What's it like to return home amid war?

0:00More than a million Lebanese residents have found themselves without a place to call home since the war reignited in early March. Many fled the south after the Israeli military invaded in an effort to prevent Hezbollah from firing rockets into northern Israel. Now, with a shaky temporary ceasefire in place, people are trying to return home, if there's a home to return to. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf was among them, traveling down south as far as she could go, all the way to the Israeli-occupied zone. We're here way on top of the village, and you can see across the valley to another hill. And on top of that hill, flapping in the breeze, is an Israeli flag.

0:45Consider this. The future of southern Lebanon is uncertain. Our correspondent traveled there to see what it means for the people who call it home.

0:57From NPR, I'm Juana Summers.

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1:32It's Consider This from NPR. In Washington on Thursday, Israel and Lebanon are holding their second round of direct ambassador-level peace talks at the White House. In the country itself, civilians are trying to rebuild their lives after weeks of bombings and destruction. NPR's Kat Lonsdorff picks up the story from here. The Cosmia Bridge was once a two-lane bridge over the river, one of several crossings to the south. When we visit, half the bridge is crumpled into itself, as an excavator claws through giant chunks of debris. Israel struck this bridge in the final hours before the temporary ceasefire was announced.

2:08It was the last intact crossing to the south. During this war, Israel struck every major bridge crossing the river, saying they were used by Hezbollah for weapons transport. But civilians use these bridges, and they're also used for aid workers to get into the areas most affected by the conflict. Ali Safiaddin, the head of Lebanese civil defense for the area, says that construction crews have tried to quickly patch the bridges as best they can. He points to a single-file line of cars carefully crawling across a pile of gravel that's been used to fill in the site of the strike. He says people are eager to go back south now that a ceasefire is in effect.

2:47But he's worried what could happen if people need to evacuate again, if the ceasefire ends, with all the bridges damaged. It'll be a mess, he says. People won't be able to get out quickly. We go further south, to the outskirts of Tyre. The further we go, the more destruction from Israeli air and drone strikes we see. Rows of shops bombed out and blackened, tops blasted off high-rises, whole buildings toppled to the ground. Temporary graves dot the roadside. We stop at a school that's been serving as a shelter for some of the more than one million people displaced by the war. Lines of laundry crisscross the courtyard.

3:23Kids chase each other in the sun. Many still can't go home, despite the ceasefire. The Israeli military is occupying a huge swath of land along the border for what it calls a buffer zone to keep Hezbollah from firing rockets or launching attacks into Israel. That area includes dozens of towns and villages. 50-year-old Zaynab Mahdi has been living here since 2024, after the last war between Israel and Hezbollah broke out. She's from the village of Nakura, right near the border. Her home was heavily damaged during the last war. During the last ceasefire, she started to rebuild. But the war broke out again.

4:02She's heard from UN peacekeepers that her house is completely gone now, along with most of the village. The Israeli military has published videos showing controlled demolitions of several Lebanese villages, calling them, quote, Hezbollah infrastructure. Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, recently told Israeli troops, quote, we are removing the threat just as we did in Gaza, referring to neighborhoods completely leveled by the Israeli military there. Zainab Mahdi says that makes her really angry and also sad. But I'm also feeling a lot of fear, she says. What if I can't return in my lifetime?

4:38The last time Israel occupied part of southern Lebanon, it did so for nearly two decades. Now, Israel has said it's prepared to stay for months, or even years. We drive further south still, to the village of Al-Mansouri. Israeli troops are less than a mile away. We've come here with the permission of Hezbollah. We've also alerted the Israeli military through the UN. An Israeli surveillance drone buzzes overhead. The village center lies in ruins. A mosque, blackened by fire and the minaret in pieces, is the only recognizable building. Motorbikes and cars pass through their main road, people coming to see if their homes are still livable.

5:17We meet 35-year-old Abed Amar, who says he and his family came back the first day of the ceasefire. Their home up on the hill is only lightly damaged.

5:28The Israelis used to be 10 kilometers away, he says, but now they're less than one. We hear the demolitions happening over the hill, he says. Al-Mansouri feels like a border town now, he says. We go just one more town south, to Masjazun, and walk to the top of the hill. We're here way on top of the village, and you can see across the valley to another hill. And on top of that hill, flapping in the breeze, is an Israeli flag. Flying over a Lebanese village. Gunfire echoes in the distance and smoke billows on the horizon. This is as far as we can go. We've come up here with Salman Harb, a spokesperson for Hezbollah.

6:17As we look out at the Israeli-occupied land, I ask him what he thinks of the direct talks happening between Israel and Lebanon today in Washington. He says Hezbollah does not approve of direct talks between the two, But if they result in Israel withdrawing from the land, then they'll accept it. But, he says, if Israel tries to make this occupation permanent by extending the ceasefire over and over again, we will use our tools to fight it. I tell him that sounds like resuming the war. This land belongs to Lebanon, he responds. And then he says, it's time to go. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Majdal Zun, in southern Lebanon.

7:03This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlum. It was edited by James Heider and Tenbeat Ermias. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan.

7:16It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Juana Summers.