Residents of Nabatiyeh, an ancient town in southern Lebanon, are returning for brief visits to see what remains after the latest conflict with Israel. For many families who fled the fighting, the trip back is less a homecoming than a painful inspection of shattered buildings, broken windows and neighborhoods changed by war.
The town has lived through conflict before, but locals say this round has pushed their endurance to the limit. The short return visits underline the scale of disruption in southern Lebanon, where displacement has left people cut off from their homes while uncertainty continues around the border area.
In one damaged apartment, broken balcony glass frames a view of a well-known local landmark that is now occupied by Israeli forces. That image captures the shock many residents face as they try to understand not only the physical destruction, but also the new reality around familiar streets and places.
For Nabatiyeh's residents, the damage is deeply personal. What they find is not just ruined property, but evidence of how another war has reshaped daily life in a town already marked by earlier battles.
