'Constant fear': Southern Lebanese bewail daily life struggles caused by Israel's aggression

Since early March, in the days after US-Israeli war on Iran intensified, Israeli strikes have pounded Lebanon with a steady, unrelenting force. Missiles arc across the night sky. The horizon flashes, then goes dark again.

On the ground in southern Lebanon, entire communities have been thrust into chaos, with families fleeing under the roar of Israeli strikes, leaving behind shattered homes and destroyed lands.

This, along with Israel's ground invasion of southern Lebanon, ripped many areas in the south of any signs of life.

"The Lebanese border villages adjacent to occupied Palestine are almost deserted, devoid of any sign of life," Amal Akil, a university professor from the southern city of Tyre, tells TRT World, adding that they have been witnessing these scenes since 2023. 

"Since the beginning of the war, many of our villages have been completely destroyed, and we cannot visit them because they were under the oppressive Zionist occupation, and this remains the case today. My village, Al-Jabin, is one of them " 

Akil says that, despite the current situation in the south, settling outside it remains hard. 

"You can decide when to leave your home, but you don't get to decide if you will return or be targeted," Akil says. "Is living in constant fear really life?" 

She also says that "Since my village is a border village and has been uninhabitable since 2023 and is now under 'Zionist' occupation, all my relatives have been displaced."

According to the UN, over 1.1 million people were displaced in southern Lebanon, representing around 20 percent of Lebanon's population, with the number increasing daily.

All aspects of life impacted 

Since late March, Israel has started to expand its ground invasion in southern Lebanon, widening what it describes as a "security zone."

Israeli media said that the military plans to expand the invasion up to 8 kilometres inside Lebanese territory, saying the army had begun establishing 18 military positions there.

This has affected all aspects of life in southern Lebanon. 

"The war has affected us on all levels... Psychologically, we live in constant anxiety about our future and daily lives," Ameer Deaibess, a 47-year-old high school teacher from Marjaayoun in southern Lebanon, tells TRT World. 

He says that students have stopped going to school and socialising with their peers and friends, and that prices have gone up dramatically, especially for fuel. 

"Some people are in Beirut while their families are here in the south, with no way to communicate," he says. 

Another one from Qlayaa, a Christian town in Marjaayoun — Maissa Nohra — says that transportation has been severely limited, even within the same town, affecting the delivery of food, medicine and fuel. 

"The agricultural sector was also directly affected, as lands and crops were damaged, or access to them became risky, which affected production and the livelihood of many families," Nohra tells TRT World.

The healthcare system has also been severely impacted, she says, as "access to hospitals and medical centres has become more difficult, whether due to the dangerous roads or the shortage of some medicines and supplies, which has made even ordinary health conditions a challenge."

"The war has had a deep impact on (Lebanese) people, especially children, increasing feelings of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty about the future in the absence of a sense of security."

She also lamented the death of the Maronite priest Father Pierre al-Rahi, whose killing by Israel presented another level of pain for the people of her town. 

"He was a man who worked silently, with an unseen hand that sought neither recognition nor media attention, but rather honest and fruitful work on the ground, to support the people of the town and preserve their resilience and unity," Nohra says.

"Words, however numerous, remain inadequate to describe him, for his deeds spoke louder than any description." 

Before his killing, Al-Rahi defied, along with other priests, an Israeli ultimatum to evacuate the village. 

On March 9, he rushed to help people wounded in an Israeli attack on a house in the village. However, he was wounded in a second Israeli attack and later died from his injuries. 

'Steadfast and resilient' 

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, Israel has killed more than 1,400 people and wounded nearly 4,000 people since then.

But despite the killing, displacement and mass destruction, many people in southern Lebanon decided to "stay and resist." 

"A number of residents chose to stand firm and remain in their villages, clinging to their land and heritage, refusing to leave despite the dangers," Nohra says, saying that about 50 families left the town, though some of them returned. 

"This reflects a deep connection to the land; rootedness in it is a defining characteristic of the people of Qlayaa, and preserving the town's heritage and unity is an integral part of every Qlayaa resident's identity," she says. 

"Defending the land is not only by weapons, but also by remaining steadfast and resilient—a fundamental choice for the town's residents." 

As Israel's aggression continues, the future remains uncertain for people in southern Lebanon.

"We just want to live in peace and security, and for our children to be raised properly," Deaibess says.