In one of the beloved Lebanese markets, “the destruction is painful”

Business owners arrived one by one, but they were all united in their mission on a cold December morning: salvage anything from the crushed market in this hill town in southern Lebanon.

A photo studio operator and his son were walking through debris and twisted metal to retrieve dust-covered negatives and camera lenses. A clothing store owner pulled out a trash bag holding a pair of leggings, which were recovered from under mangled rebar. An optical store owner stood on crushed concrete slabs that were once the roof of his company’s building.

“Everything is gone,” said Raed Makled, 58, who owned a gold and watch store in the same building with his brother, in addition to an eyeglass business. “An orange ball of fire that wiped out everything.”

Israel Intense air strikes were launched And then The ground invasion has begun To southern Lebanon in late September to take revenge on Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group that was attacking it in solidarity with Hamas after the terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. A A fragile truce lasting 60 daysIts signing in November led to the suspension of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

In the city of Nabatieh, which shares its name with the surrounding governorate where Hezbollah is largely controlled, Israeli strikes destroyed the historic market on October 12, at the height of the war. Another strike hit the nearby municipal building a few days later. Killing at least 16 peopleAmong them is the city’s mayor, according to Lebanese officials.

Israel He said It had attacked Hezbollah targets in the region, but its claim could not be independently confirmed. So said Amnesty International No evidence found For a military target in the city headquarters.

The strikes across the governorate, which borders both Israel and Syria, have left behind scenes of devastation and destruction that many Lebanese say are unlike anything they have seen. Report to the World Bank estimated Nabatieh Governorate incurred $1.5 billion Economic losses during the war With Israel.

On a recent morning, two weeks after the ceasefire, New York Times reporters arrived at the market where residents and business owners had come to survey and deal with debris. They said they drove their cars one by one through rugged and ruined roads to reach the centuries-old market, which they fondly called “the market.” It was once a bustling hub for vendors and shoppers from all over Lebanon, but is now just a shell of its glorious past.

Iconic stores, such as a decades-old pastry shop, have been wiped out. Collapsed walls, shattered glass and twisted steel were strewn everywhere. Instead of the fragrant herbs and fresh produce that many people were looking for in the market, the smell of smoke and charred still permeated the air.

Models float on top of a pile of rubble and wire. Receipts, CDs and tattered sneakers were scattered on the scorched sidewalks.

“This is a disaster,” Niran Ali, 58, said as he stood amid the rubble.

For 16 years, she co-owned a children’s clothing store in the market and used it to support her family of four. Now, almost everything is gone — about $100,000 in merchandise, she said.

“The devastation is painful to look at,” she said. “Our only hope is with God.”

On the other side of the street, Abdel Raouf Farhat, 34, inspected the damage to his father’s photography studio. The strikes did not completely destroy the building, but left it scarred with deep cracks, exposed beams and a leaking roof. Inside, thick dust covered everything: the damaged camera, the cameras, and the wooden picture frames.

Mr. Farhat’s father, Hamza, opened Amal Photo Studio in 1982. Since then, generations of families have flocked throughout Nabatieh to take wedding and graduation photos. Farhat, 65, also trained young photographers, including his son, who has since gone on to work as a photographer and videographer throughout the Middle East and Africa.

Farhat said that with the damage caused by recent strikes, the institution that was a symbol of society and collective memory has become a grim reminder of the terrible toll left by the war. “Everything is gone,” Mr. Farhat said. But my father and Nabatieh are still standing, and he will start again from scratch.”

The story of the photo studio—and the larger market—is closely intertwined with the city’s turbulent past. Israel attacked the city of Nabatieh 1974 and 1978 and Occupy it For three years starting in 1982 after its invasion of southern Lebanon in response to the Palestine Liberation Organization’s bombing of northern Israel. The city of Nabatieh was also bombed 1993, 1996 And during the month 2006 war It also clashed with Hezbollah in the region.

Hezbollah is a dominant force in Nabatieh, which has a Shiite majority, although the group does not enjoy unanimous popular support. In several streets around the city, pictures spread Hassan Nasrallahthe Hezbollah leader who was assassinated by Israel in September, were plastered on walls and electricity poles.

When Israel attacked the market in 2006, business owners said the Iran-backed group gave them some money to rebuild. This time – with Hezbollah’s weakness, Its military capabilities and infrastructure have deteriorated and And its ally in Syria was removed – Many business owners said no one contacted them to conduct evaluations or provide support.

Hezbollah announced in late December that it had a program to rebuild southern villages destroyed by Israeli raids. Hezbollah officials said priority would be given to families whose homes were completely or partially destroyed, but they did not say when or if companies would receive financial support.

Hezbollah also said that the reconstruction mission is a national one and that the state — over which it has significant authority — also has a responsibility to help citizens rebuild.

“Every few years, we lose everything,” said Khalil Tarhini, 67, whose lingerie and clothing store was destroyed. He said that when his store was damaged in 2006, Hezbollah gave him $18,000 in compensation, part of the more than $100,000 he lost, he said. He said he had to sell his property to rebuild the business.

“We will come back, but it will take some time,” Tarahini said, staring at bulldozers clearing the rubble where his shop once stood.

Now, the slow and painstaking rebuilding process has begun. All over Nabatieh, ads and banners proclaim in Arabic, “We will rebuild together,” or “You will come back better.”

Hassan Jamal Sabouri and his family returned to the city from the capital, Beirut, hours later The ceasefire entered into force In late November.

He said what he found made him cry. The gas station and car wash, which his grandfather first built decades ago, are gone. His apartment on the street, which he had furnished with luxurious cream-colored furniture, was destroyed.

But he said the strikes did not hit the underground fuel tanks, giving him the opportunity to resume work somewhere.

“We remain strong and resilient,” he said as he directed workers in moving rubble and mixing cement. He expressed his hope that the gas station would reopen within a month.

Mr Makled, who ran an eyewear business, was not so lucky.

When he and his family returned to the market, they realized they were missing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. Glasses, eyeglass repair tools and gold cleaning equipment were destroyed. Of the 1,200 watches in the store, they were able to recover just over 100, he added. His house was also hit in a raid, and he now lives in a one-bedroom guesthouse.

He said that despite his overwhelming sense of disbelief, he had no choice but to rebuild. He and his brother have rented another store and plan to resume their optical business on a smaller scale.

“Life must go on,” he said, his face pale and drawn. “If you stop, it means you’re dead.”