People in Lebanon defiant despite Israel’s invasion and bombing of bridges

Alex Crawford, a journalist in Lebanon has shared a report on Lebanese people refusing to leave, despite an Israeli ground invasion in an attempt to secure a buffer zone in its fight with Hezbolla. She is reporting from the Litani River above.

“We will not leave. We will never give up our land.”

Defiant words from the mayor of a key town in the south of Lebanon, which Israel has declared it is set to take over. 

He was speaking to us next to two huge craters in the main bridge linking Tyre governate in the south with the rest of Lebanon. 

The Israeli military has been systematically bombing all the bridges along the Litani River, which lies 30 kilometres inside Lebanese territory, in a bid to sever the southern towns and communities from where it says the Hezbollah militant group operates. 

The military says it wants to create what it calls a buffer zone to enhance security for its residents in the north of Israel. 

The militant group Hezbollah has been firing volleys of rockets into communities living along the border since early March after it entered the US-Israel-Iran war following the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader. 

‘This is our land’

The mayor of Abbasiyeh, Dr Habib Ajami, told us: “It doesn’t matter what Israel claims. This is our land. 

“You cannot take our land for any reason.”

His town is the closest community to the destroyed Qasimiyah Bridge and lies in the area that Israel has warned should be evacuated and which they intend to occupy “until Hezbollah is no longer a threat”.

Dr Ajami has sent his wife and three young children to comparative safety in the capital, Beirut.

But he is determined to stay and says there are about 400 families (several thousand residents in total) who have also refused to leave. 

Lebanon divided on Hezbollah

More than a million people have been displaced from their homes across Lebanon. 

The fear amongst many Lebanese is that they may not be allowed to return. 

The Israeli invasion of south Lebanon in 1982 resulted in 18 years of their southern neighbour occupying land and spawned the creation of Hezbollah. 

Tens of thousands of Lebanese still view the group as a resistance movement, although large numbers of the population, including senior members of the new novernment are furious at Hezbollah for dragging the country into the war.