In beachside city, Lebanese try to shake off Israel-Hezbollah war

TYRE, Lebanon - Heavy equipment operator Bassam Khalil’s bulldozers and excavators are in high demand in south Lebanon’s Tyre these days, as the seaside city tries to pick up the pieces from the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

Residents of destroyed buildings are anxious to comb through the rubble in search of their belongings, the 45-year-old told AFP, next to a pile of shattered concrete and mangled metal that was once a multi-storey apartment block, brought down by an Israeli strike in May.

But often, after they start, “they realise there is nothing left to find”, he added, sweating in the dust and summer heat.

Heavy Israeli air strikes targeted Tyre, one of south Lebanon’s largest cities, after Hezbollah dragged the country into the Middle East war on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran.

Piles of rubble and streets strewn with debris dot several mainly seaside neighbourhoods.

Using a bulldozer, Khalil cleared rubble blocking the road to a company’s warehouse, near buildings scarred by strikes.

According to the Tyre municipality, the attacks killed around 60 people, destroyed 26 buildings and damaged about 1,000 homes in the city.

Tens of thousands of residents fled after Israel’s army warned the entire city to evacuate in June ahead of air raids targeting Hezbollah.

The authorities say more than two-thirds of residents have returned since last week’s US-Iran deal to end the wider regional war and the lull in fighting in Lebanon that began over the weekend.

Hussein Hassan, 40, fled north with his family during the war but returned this week to reopen his barbershop, even though one of its walls is cracked and its glass facade has been blown away.

Tyre residents “love life and work. We shake off the dust and rise up again like the phoenix”, he said proudly, while welcoming customers.

“Even if there are a dozen wars, we’ll come out from under the rubble... and get back to work.”

While life has begun returning to the city, Hassan and others told AFP they feared the calm would not last.

“From experience, we don’t trust this enemy,” said Hassan, alluding to previous hostilities with Israel.

But, he added: “We can’t just sit around and wait to die.”

Despite the uncertainty, and with Israeli troops still in Lebanon, including near Tyre, some residents were already patching up their damaged homes and businesses.

Inside a mini-market with a destroyed wall and facade, Ali Samhat, 26, oversaw the clean-up and repairs.

“We all know that Israel loves destruction... but life goes on. A strike or rocket won’t deter us,” he said, expressing hope that he might soon be able to reopen.

On a nearby street, another Israeli strike in May flattened a multi-storey building.

In it was Abbas Ashour’s home, which he had spent his life savings buying and carefully furnishing for him and his family.

Ashour, who lives and works in Britain, fought back tears as he searched for any trace of the flat and the belongings and memories it contained.

“I have valuable things here... from my hard work to the scent of my family’s home,” said Ashour, 59, putting on protective gloves.

He expressed hope that the Lebanese government would be able to assert its authority against what he branded “the criminal state” of Israel.

In spite of the destruction, Tyre is preparing to launch its summer tourist season on the city’s famous beach, deputy mayor Alwan Charafeddine said, with plans for new seaside cafes and kiosks to attract visitors.

Near the sparkling blue water of the Mediterranean, Majed Jaffal, 19, from a town nearby, said he had finally returned to his favourite pastime in Tyre – swimming.

“Since we came back... I’ve been coming here every day,” said Jaffal, who was with his family at a beachside restaurant.

“We missed the sea. There’s no seaside in Lebanon like the one in Tyre,” he added, calling it the city’s “beating heart”.

The situation was “calmer” since the strikes ended, noted the computer science student, who has been displaced three times.

“I hope it stays under control.” AFP