In Southern Lebanon, ‘The War Goes On’ and Residents Cannot Return Home

More than two months after a ceasefire used to be declared between Israel and Hezbollah, the border area of southern Lebanon stays a zone of worry and devastation. Intermittent Israeli moves, a large humanitarian displacement, and the destruction of villages create a “phoney struggle” the place neither peace nor complete war exists, trapping citizens in a cycle of hysteria and uncertainty.

Introduction: A Landscape Frozen in Fear

On a transparent day in February 2026, the ruins of Kfar Kila stand as a stark monument to a war that, whilst formally paused, feels eternally lively. A Lebanese soldier surveys the rubble, a scene captured by means of Agence France-Presse (AFP). This village, as soon as house to 1000’s, is now a skeletal reminder of the 2024 struggle. The respectable narrative speaks of a ceasefire agreed upon on November 27, 2024, following 66 days of intense bombardment. Yet, for the folk of southern Lebanon, the struggle has no longer ended; it has simply shifted into a perilous, unpredictable limbo.

This article examines the truth at the floor in southern Lebanon, transferring past headlines to discover the human, infrastructural, and geopolitical dimensions of a area held in suspense. We will analyze why the ceasefire is fragile, the size of displacement and destruction, and what the longer term holds for a inhabitants stuck between militant task and armed forces reaction. The account is grounded within the testimony of locals like Riad Al-Assaad, a 67-year-old engineer and infrastructure specialist from Zrariyé close to Tyre, who is a part of a analysis undertaking with the American University of Beirut (AUB) on recycling struggle particles.

Key Facts: The Situation at a Glance

Understanding the disaster calls for a clear-eyed have a look at the elemental information issues that outline existence in southern Lebanon as of late.

Ceasefire Violations and Civilian Impact

• Official Ceasefire Date: November 27, 2024, mediated by means of the United States and France.
• Persistent Incidents: Despite the truce, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) frequently habits moves in southern Lebanon, mentioning instant threats from Hezbollah. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has documented dozens of such violations.
• Civilian Casualties Post-Ceasefire: According to UN stories verified as of early 2026, no less than 130 Lebanese civilians were killed in southern Lebanon because of moves for the reason that ceasefire took impact. This quantity continues to upward thrust incrementally.
• Displacement Crisis: An estimated 100,000 to 120,000 citizens from the instant border zone (normally outlined as villages inside of 5-10 km of the Blue Line) stay displaced. Many are sheltering with kinfolk in different portions of Lebanon or in casual camps.

Physical Destruction

• Village Devastation: Entire cities and villages alongside the border, similar to Kfar Kila, Aita al-Shaab, and others, were subjected to heavy aerial and artillery bombardment, leading to near-total destruction of residential infrastructure.
• Debris Challenge: The war generated tens of millions of lots of rubble, together with compromised constructions, unexploded ordnance (UXO), and unsafe fabrics. The AUB-led recycling undertaking, involving professionals like Riad Al-Assaad, is a important however nascent effort to control this environmental and public well being disaster.
• Agricultural Land: Extensive injury to farmland, orchards, and irrigation techniques threatens the area’s financial livelihood for years yet to come.

Background: From 2006 to 2024 – A History of Escalation

To comprehend the present deadlock, one will have to perceive the lengthy, irritating historical past between Israel and Hezbollah alongside the Lebanon-Israel border.

The 2006 War and a Fragile Calm

The July 2006 struggle between Israel and Hezbollah lasted 34 days and ended in vital destruction in southern Lebanon. Its finish used to be ruled by means of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which referred to as for a cessation of hostilities, the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, and the deployment of the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL within the south. While a relative calm held for almost twenty years, key provisions of Resolution 1701 had been by no means totally carried out. Hezbollah maintained a vital army presence within the border area, and Israeli air violations of Lebanese sovereignty had been common.

The 2023-2024 Spark and Full-Scale War

The present war cycle started on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, resulting in the struggle in Gaza. Hezbollah, expressing team spirit with Hamas and its Palestinian allies, started firing rockets and artillery into northern Israel from October 8 onward. Israel answered with airstrikes and artillery fireplace into southern Lebanon. This low-intensity worldwide war endured for almost a yr.

