Lebanese who fled the Israeli invasion visit to see what’s left

Return to Nabatiyeh: Residents Survey War’s Toll on Their Hometown

A City Under Siege

Ecorescuezone.com – NABATIYEH, Lebanon — Through the fractured panes of balcony doors at Najib Ayyad’s war-scarred residence in southern Lebanon, a view of a historic landmark remains visible, though now held by Israeli military personnel.

“Do you notice the castle?” he inquires, referring to Beaufort Castle, a medieval fortress dating back to the crusader period. Israeli troops captured this strategic position in May, extending their presence well beyond the boundaries that the Israeli government has defined as a “security zone” within southern Lebanon.

“They can see us clearly from there,” he says. “Even if my apartment weren’t damaged I couldn’t stay.”

During our June visit, plumes of smoke drifted upward following an Israeli artillery bombardment near Nabatiyeh, a modest city serving as a central hub in the southern region. The persistent hum of Israeli drones provided an ever-present soundtrack to this war-torn city, which nevertheless displays cautious indications that locals are attempting to restore their daily routines.

Ayyad, who works in a parliamentary office, returned solely to retrieve personal items from his apartment. Previously, he traveled from this location to his workplace near Sidon, merely a brief drive away. Lacking funds to secure alternative housing, he currently resides with his daughter in her Beirut apartment.

Damage and Displacement

Reaching his apartment proves challenging. The building’s entranceway lies strewn with concrete fragments, while the staircase contains scattered debris and shattered glass. Israeli aerial bombardments have disrupted electrical power across the entire city.

Ascending three flights of stairs, beams of daylight stream through windows missing their glass, casting illumination on heaps of ruined furniture.

Outside on the street, the majority of residences have suffered destruction or severe damage. A sophisticated multi-story villa positioned behind ornate metal gates seems undamaged from the front, yet its rear section bears significant harm.

Nabatiyeh serves as an administrative headquarters for Hezbollah, the Iran-supported militant organization whose combatants and facilities Israel currently identifies as targets. However, Hezbollah functions simultaneously as a political entity and a social service provider, meaning that civilian populations in this town and others throughout southern Lebanon have endured substantial losses alongside military infrastructure.

Human Cost and Historical Context

Lebanese medical authorities report that a minimum of 4,200 individuals have perished since hostilities commenced on March 2. According to these officials, at least twenty percent of those deceased are women or children. Israel maintains that Hezbollah attacks have claimed the lives of 37 soldiers, one military contractor, and two civilians.

For centuries, Nabatiyeh’s covered marketplace operated as a bustling commercial hub—initially situated along a transportation corridor connecting Jerusalem, Damascus, and Mecca, and subsequently developing into a significant settlement during Ottoman rule. In 1982, Israeli troops invaded and occupied the city, departing three years afterward.

The marketplace, characterized by red-tiled roofing and stone archways, once housed agricultural products, garments, and handcrafted items—many of which now lie crushed beneath rubble following Israeli bombardments.

“We are telling people to wait to come back,” says Mayor Abbas Fakhreddin pointing out damage to the historic market. “Not only because of the security situation but also because we don’t have the necessities of life. There is a huge amount of work to be done here.”

Fakhreddin and local residents believe the widespread destruction demonstrates Israel’s objective of disrupting the city’s commercial activities.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced in July that forces operating further south had demolished over 15,000 residences in border villages to deter inhabitants from returning. These villages constitute what Israel designates a “buffer zone,” intended to stop Hezbollah from launching additional rockets or other assaults across the boundary.

Resilience in Small Ways

Nearby the Nabatiyeh covered market stands Hanan Hamadi’s modest convenience shop. Though considerably smaller than the historic establishments, it powerfully illustrates local determination to recover from this most recent conflict with Israel.

“When we arrived we found the shop completely damaged,” says Hamadi, who returned with her mother from Beirut, where they had taken refuge. She and her mother threw out damaged goods, restocked, put the framed photo of her late father back on the wall and re-opened for business. A plastic sheet substitutes for the broken door.”

A young boy enters to inquire about the cost of a candy bar. Hamadi tells him whatever amount he possesses suffices, later revealing that the child’s father sustained injuries during an attack.

The store’s inventory encompasses canned provisions, yogurt, plastic bags containing flat bread, batteries, and—symbolizing hope that normalcy might eventually return—birthday candles.

“God willing we will rebuild the market better than ever and everyone will come back.”