'Israel' blocks displaced Lebanese from rebuilding destroyed villages

• Continued ‘Israeli’ airstrikes have destroyed rebuilding efforts and blocked residents’ return.

Nearly a year after the ceasefire between Hezbollah and ‘Israel,’ tens of thousands of southern Lebanese remain displaced, unable to rebuild their destroyed homes due to continued ‘Israeli’ attacks that target construction efforts along the border.

Engineer Tarek Mazraani, who founded a campaign advocating for the return of displaced residents, said he received direct threats from ‘Israel’ after organizing reconstruction initiatives. “For us, the war isn’t over,” Mazraani told AFP. “We can’t go back, we can’t rebuild, and we can’t even check on our houses.”

Despite the November 2024 ceasefire, ‘Israeli’ strikes have continued to hit prefab rooms, bulldozers, and other reconstruction machinery. Amnesty International documented over 10,000 buildings in southern Lebanon destroyed or heavily damaged between October 2024 and January 2025, much of it “deliberate.”

‘Israel’ blocks reconstruction efforts

Mazraani and others accuse ‘Israel’ of using airstrikes to prevent rebuilding until Hezbollah disarms, a condition tied to international reconstruction aid. Lebanon’s government, however, lacks the capacity to rebuild on its own.

In October, ‘Israeli’ drones reportedly broadcast threats against Mazraani by name over southern villages, calling him a “land dealer conspirator.” The engineer later moved to Beirut for safety.

Meanwhile, Lebanese civilians like Ahmad Tabbaja and Hussein Kniyar, owners of destroyed construction equipment depots, say their businesses, which were worth millions of dollars, were obliterated in strikes falsely labeled as “Hezbollah sites.”

As Washington and Tel Aviv pressure Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, the movement refuses to surrender its weapons, while Beirut seeks negotiations to stop the strikes.

“I don’t think rebuilding will happen without an agreement,” said 69-year-old displaced resident Mohammad Rizk. “The war will only be over when we return to our homes.”