Lebanon: in Nabatiyé, residents discover their businesses and houses in ruins

In his devastated street in the town of Nabatiyé in Lebanon, where he rushed on Monday as soon as an agreement was announced on an end to the war in the Middle East, Kamal Kamal, a roaster, cannot hold back his tears: his life's work has gone up in smoke.

The large city in southern Lebanon, which had some 90,000 inhabitants before the war, was shelled mercilessly by the Israeli army, which had intensified its bombings last week and ordered the entire population to evacuate.

The United States and Iran announced on Monday an agreement to end the war, which stipulates, according to Tehran and the Pakistani mediator, the end of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.

“What a waste, an entire life is lost,” says Kamal Kamal, who walks forward leaning on a cane in the street that bears the name of his business, “Café Kamal”.

“I opened my business in the 1970s, when I was still a young man,” he adds, wiping his tears with a tissue.

All that remains of his shop and warehouses are ruins. "The entire street must be razed," said the businessman.

Residents returning to Nabatiyé on Monday are shocked by the extent of the destruction in several neighborhoods. The roof of the covered souk in the center collapsed and businesses suffered significant damage following the Israeli strikes.

Many homes in the city, an important economic crossroads in the south, are also destroyed, according to an AFP photographer.

Construction equipment cleared the main streets to facilitate the return of residents.

- “Balm for the soul” -

At the entrance to the town, a Lebanese army roadblock tells residents which paths to take, while Israeli artillery echoes in the distance and smoke rises from the surrounding area, where the Israeli army has advanced in recent days.

The pro-Iranian Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the regional war on March 2, in support of Iran, attacked at the end of February by the United States and Israel. Israeli strikes have since left more than 3,700 dead and more than a million displaced in Lebanon.

In his completely destroyed neighborhood, Rana Nasrallah, 45, looks at the pile of ruins that remains of his house. Broken clothes, mattresses and flower pots protrude from the rubble.

"We grew up in this neighborhood. We played here when we were children, the older women would sit there to have a bit of conversation," she remembers.

“These are the landmarks of the city that they sought to make disappear,” she said, pointing to the devastation of the traditional souk, the historic heart of the city.

She claims to have returned as soon as an agreement to end the conflict was announced, without even waiting for the green light from the authorities who advised the displaced to be cautious.

“We couldn’t wait any longer,” said this woman.