In Lebanon’s South, a year after war: Memories endure amid the silence of ruins

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

In Kfarkela, known as “the bride” in Syriac, resident Hussein reflects on how a once-vibrant town has fallen silent.

In the border villages, the scenes speak for themselves. Centuries-old olive trees have been uprooted and burned. Landmarks have vanished, homes and years of labor erased. But what hurts most are the people still missing beneath the rubble.

It has been a year since the most devastating Israeli assault on southern Lebanon since the 2006 war. On September 23, hundreds of airstrikes hit villages on both sides of the Litani River. Tens of thousands fled, and hundreds were killed or wounded. Since then, much of the South has been left in ruins.

In Naqoura, where orchards lie flattened by Israeli forces after the ceasefire, Mohammad — a resident of the village — walks silently through the wreckage, retracing memories of the life that once filled these fields.

Few residents have returned to the border towns, after Israel redrew the balance of power that had held since 2006.

On February 18, many in the South believed their land would finally be restored. But Israel held on to five strategic points — including Labbouneh — reshaping the landscape and building new military posts inside Lebanese territory. In practice, it created a de facto buffer zone, controlling the area with firepower and leaving it almost devoid of life.

Farther from the front lines, Nabatieh’s Monday market has cautiously reopened, though life there still moves to the rhythm of war.

The Council for South South has documented the damage, yet signs of reconstruction remain absent.

The equation is stark: Lebanon lacks the funds to rebuild, and foreign donors are withholding aid as long as Hezbollah refuses to disarm. The group, for its part, insists it will hold on to its weapons — and fight for them. Until then, the South endures, clinging to memories of what once was, and struggling to preserve the bare essentials of life.