Most of the residents of what is considered Hezbollah‘s core area have now fled, and the sound of Israeli drones and rockets regularly breaks the silence.
In several places, an unmistakable smell of rotting corpses rises from the ruins of destroyed buildings, and only a few young men in civilian black clothes are to be seen. Some of them stand guard at buildings, others pass by on motorbikes.
The occasional car is also seen, some of the residents rushing in to see if their apartment is still unscathed and to collect more belongings before rushing back to safety.
– The young people tell me that I shouldn’t stay too long, because there are drones in the air, and there could be new Israeli attacks at any time, says 32-year-old Mohammed. He has only just returned home to pick up some more clothes.
I all hast
Mohammed, who will only give his first name, says that he fled South Beirut on September 27, a few days after Israel began the massive airstrikes against the district.
On that day, the Hezbollah movement’s longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an attack that leveled several large apartment blocks.
– We left in a hurry and thought we would never see our house again, says Mohammed.
The building still stands, but many others have been completely or partially destroyed in the Israeli attacks. So are streets, water and sewer pipes.
The generators that supplied residents with electricity in a city where five years of economic crisis have resulted in daily power outages have also been destroyed.
Worse than in 2006
– Around 320 buildings in Beirut and the suburbs have been destroyed in less than a month of war, says Mona Fawaz in Beirut Urban Lab.
The destruction is greater than in 2006, when Israel also went to war against Hezbollah, she says.
Fawaz accuses Israel of “premeditatedly attacking what allows life to go on”, including essential infrastructure that has nothing to do with Hezbollah.
Razed
Hezbollah managed to rebuild South Beirut after the war in 2006, when around 100,000 people fled the area.
After that war, extensive damage was recorded to 1,332 buildings in the district covering an area of around 20 square kilometres, and 281 of them were completely destroyed, says Fawaz.
The Burj al-Barajneh neighborhood, which escaped the 2006 attacks, is now partially in ruins. And the Israeli attacks continue.
On the run
Once again, South Beirut’s residents have been driven to flee, some to other parts of Beirut and Lebanon, others to foreign countries.
Many live in rented flats or with relatives, others in schools and other buildings that have been converted into shelters. Some also spend the nights on the streets of West Beirut.
37-year-old Hassan grew up in the Mraijeh neighborhood of south Beirut where Nasrallah’s nephew Hashem Safieddine, who was considered by many to be the Hezbollah chief’s successor, was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Good memories
Despite the dramatic attack, Hassan will always remember the friends he had growing up in Mraijeh, playing with the other children, the smell of freshly baked bread in the morning and the neighbors’ banter, he says.
The grocery store where he used to shop is now in ruins. Other shops and schools in the neighborhood do the same.
– We are afraid of what will meet us when we return after the war and discover how many of our friends have been killed, just like in 2006, says Hassan.
#Ruins #smell #death #characterize #South #Beirut
**Interview with Mohammed, a Resident of South Beirut**
**Interviewer:** Thank you for joining us today, Mohammed. Can you start by telling us about your experience since the attacks began in Gaza and Lebanon?
**Mohammed:** Thank you for having me. It has been extremely difficult. I had to leave South Beirut suddenly on September 27, just days after the airstrikes began. It was chaos. We were frightened and thought we might never see our home again.
**Interviewer:** I can only imagine the panic. You mentioned returning to collect some belongings. What did you find when you got back?
**Mohammed:** When I returned, I was surprised to see my building still standing, but many others around it were either completely destroyed or severely damaged. The streets are a mess, and essential services like water and electricity have been disrupted.
**Interviewer:** That sounds terrifying. How is life for those who have stayed behind in your neighborhood?
**Mohammed:** Most have fled, but a few young men are left, watching over what’s left. The atmosphere is tense. You can smell the decay from the ruins, and the sound of drones overhead is a constant reminder that more attacks could come at any moment. People rush in and out to check on their homes but are always on edge.
**Interviewer:** You mentioned that the destruction is worse than in the 2006 conflict. Can you elaborate on that?
**Mohammed:** Yes, experts say around 320 buildings have been destroyed in just a few weeks. In 2006, it was terrible, but this time the scale of destruction feels even greater. We’ve been through so much in the past, but this is a new level of despair.
**Interviewer:** It sounds like a very traumatic situation. What do you think the future holds for you and your community?
**Mohammed:** Honestly, I don’t know. We’re trying to survive day by day. People are scared, and the future feels uncertain. We need help and stability, but for now, it’s just about staying safe and hoping for peace.
**Interviewer:** Thank you for sharing your story, Mohammed. Your experiences shed light on the human impact of this conflict, and our hearts go out to you and your community.
**Mohammed:** Thank you for listening. I hope that our voices are heard, and we can find some peace soon.
