A Lebanon town's grief in the aftermath of a deadly Israeli airstrike

6 hours ago 1

More than 3,700 people in Lebanon have died in the war between Israel and Hezbollah. In a village in southern Lebanon, one airstrike last month killed 14 people, including 10 women and children.

ADRIAN FLORIDO, HOST:

President Trump said in a social media post today that a deal to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran will be signed tomorrow and that the Strait of Hormuz will be, quote, "open to all." He's been making similar promises for weeks, but still no deal. Iranian state media reported today that officials there said not to expect a signing on Sunday, but that one might take place in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the intertwined conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is raging on. Lebanon's health ministry says Israeli strikes have killed more than 3,700 people in the country. Israel says Hezbollah attacks have killed two civilians in Israel. NPR's Jane Arraf and Jawad Rizkallah bring us this report from a village in southern Lebanon on the toll of one attack.

JANE ARRAF, BYLINE: When we arrive in the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr (ph) the day after the airstrike, a bulldozer is still clearing rubble so rescue workers can search by hand for scattered body parts. Israel says it targeted a Hezbollah fighter in the May 19 attack, but it killed 13 other people as well when it bombed a house here, including four women and six children. It was one of the biggest losses of civilian life in a single Israeli strike in three years.

UM DAI'A: (Non-English language spoken).

ARRAF: Just next door to the attack site, a woman sits on a chair on the concrete steps of a house. She is 100 years old.

UM DAI'A: (Non-English language spoken).

ARRAF: Despite the danger, she doesn't plan to leave. In the wake of the attack, she gives her name as Um Dai'a (ph). There were three generations of one family and a Syrian child and his parents killed here.

ASSAM NAJDI: (Non-English language spoken).

ARRAF: Assam Nasdi, the brother of the man targeted, tried to identify the bodies at the morgue the previous night. It was difficult because most of them didn't have faces. The Morgue was using DNA tests for identification.

A NAJDI: (Non-English language spoken).

ARRAF: Najdi, a construction worker, gives the ages of the children. The eldest was 9 or 10, he says. The youngest, 1 1/2. He looks exhausted, and his eyes are red.

A NAJDI: (Non-English language spoken).

ARRAF: He says his brother Osama knew it was dangerous to stay in the village but felt it was better to die in dignity than to live in humiliation.

(SOUNDBITE OF RUBBLE CLATTERING)

ARRAF: There are others who feel the same way, and those who simply don't have anywhere to go, unwilling to stay in crowded shelters, even if there were room, or in tents on the sidewalks of unfamiliar cities.

(SOUNDBITE OF METAL CLANKING)

ARRAF: Around the corner, there's more destruction. Israeli strikes have hit a medical center and damaged a nearby mosque.

SALAH SALAH: (Non-English language spoken).

ARRAF: Dr. Salah Salah, who's 75, has worked at the clinic for 32 years. "We treated everyone - the elderly, children, widows." He says they would even make house calls. The center hadn't opened yet when it was hit before dawn, so there was no one injured. But the clinic and all its medical supplies and equipment were completely destroyed.

Israel is attacking this part of Southern Lebanon every day. You can hear the Israeli drones overhead.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).

ARRAF: We don't linger. One of the first responders going through the rubble will be killed in another Israeli airstrike the next day. We come back for the family's burial.

It's starting to rain on the tin roof over these graves as they're putting stone blocks in place over the bodies that are laid out in shrouds. There are adult-size ones and small ones. And close to one is a picture of a little girl dressed in pink.

A young fighter was buried with a Hezbollah flag. His brother said he was off duty when he was killed and had gone home to see his family. Israel called him a terrorist, but didn't give his name or position, as it normally does for a senior fighter. The Israeli military did not acknowledge the killings of the women and children. Abdullah, the only family member who survived the attack, watches at the graveside.

ABDULLAH: (Non-English language spoken).

ARRAF: He invokes the names of revered Shia figures. Any Shia here see the war is part of centuries of injustice against their faith.

LEILA NAJDI: (Non-English language spoken).

ARRAF: His aunt, Leila Najdi, says Abdullah, who's 25 and has down syndrome, was flung onto the neighbor's roof by the impact. Najdi's husband was killed a few days ago. He was also a fighter. She says they've never thought of leaving.

NAJDI: This is our country, our village.

ARRAF: This is our country, our village. "If we go," she says, "who will be left?" The Lebanese capital, Beirut, is just 50 miles from here. But it seems increasingly disconnected from many of the people of the South. They are understandably angry at Israel, but not just Israel. A lot of people here feel betrayed by a Lebanese government they say has not protected them.

NAJDI: (Non-English language spoken).

ARRAF: "We will liberate Lebanon from Israel," Najdi says. She says she wants the Lebanese people to liberate Lebanon from its president and prime minister. Jane Arraf, NPR News, Deir Qanoun al-Nahr, Lebanon.

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