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The road to Tire is lined with yellow and green Hezbollah flags. The billboards are filled with the faces of fighters who lost their lives in many battles against Israel over the years.
We are in the evacuation zone, southern area Lebanon that Israel had told everyone to leave. And it won’t be long before we see an increase in casualties as a result of the latest conflict to hit this community.
Middle East Crisis: Follow the latest developments
A group of mourners gathered on the side of the road at a makeshift cemetery. Huddled around the makeshift memorial, some were crying, some were hugging each other, some were staring blankly ahead. They are here to bury four men they say were medics and social workers. They, they say, are not warriors.
Ehsan Dbouk, a cleric with the group, said they were forced to use the site because the men’s hometown was no longer safe.
“We cannot bury our martyrs in their villages on the front lines,” he said. “We are dealing with an enemy that cannot differentiate between killing fighters and killing civilians.”
This enemy, according to them, is a real threat. Israel frames the Iran-backed group, which is banned as a terrorist organization in the UK, in exactly the same way. Neither side shows any signs of backing down.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) quickly expanded the evacuation zone here. Until three days ago, it stretched from the southern border with Israel to the Latani River. The line has now extended further north to the Zahrani River, some 25 miles from the border, raising fears of a land invasion.
So far more than 800 people have been killed in the country and hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes. But Ehsan dismissed accusations that Hezbollah was dragging the entire country into a war it didn’t want and couldn’t win.
“Refugees are part of the resistance,” he said. “Hezbollah was born from their homes. They are the fathers and mothers of those fighting on the front lines.”
You can see how tough those left behind in the battle are. The IDF is fighting more than just the forces of Hezbollah – they are also fighting against a mindset. And after months of Israeli attacks amid ceasefires, Hezbollah supporters believe they are now fighting a fairer war than before.
Nada Harb, a mother and Hezbollah supporter, told me: “I’m not leaving, I didn’t do it in the previous war. I was born into the war. But back then there was no resistance like Hezbollah. The Israelis used to come at night, break down the door, they kidnapped my brother, my father, my sister, my uncle, and no one was allowed to say anything.”
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At home, he took us out onto his balcony to show us three buildings hit by air strikes. She is open, vulnerable, but determined. The IDF insists they are targeting Hezbollah’s infrastructure and leadership here.
However, the impact on civil society has been enormous. The bridges used by Hezbollah, they say, are also important for civilians. And hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee this war – many of whom are powerless, without shelter, and unable to determine what happens next.
