“The families here have all experienced injuries and deaths,” worry these residents of South Lebanon.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of being behind a strike that killed twelve people in the occupied Golan Heights. The Jewish state promises a response, which worries these residents of southern Lebanon, under the influence of the Lebanese militia.

In the last 48 hours, fears of an escalation between Israel and Lebanon have shaken the Middle East. After the strike that killed 12 children in a Golan province occupied by the Hebrew state, tensions are at their peak. Israeli authorities accuse Hezbollah and promise a large-scale response. The situation worries the populations of southern Lebanon, who live under the influence of the Shiite militia and are caught in the middle of the exchanges of fire.

A few kilometers from the conflict zone, near the village of Jmaijmehit is a pile of rubble. Families are gathered near ruined houses. Zeina, aged seven, witnessed an Israeli strike the day before: “We heard noises like missiles and bombs. When we came here to the neighborhood, we saw all the dead and wounded people…” The strike killed two Hezbollah fighters, but injured many civilians in the village.

In a nearby house, another child is injured. Mohammad shows his relatives the video he filmed during the explosion. His father, Amer, says he continues to support Hezbollah. “I’m sure people here in the South don’t all support the same parties, and often disagree on national policy issues. But families here all have in common the experience of being injured, of being killed… Our culture of resistance runs through every household here.”

“The liberation was achieved thanks to Hezbollah and people do not forget to give it this credit.”

Amer, civilian from southern Lebanon

to franceinfo

The Shiite militia is the last bastion against the civilian population, in a South Lebanon abandoned by the State. For many Lebanese who do not support Hezbollah’s political vision, its presence is a lesser evil. The Shiite militia has forged its reputation since the 1980s, and was created in opposition to the Israeli occupation. Hezbollah is now feeding off this trauma among the population. Amer is a witness to this: “We must not forget our history. The resistance is what liberated our land.”

As the family talks, an airstrike hits the nearby hill: “This is my village, this is my village!“, worries one man. In this region marked by history, the conflict leaves no respite for the civilian population. And the idea of ​​a violent escalation seems dizzying.