Lebanese cling to memories of Liberation Day as Israel reoccupies the south

Lebanese cling to memories of Liberation Day as Israel reoccupies the south Submitted by Rita Kabalan on Mon, 05/25/2026 - 16:18 Israel's war on Lebanon has displaced more than a million people and razed half the towns in the south, but residents nurture hope of the day 26 years ago when occupation forces were forced out Mourners attend the funeral of Lebanese civil defence members Hussein Jaber and Ahmad Noura, who were killed in an Israeli strike on the southern town of Nabatieh, Lebanon, 13 May 2026 (Aziz Taher/Reuters) Off Abeer was 19 when she heard the news on 25 May 2000 that southern Lebanon had been liberated after 18 years of Israeli occupation. Within hours, her family had left Beirut and was heading south to their hometown Kfar Kila, a centuries-old village right on the border with Israel. “It was a joy like I had never experienced before,” said Abeer, now an events coordinator for musicians. Twenty-six years later, she has been displaced from the city of Nabatieh by Israel’s relentless bombardment of southern Lebanon. She now lives in a tent in Beirut’s Biel district with her two dogs. Israel’s war on Lebanon has displaced more than one million people since 2 March. Hundreds of thousands remain unable to return home as Israeli troops continue to occupy dozens of villages, while 45 percent of towns in southern Lebanon have been damaged or destroyed. Sitting outside her tent and longing for home, Abeer says she hopes the south will be liberated once again. “We need to remember this day because we were victorious and hopefully we will be again. They have turned Kfar Kila into a football field,” she told Middle East Eye  Kfar Kila is among a dozen villages ...

Original source: Middle East Eye