Life appeared to be on hold. The main street was still decorated for Ramadan, and almost all houses seemed abandoned. The village was quiet, but not in peace. Near the mosque, I met two cousins, Fatmeh and Dunya, both in their 80s. Outside, a banner paid tribute to the late Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, killed by Israel in 2024. “We’ve witnessed many wars. But we’ve never left,” Fatmeh said. “Whatever happens we thought we’d die in our homes rather than leave.”
