Lebanese on the edge of Israel's occupation live with fear and rising tensions

Milia el-Cheikh, a Christian resident of Dibbine, struggles to recognize her village in southern Lebanon, now a landscape of ruins and barbed wire. Dibbine is among several Shiite-majority communities devastated by Israeli forces engaged in conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah. While a recent truce, part of an interim deal between the U.S. and Iran, appears to be holding, the destruction and displacement have left deep scars.

El-Cheikh, who found shelter elsewhere, maintains a routine of visiting Jdeidat Marjayoun, a neighboring Christian village, for coffee. This once comforting ritual now unfolds against a backdrop of loss and anxiety. "I don't know anything about my house," she shared, expressing the agony of being unable to reach her home. Jdeidat Marjayoun, like other towns on the edge of the Israeli-occupied zone, has seen its predominantly Shiite population expelled by the military, who suspect them of harboring Hezbollah fighters. Many of these towns now lie in ruins.

Residents from neighboring Christian, Sunni, and Druze communities have been permitted to remain, but their lives are irrevocably altered. Their homes have been damaged, road closures have led to isolation, and Israeli troops' nighttime raids instill terror. Warnings from Israel against harboring Hezbollah fighters have also prevented residents from offering refuge to displaced Shiites, creating divisions among neighbors and fueling sectarian tensions.

The current conflict escalated when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel shortly after Israel and the U.S. began their campaign against Iran on February 28. Israel subsequently invaded Lebanon, expanding its control up to 12 kilometers deep in some areas. As troops advanced, Israel issued warnings for people to evacuate large parts of southern Lebanon, later publishing lists of barred Shiite villages. Israel maintains its troops are in southern Lebanon for self-defense, citing Hezbollah's deep entrenchment and the presence of military infrastructure in residential areas. Iran insists any broader truce must include Lebanon and demand Israel's withdrawal, a call echoed by the Lebanese government, while Hezbollah vows to resist the occupation.

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I don't know anything about my house. Nothing is more agonizing than not being able to get to your home.