Beirut Demonstrates Its Resilience in the Face of Relentless Israeli Attacks
Photo by Roqayah Chamseddine
BEIRUT — Across Beirut’s southern suburb, the Chiyeh, and throughout South Lebanon the people have begun their journey back to their neighborhoods, in the shadow of a ceasefire that has so far been violated by drone surveillance and brutal Israeli attacks against South Lebanon, which have included the killing of a family from the village of Haris on December 5—an assault that took that lives of 6, including one child. Israel’s ceasefire violations have now surpassed 130, and many Lebanese citizens across the country are unconvinced that the ceasefire will hold, especially as Israel has never truly been held to account for violating the nation’s sovereignty. United Nations experts released a statement in October condemning Israel, saying “The number of internally displaced persons in Lebanon has more than tripled in less than a month due to Israel’s relentless attacks on populated areas coupled with belated or ineffective evacuation orders, in violation of the principles of distinction and proportionality.” The full extent of the destruction across the southern suburb is still being reckoned with, and efforts by local municipalities to clean up the streets and rebuild are now underway, but it’s clear that this will be a long process, and the aftereffects will be felt for years to come.

Photo by Roqayah Chamseddine
The Dahye, or Southern suburb, is a ghost of its former self—moving across its streets is like passing through a disturbed war of elements; fallen buildings, craters, and massive piles of debris that still emit the putrid scent of U.S. weaponry. “I have a headache every time I leave the house,” a local repairman in Haret Hreik told me. “I wear a mask, but it doesn’t help, especially when I’m around any of the collapsed buildings. I worry about the impact on my children, especially because they’ve started to clean up the neighborhoods and the dust and litter is ending up in the air we’re breathing. We don’t know what they used on us, but whatever it is, it’s ending up in our airways and lungs. It’s poison.”