YATER, Lebanon: Despite the ongoing clashes between Hezbollah and Israel, residents of the Lebanese border village of Yater have shown remarkable resilience and determination. They are committed to rebuilding their homes and lives once the conflicts come to an end, firmly believing that Israel’s shelling will not drive them from their ancestral land.
Hezbollah, part of regional alliance alongside Gaza’s ruling Hamas, has been engaged in daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces along the frontier since the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas on October 7.
Yater, located approximately seven kilometers from the Israeli-Lebanese border, has witnessed some of its homes losing windows and walls due to Israeli shelling. While this has compelled some residents to seek refuge to the north, it has also intensified the determination of others to stay resolute.
“I’m convinced now that we will never leave this land,” said Hiba, a 28-year-old mother whose home was hit by an Israeli shell. She and her five-year-old son were away visiting a relative when their home was struck.
“We were supposed to be here when this shell hit. This house has civilians, it has a child, it wasn’t an abandoned home,” Hiba emphasized. Her son, even in the face of adversity, is already collecting rocks to rebuild their house.
In the context of the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s founding, approximately 700,000 Palestinians, constituting half of the Arab population in British-ruled Palestine, were either driven from their homes or forced to flee and have been denied the right to return. Many of them found refuge in Lebanon.
Taleb Kaddouh, who returned home to find a shell had torn through his house in Yater, is undeterred. He is determined to rebuild, as he has done in the past. Despite exchanges of fire in neighboring villages, he and his wife have been salvaging what they can.
“They (Israel) destroyed this home before, and I rebuilt it. I’ll restore it again — I’ll show them,” Kaddouh asserted.
While thousands have left Lebanese villages in the south or moved from the rural outskirts to larger towns for safety, that’s not an option for Kaddouh. He remains resolute, stating, “Of course, we will stay here. This land is ours. Our grandparents and parents labored here… My son will do the same. Only death could make us leave.” The unwavering determination of the residents of Yater is a testament to their enduring connection to their land and their indomitable spirit in the face of adversity.
