Israel turns over Lebanon villages under pilot zone agreement

Mahasen Faqih is one of the few people who have returned to this southern Lebanese village and plans to stay despite the extensive damage her home suffered during the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

The 58 year-old and her husband, Mohammed Sobeih, hope their return will be permanent. They came back a week after Israeli troops handed over Zawtar al-Gharbieh to the Lebanese army under the U.S.-brokered "pilot zones" agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, when the Lebanese militant group fired rockets into Israel two days after Israel and the United States launched their war on Iran. Israel later invaded southern Lebanon and occupied dozens of villages along the border.

Like many others, the Sobeih family fled shortly after the war began, taking shelter in a village in Mount Lebanon. They briefly returned to their hometown over the weekend before deciding to come back.

On Tuesday, Faqih searched through the rubble of her home, where the kitchen and main sitting room were destroyed and parts of the ceiling had collapsed. The main bedroom was left with a large hole in the ceiling from an Israeli strike.

With the house no longer livable, Faqih said she and her husband will move into the large grocery store they own in the village while they wait for their home to be demolished and rebuilt.

It is the second time war has devastated her home. Faqih said she had to sell $20,000 worth of jewelry to repair the house after the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war, but this time she cannot afford to rebuild it and hopes the Lebanese government will eventually do so.