Defiant South Lebanese Stand Firm Amid Israeli Fire

Cattle farmer Khairallah Yaacoub, like a few other residents of war-ravaged southern Lebanon, initially refused to abandon his border village of Houla despite a year of skirmishes between Hezbollah and Israel. When full-scale conflict broke out, Yaacoub and four others found themselves stranded in the wrecked village.

Despite the relentless Israeli attacks, Yaacoub tried to stay, but he eventually had to leave after being injured by shrapnel and losing half his herd of 16 cattle to airstrikes. On October 19, three weeks into Israel’s intensified offensive, U.N. peacekeepers rescued Yaacoub and two of the five remaining residents of Houla, where they had been isolated by ongoing bombardment and blocked roads.

Two other villagers could not be found, as they lacked mobile phones for communication. Yaacoub, now in his fifties, shared how he was forced to treat his own injuries, using a knife to remove the shrapnel and applying herbal remedies. Despite the danger, he had been determined to remain with his cattle, which were his livelihood. Now safe north of Beirut, he dreams of returning to his village, saying he would go back immediately if a ceasefire were declared.

The war has brought widespread displacement across Lebanon. Israel’s airstrikes, which began on September 23 with an initial focus on Hezbollah areas, have since included ground incursions. According to the health ministry, over 1,829 people in Lebanon have lost their lives, while the U.N. reports at least 1.3 million people have been displaced, with 800,000 still inside the country. Many villagers, particularly those in areas that hold memories of previous Israeli occupation, have refused to leave, fearing they might never return.

On October 22, U.N. forces evacuated the last two residents of Qawzah, a border village, relocating them to Rmeish, a nearby Christian village that has been safer from attacks. Christian and Druze-majority areas have largely avoided major strikes, while Hezbollah-dominated, Shiite-majority regions continue to bear the brunt of the conflict.

Further north, 80-year-old Abu Fadi remains in Tayr Debba, despite Israel’s repeated strikes. Having experienced previous invasions, Abu Fadi, a retired policeman who now runs a coffee stall under an olive tree, feels deeply connected to his land. Although his village, once home to 5,000 people, is nearly deserted and many homes in his neighborhood have been destroyed, he finds comfort knowing his children and grandchildren are safe elsewhere.

In addition to airstrikes, southern Lebanese residents have faced detentions by Israeli forces. A Lebanese security official reported that Israeli soldiers temporarily detained a man, Ihab Serhan, and a nun from two border villages. Serhan, who lived with his pets in Kfar Kila, was taken into Israel for questioning but was released about 10 days later.

His car was destroyed in a strike, leaving him without essentials as his village became a battlefield. Despite losing his family home, Serhan still clings to his roots, lamenting the loss of the village his father had hoped to return to before his passing.