Historic Lebanese border village pays severe price for resisting Israel's aggressions

While travelling through south Lebanon, Dimitri Lascaris was afforded a rare opportunity to visit the historic, Lebanese border village of Ayta ash-Shab. The village lies one kilometre from the Lebanon-Israel border and has been devastated by Israeli bombardment.

In the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon's Islamic resistance, Israel's military command sent five brigades to attack and occupy Ayta ash-Shab. Those forces were opposed by little more than half a company of resistance fighters. Nonetheless, and despite repeated attempts made over 33 days, Israeli forces failed to take the village and suffered severe casualties. Before giving up, however, they inflicted catastrophic damage on the village.

As a result of the dire and dangerous conditions prevailing in the village today, Ayta ash-Shab was evacuated months ago. On August 23, 2024, hundreds of villagers returned briefly to the village to attend the funeral of a resistance fighter who was killed on the prior day by an Israeli airstrike. Lascaris and his Lebanese guide, Hadi Hoteit, followed the convoy into the village to survey the damage and observe the funeral.

Lascaris and Hoteit managed to remain in the village for approximately three hours. While they were there, villagers treated them with respect and hospitality.

(Filming and editing for this report were done by Hadi Hoteit.)