Devastation in South Lebanon's Chamaa and Tayr Harfa: The aftermath of Israel's war

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

From Biyyadah towards Chamaa and Tayr Harfa, scenes of destruction and desolation reveal villages rendered uninhabitable. 

The entrance to Chamaa, a town civilians have not entered since the Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army presents an apocalyptic landscape.  

For the first time, LBCI team entered Chamaa to document the staggering scale of destruction. The violent clashes and relentless airstrikes have left behind ruins that speak volumes. Civil Defense teams are still searching through the rubble, hoping to recover the bodies of those lost.  

In the middle of the debris, the town was transformed beyond recognition. Landmarks such as religious sites and historical fortresses now stand in ruins. The site tells a grim story: an Israeli historian of heritage killed in a Hezbollah ambush, and young fighters who fell in fierce battles.  

The devastation does not end in Chamaa. The road to Tayr Harfa and the border is lined with homes stripped of life, with destruction stretching as far as the eye can see. 

Entire villages have been reduced to rubble. The Lebanese army stands as the sole presence in Chamaa, Tayr Harfa, and at the critical junction near Jebbayn.   

This junction holds painful memories for the Lebanese press, marked by remnants of Israeli ammunition boxes and Hebrew writings scrawled along the roads. 

Just a few kilometers from the border, areas near Marwahin in the western sector remain within Israeli control, awaiting the Lebanese army's entry to initiate the long journey of restoring life and resettling displaced residents.