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Lebanese villagers return to find homes in ruins
🇵🇰 Pakistan /Conflict & Security

Lebanese villagers return to find homes in ruins

From Dawn · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Lebanese villagers are returning to find their homes destroyed following recent Israeli strikes.
  • Many residents, like Abed Hachem, had previously rebuilt their homes after earlier conflicts.
  • The latest round of fighting has displaced over 1.2 million people and killed more than 3,900.

Residents of Qlaileh, a village in southern Lebanon, are returning to scenes of devastation after Israel's latest strikes. Abed Hachem, a 46-year-old father of three, found his rebuilt home reduced to rubble. He had previously repaired the damage from a conflict in 2024, only to face complete destruction this time.

Oh dear… Oh God. There was a building here… here… there was a building here.

— Abed HachemAbed Hachem's reaction upon seeing the destruction of his village.

"The whole village is destroyed. My house is destroyed. The village is destroyed. Where are we supposed to go now?" Hachem lamented, pointing to the remains of buildings. He described the heartbreak of seeing his community wiped out, with "a lifetime's work all gone." The spire of the local mosque stands as one of the few structures still intact.

The whole village is destroyed. My house is destroyed. The village is destroyed. Where are we supposed to go now?

— Abed HachemAbed Hachem describing the extent of the devastation in his village.

The recent escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, which began on March 2, has led to widespread destruction. Israel claims its operations targeted Hezbollah forces and military infrastructure. However, the conflict has resulted in over 3,900 deaths and displaced 1.2 million people, with entire villages in southern Lebanon emptied by Israeli evacuation orders.

There is nothing left. A lifetime’s work is all gone.

— Abed HachemAbed Hachem expressing his despair over the loss of his home and belongings.

Hachem shared the personal tragedy of losing a close neighbor and his son, who he described as civilians with no involvement in political parties or conflict. He expressed frustration that their lives were lost "for nothing." A temporary lull in fighting, due to an interim deal between the United States and Iran, allowed displaced people to return, but clashes resumed before a new ceasefire took effect on Friday. Hachem wished the peace had come sooner, stating, "This agreement they reached, they should have made it from the very beginning. Not after people were destroyed."

They have nothing to do with political parties, nothing to do with weapons, nothing to do with wars. The man was just trying to support his family, and he and his son died for nothing.

— Abed HachemAbed Hachem speaking about his neighbor and his son who were killed in the strikes.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dawn. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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