AUGUST 1, 2026
Lebanese residents return to Nabatiyeh to find widespread destruction as Israeli forces remain in southern Lebanon
Lebanese who evacuated during the Israeli military campaign in southern Lebanon have begun returning to cities like Nabatiyeh to assess damage and recover belongings. Lebanese health officials report at least 4,200 people have been killed since the war began on March 2. Nearly all of Nabatiyeh's 80,000 residents have been displaced by Israeli bombardments and evacuation orders.
Nabatiyeh, a small city in southern Lebanon and an administrative center, shows extensive damage from Israeli air strikes and artillery, with most homes destroyed or heavily damaged and Israeli drones audible overhead. Israeli forces have occupied Beaufort Castle, a crusader-era fortress overlooking the city, and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in July that Israeli forces had demolished more than 15,000 homes in border villages further south to prevent residents from returning, in what Israel describes as a buffer zone aimed at preventing Hezbollah rocket attacks.
NPR reported from Nabatiyeh in June, documenting residents returning amid active strikes. Parliamentary office worker Najib Ayyad returned only to salvage belongings from his damaged apartment — unable to stay both because of the damage and because Israeli forces occupying Beaufort Castle have a direct line of sight to his building. With no funds for another rental, he is staying with his daughter in Beirut. Mayor Abbas Fakhreddin told NPR that residents should wait to return, citing not only the security situation but a lack of basic necessities.
Two months after some of the most devastating strikes, bodies remain buried under rubble. Shopkeeper Hanan Hamadi described a neighboring family — the Basmas — killed in a March airstrike that collapsed their home; two of the children, aged approximately 8 and 11, remain under the debris. Amnesty International investigated the March 31 strike, stating there were no apparent military targets nearby and calling it a potential war crime. Israel told Amnesty it was investigating but provided no further information, and told NPR it takes precautions to mitigate civilian harm without specifying what those precautions were.