In the city of Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, a sad spectacle unfolded as bulldozers began clearing away the rubble of the city’s old souk. This comes a day after a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hezbollah. Engineer Mehdi Yousef expressed his sadness at the scale of the destruction: “The destruction is very sad and very significant, it is much greater than what we imagined.”
The old souk of Nabatiyeh, built during the Ottoman era according to locals, is the historic marketplace for most villages in southern Lebanon. Unfortunately, it was almost completely flattened by airstrikes during the 14-month conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday night ended months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which began a day after Hamas launched an attack from Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. The Lebanese militant group then began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
The Israeli strikes have killed more than 3,760 people in Lebanon, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. On the Israeli side, the clashes have killed more than 70 people, more than half of them civilians, as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
More than 1.2 million people have been displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began returning home Wednesday despite warnings from Lebanese authorities and the Israeli military to stay away from certain areas. On the Israeli side, some 50,000 people have been displaced, but few have been able to return and communities near the northern border remain largely deserted.
The scene of desolation in Nabatiyeh is a testament to the brutality of the fighting that has rocked the region, leaving deep scars and shattered lives. The people of these devastated territories will now have to rebuild their towns and their lives, in the hope that lasting peace can finally come to this troubled region.