The Sum of All Fears

What does life look like when you I can hear bombs in the vicinity or when your cities are full of rubble of buildings that were once home?

- Swati Subhedar

ISRAEL intensified its attacks on Hezbollah starting October 2023. Even after the November 2024 ceasefire, Israeli drones and helicopters are still hovering over Lebanese cities. The latest episode is proving to be the deadliest in the series of the decades-old Israel-Lebanon conflict. Trapped in the cycle of recent escalations are innocent people. But they don't leave. Lebanon is home, they say. They tell their stories... of death, destruction, damage, loss and love for their land.

Story 1: The Enemy Bombed My Beloved City

On September 23, 2024, at 6 am, the people of Tyre, a city in South Lebanon-not very far from the southern border region where the Israel-Hezbollah war has intensified since October 2023-woke up to the sounds of missiles. Gia (24), her family, and the others knew they had to evacuate and rush to a safe zone. "I was packing, and I heard a 'whoosh' sound, and then 'boom' it went off. We could see the smoke from our window. I told my sister, 18, not to panic. But we knew we had to leave," says Gia.

The family left home, all their stuff, and more importantly, their precious memories-not knowing when they would be back. On the main road, they encountered millions of cars, all leaving the city, heading to safer places. Gia and her family reached Mount Lebanon-a mountainous region in central Lebanon-at 11:30 pm. "The traffic was hectic. After arriving, we started looking for a house where we could stay for a few days. At least two-three families were living in one house. It was tough. I am recalling all that now," says Gia, choked with emotion, in a voice note sent on WhatsApp from her grandmom's house in Tyre.