The scenario escalated dramatically on September 23, 2024. Israel introduced a large, marvel aerial marketing campaign in opposition to Hezbollah goals throughout Lebanon, together with deep into the Bekaa Valley and the accomplishment, Beirut. The mentioned objective used to be to degrade Hezbollah’s army features and push its forces north of the Litani River. This marked the transition from a border skirmish to a full-scale struggle. Hezbollah answered with masses of rockets and drones focused on Israeli towns and armed forces websites. The war intensified till the U.S.- and French-brokered ceasefire on November 27, 2024.

Analysis: Why the Ceasefire is a “Phoney War”

The time period utilized by citizens—a “phoney struggle”—is an actual political and armed forces analysis. It describes a duration of neither peace nor open struggle, characterised by means of continual low-level violence and excessive mental force. Several interconnected elements maintain this precarious state.

1. The Core Dispute Over Hezbollah’s Presence

The elementary, unresolved factor is the implementation of Resolution 1701’s key clause: the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River. Israel’s army movements post-ceasefire are predicated at the argument that Hezbollah has no longer withdrawn its opponents or heavy guns from the border zone, thereby constituting an “instant danger.” Hezbollah, for its section, maintains that its presence is defensive and that it’s going to no longer disarm except the Lebanese state is robust sufficient to ensure safety—a situation broadly observed as unimaginable given Lebanon’s political paralysis. This strategic impasse approach Israel feels entitled to habits “enforcement” moves, whilst Hezbollah most likely continues to care for some covert infrastructure, resulting in a cycle of provocation and retaliation.

2. The Displacement Dilemma and Security Vacuum

The mass exodus of 100,000+ citizens created an infinite, empty buffer zone. While this militarily reduces attainable civilian casualties for Israel, it additionally creates a safety vacuum. The Lebanese Army has been sluggish to deploy in energy to the border, in part because of political calculations and the sheer scale of destruction. This vacuum is doubtlessly crammed by means of Hezbollah cadres, Israeli surveillance drones, and unexploded ordnance. For displaced citizens, the presence of any armed actor—be it Hezbollah opponents or Israeli troops carrying out raids—makes go back unimaginable. The possibility of being stuck in a unexpected strike is just too top.

3. Geopolitical Mediation and Its Limits

The ceasefire deal depends on U.S. and French diplomatic force. However, the guarantors’ leverage is constrained. The U.S. seeks to forestall a regional struggle however has restricted talent to pressure Hezbollah’s complete withdrawal or to restrain Israel’s safety calculus indefinitely. France’s affect is extra historic than sensible on this context. Furthermore, the wider regional tensions involving Iran (Hezbollah’s patron) and the Israeli executive’s home political pressures—which choose a hardline safety management—undermine long-term steadiness. The ceasefire is a pause, no longer a answer.

4. The Human Terrain: Exhaustion and Anxiety

As Riad Al-Assaad describes, the inhabitants is “exhausted and concerned.” The “phoney struggle” creates a novel type of trauma. There isn’t any declared struggle to psychologically get ready for, but additionally no peace to rebuild in. The sound of drones is continuing. The risk of a strike at any second prevents normalcy. This power rigidity, mixed with the lack of properties, livelihoods, and group, ends up in profound psychological well being crises and a way of perpetual limbo. The uncertainty concerning the long term—Will the ceasefire hang? Will my village be destroyed if I go back?—is itself a weapon of struggle.

Practical Advice: Navigating the Crisis

For the ones in quest of to know, file on, or help within the southern Lebanon scenario, a nuanced management is very important.

For International Actors & Policymakers

• Pressure for Full Implementation of Resolution 1701: Diplomatic efforts will have to transfer past tracking violations to making a reputable, phased enterprise development for the withdrawal of armed actors from the south and the deployment of a strong, unified Lebanese Army contingent.
• Urgent De-mining and UXO Clearance: The multinational group will have to fund and deploy specialised groups to clean unexploded ordnance from civilian spaces ahead of any large-scale go back will also be thought to be secure.
• Conditional Reconstruction Aid: Aid for rebuilding will have to be connected to verifiable safety enhancements and the status quo of transient protection zones. Funding will have to additionally improve the AUB-style particles recycling tasks to mitigate environmental hazards.
• Support UNIFIL’s Mandate: Advocate for the renewal and strengthening of UNIFIL’s mandate, making sure it has the assets and political backing to watch the ceasefire line successfully.

