To Stand Before the “Lions” of Nabi Chit

We first heard about what was happening in Nabi Chit that same night: the Israelis had attempted a covert landing and there were intercepted. We also heard about the intensity of the airstrikes on the town. At the time, there was a series of airstrikes in the South and in Bekaa, and everyone felt a sense of danger. 

It was said that a media tour of Nabi Chit was taking place the day after. I felt encouraged and decided to go. I started calling friends and colleagues to join me because the event needed major coverage.

We arrived to Nabi Chit, and immediately witnessed that dramatic sight: a gigantic crater in the middle of the town. It was the biggest crater I had seen since the one caused by the assassination of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. The strike was immense, especially relative to the size of the town. Upturned cars, destroyed homes… And one car, blown by the fury of the strike, even landed upside down on the second floor of a building.

We arrived to Nabi Chit, and immediately witnessed that dramatic sight: a gigantic crater in the middle of the town. It was the biggest crater I had seen since the one caused by the assassination of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. The strike was immense, especially relative to the size of the town. Upturned cars, destroyed homes… And one car, blown by the fury of the strike, even landed upside down on the second floor of a building.

“Here, death knocked on our doors and we were lions in the fight."

But at the same time, the people there were very strong. I was surprised by how many people had not left the village, both old and young. They showed grit, in their loyalty and steadfastness. They all held on to this feeling — that “we" intercepted them. One old woman told me, “we used to be envious of the southerners because of their confrontation with the Israeli.” "But now," she continued, “we feel like we're able to do something, like in the South. We are able to confront directly, to engage the Israeli.”

When we went to the cemetery to photograph where the Israelis were digging, the villagers were laughing, asking “what’s here to dig?” The man the Israelis had kidnapped is from the Shukr family, a retired General Security brigadier. People were saying the Israelis brought him along. They joked that the Israelis would have to keep coming back because Shukr was jerking them around — telling them Ron Arad was buried here, then over there. They didn’t take this claim seriously, that this was about Ron Arad, but they were proud and boastful about the confrontation.

“Here, death knocked on our doors and we were lions in the fight."

At the entrance of that badly damaged house, near the crater, where the blown car settled, people graffitied: “Here, death knocked on our doors and we were lions in the fight.” It’s one of the first things you now see in Nabi Chit. I’ve seen such scenes of courageous defiance in many places, not just in Nabi Chit. It shows the kind of people they are, who, despite all their losses, all their pain and longing, remain patient, steadfast, and determined to maintain their position. I've seen it in the Bekaa and in the South.

I’m proud of the decision I made to quickly visit Nabi Chit that morning; I'm proud I didn't hesitate because it's important to document what happened there.

The Israeli airborne operation left at least 41 people dead, including three Lebanese army soldiers.