El-Cheikh, one of the few Christians from Dibbine, found refuge in another village, but regularly visits Jdeidat Marjayoun, a predominantly Christian village near her hometown, to have coffee with a friend from church. Before the war, this was a calming ritual. Now it takes place amidst loss and fear.
Looking out from a friend’s balcony, Milia el-Cheikh had difficulty making out her home amidst the ruins of her now-abandoned village, its entrances cordoned off by barbed wire. Her village, Dibbine, is one of several predominantly Shiite communities in southern Lebanon that have been devastated by Israeli forces during the fighting against the Iranian-backed Shiite Hezbollah. Israel has occupied large areas, and the fighting has not stopped even during declared ceasefires. The recent ceasefire, part of an interim peace deal between the United States and Iran, appears to be holding.
El-Cheikh, one of the few Christians from Dibbine, found refuge in another village but regularly visits Jdeidat Marjayoun, a predominantly Christian village near her hometown, to have coffee with a friend from church. Before the war, this was a calming ritual. Now it takes place amidst loss and fear. “I don’t know anything about my home,” she says. “Nothing is more painful than not being able to go to your home.” Jdeidat Marjayoun is one of a string of towns and villages visited by The Associated Press on the blurred border of the Israeli-occupied area in southern Lebanon. The army has expelled the mostly Shiite population, believing they are harboring Hezbollah fighters, and many settlements have been destroyed.
Residents of neighboring Christian, Sunni and Druze communities have been allowed to stay, but the conflict has changed their lives. Their homes have been hit, roadblocks have isolated them from the rest of Lebanon, and nightly raids by Israeli troops have terrorized residents. Israeli warnings against harboring Hezbollah fighters have made it virtually impossible for them to accept the displaced Shiites, creating divisions between the longtime neighbors and fueling political and sectarian tensions.
LEBANON, KEY TO THE AGREEMENT WITH IRAN
The latest conflict began when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel days after Israel and the United States launched their war against Iran on February 28. Israel invaded Lebanon and has expanded its zone of control to a depth of 12 kilometers in some places. As troops advanced, Israel warned residents to evacuate large swaths of southern Lebanon and in April published a list of 53 towns and villages, mostly Shiite, from which residents are prohibited from returning. Eight more Shiite-majority villages were recently added to the list.
Israel says its troops will remain in southern Lebanon for self-defense. It claims Hezbollah is deeply entrenched in the area and has released videos it says show tunnels and military infrastructure in populated areas. Iran says any broader ceasefire must include Lebanon and that Israel must withdraw, while Hezbollah says it will resist the invasion. The Lebanese government has also called for Israel to withdraw.
LIFE IN THE SHADOW OF THE ISRAELI ARMY
The mixed towns and villages on the edge of the security zone, spread out among hills, valleys, orchards and olive groves, face their devastated neighbors. Residents have vowed to stay. The Shiite town of Khiam, now a vacant lot with flattened buildings and under Israeli control, is seen from the Christian village of Qlayaa. Qlayaa residents are effectively barred from reaching their olive groves in the valley between the two settlements. “We have now lost another season,” says Qlayaa’s mayor, Hanna Daher. A priest in Qlayaa was killed by shelling while inspecting the damage from an earlier attack, while a father and his two children were killed by a drone strike as they drove to the village. Israel says it only strikes militants.
In Jdeidat Marjayoun, a house suspected of being used by militants was bombed. Rockets, believed to have been fired by Hezbollah, damaged the dome of a church. Elsewhere, solar panels, power transmitters and water stations were hit.
El-Cheikh fled Dibbine with her neighbors in early March after Israel warned residents to leave. In late May, after weeks of fighting, Israeli forces raided Dibbine and withdrew in early June. As the fighting continued, her friend Lolitta Costantine remained holed up in their home in Jdeidat Marjayoun and at one point took refuge with neighbors. Explosions ripped through the walls of her home. Windows were shattered and doors were torn out of place. She keeps shell fragments as a reminder of that time. “We didn’t know where the danger was coming from,” Costantine says.
TENSIONS RISE, REPLACEMENTS ARE REJECTED
Shiites seeking refuge from the fighting have been turned away by residents who fear Israeli attacks or expulsion, exacerbating tensions that have remained largely silent since Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war. When a Qlayaa resident sheltered a friend from a Shiite village in his orchard, his house was bombed, Mayor Daher said. Other residents have urged the Shiite asylum seekers to leave.
“We told them we don’t want any trouble for you or us,” Daher said. Israel has warned the municipality of Jdeidat Marjayoun not to allow people displaced from neighboring villages to enter, saying it could endanger the town or force its evacuation, the municipality said on social media. “We had to ask some of them to leave the town,” said the parish priest, Father Philip Habib Okla. “This caused a lot of disagreement and tension. We rely on faith to stay united,” he added. The Israeli military said it had warned residents in parts of southern Lebanon not to allow Hezbollah to use their villages. It said Hezbollah operates in civilian areas, putting residents at risk.
During the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon from 1982 to 2000, the area was a stronghold of the South Lebanon Army, a largely Christian militia that collaborated with the Israeli army. When Israel withdrew, some of them fled to Israel, while others were tried in Lebanon, where they were widely considered collaborators.
Some residents worry they could be unfairly labeled in the same way simply for staying in their homes. Few are willing to speak openly about the tensions, fearing retaliation from Israel or Hezbollah. At a church visited by The Associated Press, one man erupted in anger, saying everyone had become suspicious of each other, even Christians. He blamed Hezbollah for plunging Lebanon into war, saying it had made a serious mistake.
“IT’S DONE HERE LIKE ON THE WEST COAST”
In March, Israeli forces surrounded a building in the predominantly Sunni village of Halta. They forced their way in and arrested Chadi Abdel-Al, who was screaming “my heart” as he was beaten and dragged toward a van, according to his mother, Ayesha al-Qaderi, who lives in the same building. Amid the chaos, a 15-year-old relative, Mohammad Abdel-Al, ran in the darkness in his pajamas toward the house, his grandfather Hatem said. Israeli soldiers shot him dead. A neighbor, who was on his balcony, was wounded. The Israeli military said it had detained the commander of a local militant group in connection with the incident.
In another incident, Israeli troops detained three farmers from Halta during a raid on a nearby village.
According to Lebanese media, they are among at least eight people detained by Israeli troops since March. The Israeli military says they were suspected of involvement in militant activities and plots against its troops. “We still don’t know why they kidnapped them. Maybe to instill fear in the village and to send a message that they are watching everyone,” said Issa Abdel-Al, the community leader. “Here it is like in the West Bank,” he added, referring to the occupied Palestinian territory. “I just want to know his fate,” said Al-Qaderi, who has not heard from her son since he was forcibly taken. (Associated Press)