BEIRUT, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Jalal Nasrallah stood on a shattered road in the Lebanese border village of Taybeh, helping other young men clear debris after an overnight Israeli airstrike. "We live on edge," the 20-year-old said. "We don't know when the bombing will start or where to go if the fighting continues."
His words reflect the rising fear and uncertainty spreading across southern Lebanon as Israel has intensified air raids in recent days.
For Nasrallah and other residents of southern Lebanon, the roar of Israeli warplanes has become a constant soundtrack of anxiety. Each new airstrike forces families to flee or take shelter indoors, never knowing if their homes will withstand the next attack.
Despite a U.S.- and French-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel in effect since Nov. 27, 2024, the Israeli army continues to conduct periodic strikes inside Lebanon and maintains five positions in border zones. Israel said such attacks targeted Hezbollah "threats," while Lebanese residents reported that the raids destroyed homes, shops, and power lines, causing widespread damage and panic.
In Taybeh, dozens of people gathered atop the ruins of a home flattened overnight, using their bare hands and simple tools to search for remnants of their belongings. "Some families have already left," Nasrallah said. "We are torn between danger and hardship -- staying means risk, leaving means loss."
In the nearby village of Tayr Debba, 33-year-old resident Duraid al-Hajj described life as "fearful and exhausting." "We've lived through tension before," he said, "but this time it's worse -- constant shelling, poverty, no power or fuel, empty shops, and the few remaining doctors have left."
In the eastern border town of Khiam, Rana Sadiq, a 40-year-old mother, has been sheltering with her five-year-old son in a room spared by bombing. "We never feel safe," she said. "At any moment, a drone or shell could strike. We live between the fear of death and the faint hope that tomorrow might bring peace."
In the area, Red Cross and Civil Defense teams remain on round-the-clock alert, clearing rubble, repairing damaged power lines, and assisting families with evacuation efforts.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, Israeli attacks in October alone killed 28 people and injured 54 others.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon expressed "deep concern" over the developments, calling the Israeli strikes a "clear violation" of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, and urged both sides to exercise restraint to avoid further escalation.
Mohammad Hamdan, a political science professor at the Lebanese International University, told Xinhua that Israel's intensified operations aim to "impose negotiations under fire."
Independent Lebanese political analyst Nidal Issa noted that the escalation carries strategic motives. He said Hezbollah is "rebuilding its readiness," and that "Israel knows the group has regained much of its balance and is capable of confronting (Israel)."
Issa added that "Israel's escalation enjoys full U.S. backing, evident in the repeated visits of American officials to Lebanon, whose primary goal is to disarm Hezbollah and push Lebanon into a forced peace deal with Israel." ■
