From Tyre to Siddikin, Tebnine and the border town of Bint Jbeil....

Over a million Lebanese were forced to leave their homes during the Israeli war on Lebanon. Since the first day the ceasefire was brokered, almost all of the displaced have returned to inspect their homes, shops and lost family members. From Tyre to Siddikin, Tebnine and the border town of Bint Jbeil the image is the same: destruction all around. The following is the script of the visual report that i did for the TV station i work for.....



The journey to South Lebanon is long and arduous but once you get there the fatigue of the 6 hours road fades away facing the fright of the destruction and the smell of the disaster.

During the 34 destructive days of the Israeli war on Lebanon, not one bridge was spared. The Damour Bridge that once linked Lebanon's central capital Beirut with the capital of the South; Sidon was now simply pieces of rubble embracing a burnt car, with its passenger's faith unknown. And this is only one sample of Israeli aggression.

This looks like a nice road for an adventurous Safari ride…however this is the only road leading to Tyre, as the Qasmiyeh Bridge was one of the targets of Israeli missiles. All the cars are those of residents of south, waiting anxiously to return to their homes in hope of finding their precious belongings … but unfortunately you might come across the same cars on your way back to Beirut as most of their homes no longer exist.

First stop the city of Tyre… while some were unwinding and reviving the beach of Tyre … Others were inspecting the damage of their houses…. Here two buildings collapsed, with two bodies feared to be under the rubble.

Another scene at Tyre represents the impact of the war on the Lebanese, Ghassan Burji, an owner of a well-known bakery in the town, lost hope in the country and is returning to Africa. He lived through three wars. “It’s impossible to live and work in this country.”

On the road again, next stop Siddikin. Not a single house stands…one color paints the image of Siddikin…The grey burnt rubble…the picture explains it clearly…

A Woman stands in the middle of the rubble, inspecting her house… “Here’s my house, This was my car, These were my three shops, everything now resembles to crumbled biscuits. I have seven children, we have no other choice now but to stay with friends in a nearby village.”

Burnt cars, burnt ambulances group of experts trying to dismantle the unexploded leftovers of the Israelis and the roar of Israeli MK's over our heads. This is what has become of Tebnine. This is Tebnine's governmental hospital, that served as a refuge for at least 370 people during the 33 days of war.

Last stop, Bint Jbeil, the town, which overlooks the village of Maroun Al-Rass where Israel and Hezbollah conducted their fiercest battles. One Israeli leftover poses for the cameras, a missile.

Ghost city, a scene out of Hollywood, a devastated town, all of these descriptions were linked to Bint Jbeil. One clear thing is asserted Bint Jbeil is the town of confrontation. And the Bazzi family is one resistance group that stood by Bint Jbeil all throughout the war.

Mohamad Bazzi told us their story of survival “We stayed here for 34 days, with bombs raining all around the house. We are only alive today thanks to god. We ate anything that was left in the house. No one knew we were still in the house.”

Mohammad Bazzi guided us to his house. There he and his family members, 11 of them, with some mentally disabled, resisted the Israeli aggression their only arm, their faith in God. This is where they slept. We meet his sister, a disabled aged woman with both her legs amputated.

Mohammad's brother tells us that 14 unexploded devices were thrown by the Israelis at the surroundings of their house. They might explode at any minute.

Mohammad's niece, who was in Beirut during the war, expressed her happiness to find the miracle of finding her family members alive with tears…”They forgot the taste of bread” she said.

We said farewell to the overwhelmed Bazzi family resistance group, and stepped out of the cautiously calm village of Bint Jbeil…

Meanwhile, Israel welcomed back the residents of the South in its own way, flyers rained down on the border villages asking the residents if they were happy to see everything they possess destroyed, blaming it on Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nassrallah and threatening to return if they suspect any Hezbollah action against Israel.