In South Lebanon, martyrs are living relics: enduring testaments not only to the savagery of the Israeli occupation but to the willingness to sacrifice all that one holds dear in the interest of true emancipation—to free themselves and their brethren in Palestine from the occupier’s grasp, the people of South Lebanon have offered their blood, willingly and with heads raised. The invocation of their martyrs is the summoning of liberation; it is their own blood that has watered their soil and brought forth life throughout their villages after two decades of Israeli occupation. There is almost no southern Lebanese town or family that hasn’t been touched by Israel’s past or present brutality, but known for their steadfastness, they remain committed to their land and to armed resistance, despite the cost.
Israel’s attacks against South Lebanon have garnered little to no attention outside the region, despite mounting casualties, including most recently three children who were killed while working on a farm in the village of Umm al-Tut. Between massacres, the sonic booms from Israeli planes, a form of psychological warfare, are routinely heard throughout the South, so much so that “we’ve grown accustomed to it” has become a common local refrain.
Bilal, a mechanic from Kherbet Selm, describes returning to his village despite the ongoing airstrikes not as an act of bravery, but resistance. In March, an Israeli airstrike killed a pregnant mother, her husband, and her two children in Bilal’s village, which only strengthened his resolve. “The Israelis believe they can return to the days when they occupied us, as if they own us,” he says. “They kill our children, destroy our crops, and raze our houses, but there is nothing that can tear us from our land and from each other. I will sit on the rubble of my house and rebuild again and again. I swear, so long as I am breathing, I will return to my home.”
The Fanonian principle, that the land brings dignity, is an integral component of the Southern Lebanese spirit and a direct reaction to their material conditions. “The outside world sees our culture as a culture of death,” says Marwa, a schoolteacher from the village of Bint Jbeil. “But our love of life is what motivates us, not death. We mourn not only every martyr, but every home destroyed. Our perseverance isn’t separate from our pain, but at the same time we don’t fear what God has written for us. It’s because we love life that we have resisted the occupation of our land. And we will continue to resist.”
The inextricable link between the land and life is a defining feature of resistance in South Lebanon, affirmed by word and deed. Since October 8, Lebanon’s resistance movement Hezb’Allah has offered over 300 martyrs “on the path to Jerusalem” in defense of Gaza, with each targeted strike against Israeli military sites and settlements dedicated in support of “the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and their resistance”. In July, Secretary General of Hezb’Allah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah emphasized that “the resistance in Lebanon liberated the land, preserved dignity, and fostered prosperity, contrasting with claims from some in Lebanon that the culture of resistance equates to a culture of death […] Our martyrs create life and victory in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and across all regions.”
Wall of Hezb’Allah in the Southern suburb of Beirut
Despite the Israeli airstrikes reaching deeper into South Lebanon and the mounting casualties they create – including most recently a massacre in the village of Majdal Sel — Gaza is not far from anyone’s mind. In February, Israel launched an airstrike on the village of Majdal Zoun, killing 6-year-old Amal al-Dorr and 40-year-old Khadijah Suleiman. Amal’s uncle, writer and political analyst Hassan al-Dorr, tells Splinter that the connection between Palestine and Lebanon is unshakeable, asserting that “The land is for those who liberate it, and who fight for it. The land is defended by those who resist, and for those who reject humiliation, and occupation. Gaza will remain under Palestinian administration, despite what Israel has done. Israel as we know it is no more. And if Israel expands the war with Lebanon, the resistance is ready.”
Al-Dorr describes the situation in Gaza as a failing war of attrition aimed at exterminating and destroying the indigenous population, arguing that “the Israeli army — which is strong in killing, destroying and annihilating — is incapable of confronting the resistance and is unable to achieve significant military achievements on the ground in Gaza.” Al-Dorr argues that the perseverance of the Palestinian resistance is a message to all supporters of the Palestinian cause worldwide, even those who stand on the sidelines, “that this resistance is not random — it is a strong, capable resistance, and at the same time it is a resistance that seeks the interests of its people.”
As for the northern front, the possibility of a more open war with Hezb’Allah is a looming prospect but one that Al-Dorr considers to be dubious. “Yes, [an open war] is possible, but its possibilities are small for many reasons, the first of which is the strength of the resistance in Lebanon: the power of deterrence of the resistance, the strength of the resistance weapons, the strength of the will of the resistance, as well as the secrets, stability and creative management of this war over a period of nine months. The other side is the weakness of the Israeli army, the failure of the Israeli army in Gaza, the erosion of the army’s deterrence capacity, as well as the psychological defeat their forces have suffered.”
In South Lebanon, the commitment to Palestine is unwavering and sanctified by hundreds of martyrs that are only a short distance from occupied Palestine—selfless offerings from men who were raised in the shadow of a ruthless occupation, some too young to remember the liberation of their villages. In January, Saleh al-Arouri, deputy leader of Hamas, was assassinated along with 6 others in an Israeli attack on the southern suburb of Beirut. The site of the targeted assassination was swiftly adorned with a banner reading: “You will not weaken our resolve. We are holding on to our resistance.”
Highways along Southern Lebanon carry reminders that the people of liberated South “are with Palestine, no matter what you do to us.”
Hassan Atieh, sports journalist for Al Mayadeen and a native of the southern Lebanese village of Jibcheet, tells Splinter that “people ask why we stand tall while our people are being killed, but we were raised on patience. For me, I lost my aunt and her children. I lost my neighbors and my friends. So, I have endured and learned true patience. Also, we’ve learned as Muslims that God always will support us, and that God always stands with those who are patient. It’s all about faith. Our resilience is passed down from one generation to another.” As for Gaza, Atieh expresses unwavering solidarity: “To the people of Gaza, we will always have your back and we have no hesitation to stand in front of you in this battle.”
As Israeli airstrikes continue to spread across South Lebanon, including most recently a massive attack against the village of Adloun, the situation on the northern front is delicate and unforeseeable, but the resolve of the local inhabitants has only intensified. The people of the South have made it clear in no uncertain terms that they will not stop resisting until—just as South Lebanon was liberated—Palestine is liberated too. “The occupier only understands one language,” says Bilal. “The language of power and the language of the gun, and we are prepared to speak it loudly.”