Small businesses in South Lebanon persist in operating despite facing Israeli bombing threats

In a small falafel shop in Kfar Kila, a village in South Lebanon near the Israeli border, Hussein Murtada, 60, continues to serve his few remaining customers amidst ongoing conflict. An Israeli drone flies overhead, a constant reminder of the recent escalation in violence since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7. Murtada recalls how a recent shell landed just 200 meters away, causing shrapnel damage to his shop.

As the conflict between Israel and Hamas persists, Hezbollah, supporting Hamas, has been launching cross-border attacks. Israel’s retaliatory strikes have mostly been limited to frontier areas, but the threat of a wider conflict looms.

The violence has led to over 140 deaths on the Lebanese side, predominantly Hezbollah fighters, but also including civilians and journalists. On the Israeli side, the conflict has claimed the lives of four civilians and seven soldiers.

In Kfar Kila, amid olive groves, the destruction is visible, with some houses completely ruined. Most villagers have fled, leaving Murtada’s area with only one operating grocery store and deserted streets.

Despite the danger, Murtada remains committed to his business, serving food to anyone in need, including those who cannot pay. Lebanon’s ongoing economic crisis makes the prospect of a full-scale conflict with Israel, like the 2006 war, particularly daunting.

The UN Development Programme reports significant losses in South Lebanon’s border villages, affecting buildings, businesses, infrastructure, and economic activity. The World Bank predicts that the current conflict will plunge Lebanon’s economy, which was showing signs of recovery, back into recession.

In Taybeh village, Ali Mansur runs a petrol station, constantly under Israeli drone surveillance. He continues to work, earning a living as long as the strikes are distant.

The conflict has also affected nearby Adaysseh. Ahmad Tarrab, 23, ran a burger restaurant until a shell landing near the establishment forced him to close and eventually flee. The violence has displaced over 72,000 people in Lebanon, many of whom are in the south, with some seeking shelter with host families or in U.N. facilities.

Abbas Baalbaki, a print shop owner in Adaysseh, has closed his business due to a lack of customers but remains determined to stay, regardless of the war’s duration.