Packed Bags Remain Ready as Beirut Suburb Residents Live in Fear of Renewed Conflict

For many residents of Beirut's southern suburb, returning home after displacement has not meant a new beginning, but a tense period of waiting. Fatima Meshik and her family are among those who have kept their suitcases packed since their return, ready to flee again at a moment's notice.

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We came back because we could no longer afford to stay away. But we kept our clothes, medicines, and essential belongings packed in suitcases inside the car. If we have to leave again, we want to be ready.

"We came back because we could no longer afford to stay away," Meshik told Asharq Al-Awsat. "But we kept our clothes, medicines, and essential belongings packed in suitcases inside the car. If we have to leave again, we want to be ready." Financial pressures forced their return, making living in the suburb more affordable than renting elsewhere. Her father has reopened his store to help the family cope with difficult economic conditions.

Mariam Saleh's experience mirrors this reality. Her family returned not out of a sense of safety, but because they could no longer sustain the rent of $500 per month plus transportation costs for a home in Aramoun during their displacement. "In the end, we had no choice but to come back," she said. Many apartments in her building remain empty, damaged, and unrepaired, reflecting the pervasive fear that still grips the community.

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In the end, we had no choice but to come back.

Zeinab Hamieh described her return as a consequence of exhausting all savings. "I didn't come back because the fear disappeared," she stated. "I came back because I could no longer afford the luxury of displacement. Everything we had saved before the war was spent during it." Families are now prioritizing daily needs over repairing damaged homes, a stark reminder of the war's enduring impact on their lives and decisions.

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I didn't come back because the fear disappeared. I came back because I could no longer afford the luxury of displacement. Everything we had saved before the war was spent during it.