Triumphant, Dahieh Residents Celebrate Their Return Home

People didn’t wait for the sun to rise. As the cessation of hostilities took effect at 4 a.m., celebratory gunfire erupted, and thousands of displaced people began returning en masse to their homes in Dahieh, the southern suburbs of Beirut, and to the South, the Bekaa, and Baalbek-Hermel. The journey back, after over two months of forced displacement, was defined by an overwhelming sense of joy — despite the heavy human and material sacrifices.

As residents returned with big smiles on their faces and victory signs held high, Dahieh was overtaken by a collective sense of relief. Since the start of the Israeli war on Lebanon, Israel has killed nearly 4,000 people, injured almost 16,000, and damaged or destroyed more than 99,000 housing units, causing an estimated $2.8 billion in damages. Israel’s escalated war on Lebanon — which began on September 23 with the deadliest single day since the civil war — caused 1.4 million people to flee to other areas of the country for safety and shelter, sparking a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale.

Throughout the day, joy filled the capital’s streets as the people of Dahieh defied Israel’s indiscriminate devastation by returning triumphantly to their neighborhoods. They walked across rubble-strewn streets and drove past unprecedented destruction to reach their homes and assess the damage left behind by Israel’s relentless aggression.

Dahieh, an area covering 15.4 square kilometers and home to around 700,000 residents across several densely populated neighbourhoods, was once again a primary target of Israel’s war against Lebanon’s Shi’a population. Researchers at the Beirut Urban Lab documented 279 strikes demolishing at least 361 buildings, an average of 4.5 strikes per day.

Despite the immense losses, the deep scars, and the understanding that the weeks and months to come will be spent grieving, this day nonetheless represents a pivotal moment in Lebanon's history. As residents hang flags and banners across the debris and destruction, paying homage to the resistance group and to the late Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, the scenes tell a story of resistance, defiance, and hope. Today, the spirit of the people remains unbroken, adamant, and ready to rebuild all that Israel has destroyed.

A banner hung across a damaged storefront echoes a sentiment of valiance felt by many Hezbollah supporters: In the name of God, we will certainly be victorious. Signed, Nasrallah. 

A poster hanging in Dahieh. It reads: “In the name of God, we will certainly be victorious.” Signed, Nasrallah. Dahieh, Lebanon. November 27, 2024. (Marwan Bou Haidar/The Public Source)