, while others believed the worst was over.Nadine is the owner of Veils by Nadine, a small hijab shop in the Mraijeh neighborhood of Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area heavily bombarded during the two months of all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel. She told L’Orient Today that she was reluctant to reopen. “I don’t want to pay for restoration, electricity and cleaning right now, even though my business booms during the holiday season when many women rush to buy new hijabs and colorful veils,” she explained.Nadine said she was “not ready to lose a single cent” and...
While waiting to see if the initial 60-day cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel would hold, the residents and business owners of Beirut's southern suburbs had conflicting opinions. Some debated whether to proceed with rebuilding or hold off in case the war restarted, while others believed the worst was over.Nadine is the owner of Veils by Nadine, a small hijab shop in the Mraijeh neighborhood of Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area heavily bombarded during the two months of all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel. She told L’Orient Today that she was reluctant to reopen. “I don’t want to pay for restoration, electricity and cleaning right now, even though my business booms during the holiday season when many women rush to buy new hijabs and colorful veils,” she explained.Nadine said she was “not ready to lose a single...