Return to ruins: Residents eager to reclaim their villages in South Lebanon's western and central sectors

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

For hours, thousands of residents waited in their cars along the road between South Lebanon's Bint Jbeil and Aitaroun, hoping to return to their village alongside the Lebanese Army as they await Israel's withdrawal. 

Long lines of vehicles stretched for kilometers, with residents standing behind the army, eager to reclaim their homes. 

However, their wait extended into the afternoon without success, leaving them unable to reach their neighborhoods, where the remains of fallen residents and those returning to their land still lay.  

Despite promises of a return on Monday, Aitaroun's residents, like other villages, were disappointed. 

Meanwhile, inside the villages of Yaroun and Maroun El Ras, the scene remained unchanged—civilians and the Lebanese Army standing in place, while Israeli forces loomed behind barriers. 

Yet, the situation in the central sector contrasts with that in the western sector, where destruction tells its own story.  

Among the ruins, a grieving woman sat, clutching the rubble of what was once her home and that of her son. Her neighbors recounted how they built their homes through years of toil, only to see them reduced to rubble in mere moments. All that remains are the debris, the Lebanese flag, and a deep sense of sorrow.  

In Alma al-Shaab, six young men from the village spent their first night back in their homes on Sunday. At dawn, a man who had traveled from the UAE arrived to inspect his palace. He climbed the stairs, now covered in rubble, and reflected on the loss of a lifetime's hard work.  

The people of Alma al-Shaab had not abandoned their town until the war escalated, forcing many to flee as their homes were reduced to ruins. 

On Monday afternoon, the residents entered Marwahin and Boustane on foot for the first time as the Lebanese Army was stationed in Marwahin, completing the return of the villagers in the western sector.

Nevertheless, the return lacked all the necessities of life.