ZAWTAR AL-GHARBIEH, Lebanon (AP) — Mahasen Faqih and her husband returned this week to their village in southern Lebanon, digging through the debris of their home in search of their belongings, as part of the U.S.-brokered “pilot zones” agreement in which Israel agreed to withdraw in exchange for the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
The couple fled north shortly after the start of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, in early March. Now, their home in Zawtar al-Gharbieh — one of three zones where Israel agreed to turn over control to the Lebanese army — is among homes so damaged that they’re unlivable. But Faqih said they’ve vowed to stay, settling inside the large grocery shop that they own in the village as they wait to have their home demolished and rebuilt.
