A family of four stood in the middle of the road in front of a pile of twisted metal and broken concrete, struggling to comprehend the devastation they were witnessing.
The building had been destroyed by recent Israeli airstrikes and smoke was still rising from the rubble. The next building on the right had fallen a little; the one behind it had a big hole at the top.
They continued walking to the building where they used to live, in Tire in the south of Lebanon. The displaced family was back, hours after the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. No one seemed to have stayed at their house.
Since there was no electricity, they climbed the stairs to the sixth floor, using the torches of their phones.
Mohamad Marouf led his wife and two sons. He struggled to open the main door. When he finally entered, he saw that his home, as he knew it, was now gone.
“I’m sad, it’s a nice and decent house,” said Mr Marouf, a car dealer. “There are a lot of injuries.”
Panels had fallen from the ceiling. Windows, doors and furniture were destroyed. In the kitchen, cups and plates lay broken on the floor. There was dust and debris everywhere. In room after room, he mourned the things that were no longer fixed, and celebrated the things that remained weak.
The destruction, Mr. Marouf said, was caused by an attack on a nearby residential building. It was so powerful that his building, too, was badly damaged.
“I don’t know what to do,” he said. They lived with his brother, and they did not know when they would return.
Car dealer Mohamad Marouf (R) and his family returned to see their house in Tyre, destroyed by Israeli forces. [BBC]
On the beach of Tire, a yellow banner bearing the symbol of Hezbollah was placed next to one of the many residential buildings that were hit. It said, “Made in USA”, referring to the bombs that may have been used in the attack.
As a lull in the fighting took place, the residents returned to their homes which had been largely destroyed. Throughout the day of Wednesday, cars continued to flow in and out, full of families, bags and mattresses.
Some people were raising Hezbollah flags; in the distance, the occasional gunshots could be heard. Many supporters say that the ceasefire is a sign of victory for this group. “The opposition”, as they often refer to Hezbollah, stopped the advance of Israeli forces on the ground, the opposition, and Israel failed to achieve its goals in Lebanon.
The narrative finds little – if any – support elsewhere.
Hezbollah has weakened, large areas of the country have been left in ruins, and many, including those who accused the group of dragging Lebanon into a conflict it did not want, say the war has only resulted in death and destruction.
Nearly 4,000 people were killed and more than 16,000 were injured, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
The expelled Lebanese were returning to Tyre, not sure what they would find there [BBC]
The conflict began last October when the Iran-backed Hezbollah began firing into Israel in support of the Palestinians in Gaza, and escalated significantly in September, with heavy Israeli strikes, the killing of several Hezbollah leaders including long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah, and ground violence in the south.
Israel’s goal was to remove the group from the border and allow the return of approximately 60,000 displaced residents.
Israel’s bombings were mostly in Shia Muslim areas in the country that Hezbollah dominated. More than one million people were forced to leave their homes.
A 60-day ceasefire is now in effect as part of a ceasefire agreement, which many hope will end the conflict. Under its terms, Israel and Hezbollah will withdraw from the south, Hezbollah’s traditional stronghold, and the Lebanese army will send an additional 5,000 troops to the area.
In the morning, Hezbollah organized a press tour to show the damage around Tyre, a sign that they are still there – and in control – here.
“We will not be defeated,” said Hussein Jashi, a Hezbollah representative, with the debris of a water pipe destroyed in an airstrike.
“All this destruction is useless if you are proud and dignified. This [destruction] you will not defeat a man as long as a man is willing to fight.”
Deed Badawi, whose restaurant was opened more than 80 years ago, showed reporters the damage done to his business [BBC]
One of the stops on the tour was the Deed Badawi restaurant, which opened more than 80 years ago.
“They destroy, we build again. It was a good restaurant, and I like it a lot,” he said. “I will rebuild it even better than it was.
Near the door, Mr Yaser, who did not want to reveal his full name, was sweeping his corner shop, which had opened for the first time.
“I am in great pain. You cannot explain the damage and loss of life,” he said.
“This is not the Tire we know. We have lost too many loved ones. But now we will join the living, and wait and see what happens next. “
Recovery will be difficult, and expensive. No one knows how it will happen, and who will pay.
Mr. Marouf, a car dealer, hoped that Hezbollah would help him fix the damage. “May God protect us all,” he said.