BEIRUT, Lebanon: Tears streamed down south Lebanon resident Fatima Hajj Ali’s face as she stared at a host of keys hanging like windchimes from the ceiling of a Beirut museum — each one symbolising a home, like her own, destroyed by Israel.
Hajj Ali is among the thousands of southerners who lost their houses in the recent conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah, the first of which broke out in 2023 when the group launched attacks in support of its ally Hamas, and the second in March when it entered the Middle East war on the side of its backer Iran.
“We were supposed to go home and open the door with the key, but there is no door anymore,” the 23-year-old said.
Despite a lull in fighting following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran on June 17, intermittent Israeli strikes continue, as do widespread demolitions in and around occupied villages, making it impossible for many people to return.
The exhibition “Hkeeli ya Jnoub,” or “Tell me, O South,” features pictures and videos preserving the memory of southern Lebanon at the capital’s Beit Beirut museum.
