Dahiyeh — the Arabic word for suburb and the name given to the area south of the Lebanese capital — was hammered by weeks of Israeli strikes. Streets which once never slept in the densely populated suburbs have been left in ruins, after buildings were reduced to rubble within seconds during the offensive.
Cleanup operations begun straight after the war ended on 27 November, as Dahiyeh's displaced residents rushed back to check on what was left of their homes, businesses and other places, saddened by the destruction but keen to rebuild.
However,
some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them...
Hezbollah — and the Lebanese state — now face the arduous challenge of reconstruction, in a country already suffering from years of an unprecedented financial crisis.
Unlike the aftermath of the 2006 war where states were quick to assist Leb
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....in rebuilding, a difficult reality looms this time. Hezbollah has come out of the war hurt and undoubtedly diminished and assistance is not as forthcoming as it was after the last major conflict.
BUILDINGS AT IMMINENT RISK OF COLLAPSE
The intense bombardment has left many buildings in Dahiyeh structurally weakened and facing imminent collapse, endangering civilians in an area that is trying to bounce back to life despite uncertainty, especially with the approach of winter that usually brings with it heavy winds and rain across Lebanon's coastal areas.
Haret Hreik, in the heart of Beirut's southern suburbs, was one of the areas worst hit by Israeli attacks.
Its deputy mayor, Ahmad Hatoum, told The New Arab that 102 buildings in his municipal area alone have been destroyed, with 50 more needing to be torn down, adding that more than 260 buildings have been partially damaged.
Across the whole of Dahiyeh, he says around 417 buildings have been destroyed, with over 1,500 buildings partially damaged. He did not mention how many more buildings need to be demolished outside Haret Hreik.
These figures are subject to change as the municipality continues to make assessments, he says.
"Regarding the buildings at risk of collapse and those which will be demolished, as well as getting rid of the debris, this is all partly tied to a tender that will take place on 3 January 2025 by the Union of Municipalities for the [Beirut] Southern Suburbs," Hatoum told TNA, estimating that the process of clearing up the wreckage could take up to three or four months once it begins.
He said the municipality has taken precautions, cordoning off streets around hazardous areas.
The deputy mayor says the 265 buildings currently documented as partially damaged in Haret Hreik will be assessed by the municipality, so "every building that is considered to be a risk to residents or its vicinity — whether in Haret Hreik or anywhere else in the Dahiyeh — we will not let anybody use it or come near it."
But to Hatoum, these dangerous do not only lie in the buildings barely standing and that may fall to the ground at any moment. He says dangers will persist as long as Israel continues with it crimes against civilian populations.
"As long as there is Israel — and as long as there is a Zionist regime attacking civilians, unbothered by international laws, dangers will exist and they will continue," he tells TNA.
The cross-border fighting between Hezbollah and Israel erupted over the war on Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about
oppressionand
disproportionate response...
in October last year, but Israel escalated it into a full-blown war in September, killing thousands of people in Lebanon, including civilians and combatants.
A US-brokered deal ended the violence, but Israel continues to violate the agreement every day, striking what it claims are Hezbollah elements in southern Lebanon and vowing to keep the group weakened.
"But our people are used to this, our people are living in a state of constant political and economic instability, and 2024 is not their first experience. But we hope it is the last," Hatoum says, commending what he called the bravery shown against Israel by the Dahiyeh's residents — and Hezbollah's supporters in general.