Lebanese who fled the Israeli invasion visit to see what's left
Residents of Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, are returning to their war-damaged homes to salvage belongings amidst an ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The city, which serves as an administrative hub for the militant group, has suffered extensive infrastructure damage from air strikes.
Why it matters
The report highlights the humanitarian impact of the conflict on civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
NABATIYEH, Lebanon — Past the shattered glass of the balcony doors of Najib Ayyad's damaged apartment in southern Lebanon, he can see a historic local landmark — now occupied by Israeli forces.
"You see the castle?" he asks. Beaufort Castle, a crusader-era fortress, was seized in May by Israeli forces who have now gone far beyond what the Israeli government describes as a "security zone" in southern Lebanon.
"They can see us clearly from there," he says. "Even if my apartment weren't damaged I couldn't stay."
On the day we visit in June, smoke is rising from an Israeli artillery strike near Nabatiyeh, a small city that is a hub in the south of the country. The sound of Israeli drones is a constant backdrop in a city devastated by war, but which still shows tentative signs of residents trying to rebuild their lives here.
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