A man standing on the rubble in Kfar Kila, Feb. 18, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L’Orient-Le Jour)
They couldn’t wait another day. The Lebanese Army had asked for time to clear debris and secure the area. The municipalities of Houla and Kfar Kila, both in the Marjayoun district, urged residents to wait until Wednesday, Feb. 19. But, after 499 days away from home, many could no longer stay away. They needed to see the extent of the destruction — or to find the body of a loved one beneath the rubble.In Kfar Kila, a woman clutches a portrait of assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to her chest. She stands near a seemingly endless line of cars stretching along the roadside, blending into a crowd patiently waiting to enter the village. But, Zahra* is not from Kfar Kila. She has come from Baalbeck, 116 kilometers to the north, searching for her brother — a Hezbollah fighter missing for four months. She is accompanied by his...
They couldn’t wait another day. The Lebanese Army had asked for time to clear debris and secure the area. The municipalities of Houla and Kfar Kila, both in the Marjayoun district, urged residents to wait until Wednesday, Feb. 19. But, after 499 days away from home, many could no longer stay away. They needed to see the extent of the destruction — or to find the body of a loved one beneath the rubble.In Kfar Kila, a woman clutches a portrait of assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to her chest. She stands near a seemingly endless line of cars stretching along the roadside, blending into a crowd patiently waiting to enter the village. But, Zahra* is not from Kfar Kila. She has come from Baalbeck, 116 kilometers to the north, searching for her brother — a Hezbollah fighter missing for four months. She is accompanied by...