Lebanese Residents Displaced by Conflict Come Back Home to Devastation
An RT crew has traveled to various settlements following Israel's systematic demolition of border villages. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
An RTN crew has traveled to southern Lebanon just days after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect.
The fragile truce began last week following 14 months of hostilities that resulted in over 3,500 deaths and extensive damage or destruction to numerous settlements across the country.
In the preceding two months, intense Israeli airstrikes have devastated entire neighborhoods in southern Lebanon. Local authorities report that nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced due to Israel’s invasion and ongoing bombardments.
The towns of Qana, Maarakeh, Seddiqine, Kafra, and Mahrouna faced severe bombardment during the latest Israeli attacks, which wrecked hospitals, churches, and mosques.
As the ceasefire took hold, thousands returned to their hometowns to check on their properties, often unsure whether their homes still stood. RT's Steve Sweeney, among the first journalists to arrive in southern Lebanon, interviewed local residents.
“Israel cannot destroy the resistance or the fighters so it resorts to attacking medical facilities. What has a hospital to do with what is happening? Is it a military target? The hospital is for the wounded and sick, not for anything else! The wounded are civilians who are injured. Military personnel do not usually go to the hospital,” said a local man.
Clean-up efforts in the settlements have commenced since the armistice, but local citizens report that dozens of bodies remain unrecovered at the impact sites.
Some villages, such as Maroun El Ras, are still occupied by Israeli forces, who have prevented locals from returning, even firing at them in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
In southern Lebanon, estimates suggest that between 40,000 to 100,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, with the total cost of the devastation estimated at $13 billion.
The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel escalated in October 2023, following the militant group's sporadic shelling of Israeli territory in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza.
According to the ceasefire terms, the IDF is required to withdraw from Lebanon within 60 days, transferring control of the occupied territory back to the Lebanese Army.
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
The fragile truce began last week following 14 months of hostilities that resulted in over 3,500 deaths and extensive damage or destruction to numerous settlements across the country.
In the preceding two months, intense Israeli airstrikes have devastated entire neighborhoods in southern Lebanon. Local authorities report that nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced due to Israel’s invasion and ongoing bombardments.
The towns of Qana, Maarakeh, Seddiqine, Kafra, and Mahrouna faced severe bombardment during the latest Israeli attacks, which wrecked hospitals, churches, and mosques.
As the ceasefire took hold, thousands returned to their hometowns to check on their properties, often unsure whether their homes still stood. RT's Steve Sweeney, among the first journalists to arrive in southern Lebanon, interviewed local residents.
“Israel cannot destroy the resistance or the fighters so it resorts to attacking medical facilities. What has a hospital to do with what is happening? Is it a military target? The hospital is for the wounded and sick, not for anything else! The wounded are civilians who are injured. Military personnel do not usually go to the hospital,” said a local man.
Clean-up efforts in the settlements have commenced since the armistice, but local citizens report that dozens of bodies remain unrecovered at the impact sites.
Some villages, such as Maroun El Ras, are still occupied by Israeli forces, who have prevented locals from returning, even firing at them in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
In southern Lebanon, estimates suggest that between 40,000 to 100,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, with the total cost of the devastation estimated at $13 billion.
The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel escalated in October 2023, following the militant group's sporadic shelling of Israeli territory in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza.
According to the ceasefire terms, the IDF is required to withdraw from Lebanon within 60 days, transferring control of the occupied territory back to the Lebanese Army.
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
