Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike east of Baalbeck, in the Bekaa Valley, on September 23, 2024. AFP archive photo, accompanied by portraits of members of the three families killed by Israel, provided by Hassan Tahan. Montage: Céline Bejjani/L’Orient-Le Jour.
It was a day in Ramadan much like any other, an unremarkable March 11. Three families had gathered to break their fast. The war loomed in the background, but no one imagined what would happen next. As they often did, Ali and Ola Tahan sat down with their two children, Mohammad, 20, and Haydar, 10, and welcomed their third son, Hussein, into their home in Younin, in the Bekaa Valley's Baalbeck district. Hussein arrived with his wife, Mona, and their 6-year-old daughter, Rokaya. Ali’s brother, Ahmad Tahan, his wife, Roweida, and their two children, Yahya, 13, and Howra, 8, were also present.Then, at around 6:15 p.m., a deafening blast shattered the air. An Israeli strike destroyed the house and the adjacent shop owned by Ali Tahan.It was a massacre.Ola, Haydar and Hussein were the only survivors of the attack. They were rushed to a...
It was a day in Ramadan much like any other, an unremarkable March 11. Three families had gathered to break their fast. The war loomed in the background, but no one imagined what would happen next. As they often did, Ali and Ola Tahan sat down with their two children, Mohammad, 20, and Haydar, 10, and welcomed their third son, Hussein, into their home in Younin, in the Bekaa Valley's Baalbeck district. Hussein arrived with his wife, Mona, and their 6-year-old daughter, Rokaya. Ali’s brother, Ahmad Tahan, his wife, Roweida, and their two children, Yahya, 13, and Howra, 8, were also present.Then, at around 6:15 p.m., a deafening blast shattered the air. An Israeli strike destroyed the house and the adjacent shop owned by Ali Tahan.It was a massacre.Ola, Haydar and Hussein were the only survivors of the attack. They were rushed to a...