NABATIEH, Lebanon: When Kamal Kamal heard a ceasefire deal had been agreed between Iran and the US, he rushed back to the southern city of Nabatieh only to find an Israeli strike had reduced his life’s work to rubble. The city, usually home to some 90,000 people before the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah erupted on March 2, was largely deserted as Israel pressed its military offensive in the area in recent days.

When Kamal Kamal heard a ceasefire deal had been agreed between Iran and the United States, he rushed back to the southern city of Nabatieh only to find an Israeli strike had…

In a southern city battered by Israeli strikes, returning residents confront the reality of a devastated region