For Journalists & Researchers

• Ground Truthing: Rely on verified on-the-ground assets, together with Lebanese civil protection, UN companies, and native NGOs just like the Lebanese Red Cross, for casualty and injury figures. Cross-reference with satellite tv for pc imagery research from corporations like Planet Labs or Maxar.
• Human-Centered Storytelling: Balance geopolitical research with private narratives from displaced households, native enterprise homeowners like Riad Al-Assaad, and group leaders. This contextualizes the statistics.
• Clarify Terminology: Distinguish obviously between “ceasefire violation,” “army strike,” “assault,” and “casualty.” Use exact language referring to attribution (e.g., “an Israeli strike within the neighborhood of X village” vs. “Hezbollah fired from X space”).
• Historical Context is Key: Always attach the 2024 occasions to the legacy of the 2006 struggle and the unfulfilled UNSCR 1701. This prevents the disaster from being considered in a vacuum.

For the General Public & Donors

• Targeted Donations: Support respected NGOs running in Lebanon with confirmed observe data, such because the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Specify donations for “southern Lebanon humanitarian reaction” or “particles digital tools and reconstruction.”
• Advocacy: Contact elected representatives to precise fear concerning the humanitarian scenario in Lebanon and the significance of upholding multinational humanitarian regulation (IHL) in all moves. Advocate for sustained diplomatic engagement.
• Critical Media Consumption: Be acutely aware of bias in reporting. Seek out assets from more than one views (Lebanese, Israeli, multinational) and prioritize shops that distinguish between warring parties and civilians and cite particular proof.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is the struggle between Israel and Hezbollah formally over?

No. A ceasefire settlement used to be reached on November 27, 2024, however this is a transient cessation of hostilities, no longer an everlasting peace treaty. The underlying reasons of the war—basically the standing of Hezbollah’s army presence in southern Lebanon—stay unresolved. The settlement is fragile and often violated, that means the state of struggle has no longer legally or nearly concluded.

Why cannot displaced citizens go back to their properties within the south?

Return is lately unsafe for a number of intertwined causes: 1) Ongoing Strikes: The Israeli army continues to habits moves, claiming to focus on Hezbollah infrastructure, making go back and forth and place of dwelling perilous. 2) Destroyed Infrastructure: Homes, roads, water techniques, and tool grids are destroyed. 3) Unexploded Ordnance (UXO): Battlefields are affected by reside bombs and missiles, posing a dangerous possibility. 4) Absence of Security Guarantees: There isn’t any depended on, impartial safety pressure (like an absolutely deployed Lebanese Army) to give protection to returning civilians from worldwide incidents or inner disputes.

What is a “phoney struggle” on this context?

The time period, utilized by locals, describes a duration of irritating, inactive ready punctuated by means of sporadic, unpredictable violence. It mirrors the “drôle de guerre” (phony struggle) of 1939-40 in Europe. In southern Lebanon, it approach: no full-scale invasion or consistent bombardment, but additionally no peace, no rebuilding, and no protection. The consistent danger of a unexpected airstrike or drone assault creates a state of power hyper-vigilance and forestalls any go back to standard existence.

What is the position of UNIFIL and why is not it fighting the moves?

UNIFIL’s mandate, renewed yearly by means of the UN Security Council, is to watch the cessation of hostilities, improve the Lebanese Army, and assist make sure that humanitarian get admission to. It is a peacekeeping pressure, no longer an enforcement military. It lacks the mandate or tough regulations of engagement to bodily save you moves by means of all sides. Its position is basically observational and facilitative. It paperwork violations and stories them to the Security Council, however it can not interdict army operations.

What are the long-term implications if this example continues?

Prolonged instability has serious penalties: 1) Permanent Displacement: A technology could also be pressured to desert