BEIRUT: Back home, Lilian Jamaan would have been shopping for clothes for her daughter and buying meat and sweets in preparation for the Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Fitr that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
But now, “there’s no joy for Eid or for Ramadan or for anything,” she said by phone, speaking from a school-turned-shelter in the Lebanese city of Sidon.
As Muslims worldwide prepare for the typically joyous holiday, Lebanon has crossed a grim milestone. The renewal of the war between Israel and the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group has displaced more than 1 million people in Lebanon. Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,000 people, Lebanese health officials say.
Earlier this month, the Iran-backed Hezbollah entered the wider Iran war by firing rockets at Israel. That prompted heavy Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, driving many from their homes.
Longing to return home
