Villagers in Southern Lebanon Are Rescuing Their Own History as War Grinds On
Riad Al-Assaad is leading a local effort in Zrariyeh, a town in southern Lebanon, to save the area's heritage while fighting continues nearby. His team is scanning old buildings, recording oral history (memories and stories passed on by word of mouth) and rescuing libraries, as The Art Newspaper reported on 11 November 2026.
The fighting has deep roots. Israel invaded Lebanon in 1978, pushed north to Beirut in 1982, and did not pull out of the south until 2000. Hezbollah, an armed group, formed in 1982 to fight Israel's presence in the country. In 2006, the two sides fought a month-long war after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a raid across the border.
The present conflict began on 8 October 2023, the day after Hamas attacks on Israel, with exchanges of fire. In September 2024 it escalated into full-scale war, with an Israeli ground invasion and strikes on Beirut. A ceasefire followed that November. Fighting resumed in March 2026, when Hezbollah fired on Israel after the United States and Israel attacked Iran. A ceasefire agreed in US-led talks in June has not ended the fighting.
Israeli forces now occupy around 600 square kilometres of southern Lebanon, reaching up to 10 kilometres into the country. The line where they stop is what the Israeli army calls the Yellow Line. In Zrariyeh, Al-Assaad counts around 2,000 houses. He says 65 have been destroyed and more than 100 damaged.
Heritage sites have been hit as well. Since 2024, UNESCO, the United Nations culture agency, has granted 73 sites across Lebanon "enhanced protection." That status bars attacks on them and bars their use for military purposes. In July, UNESCO added the five castles of Mount Amel to its World Heritage List, which recognises places of outstanding value, and to its list of sites in danger.
Three of those castles, Beaufort, Dubieh and Chama', are now under Israeli occupation. Days after the UNESCO listing, the Israeli military detonated 700 tonnes of explosives about 800 metres from Beaufort castle. It said the blasts were destroying Hezbollah tunnels.
Tyre, on the coast, has been a World Heritage Site since 1984. Strikes have damaged its columns and mosaics, along with the site's offices and storerooms. Ali Badawi is the Lebanese Ministry of Culture's regional director for south Lebanon. UNESCO has set aside funding to restore Tyre. Elsewhere, donors are holding back while the war continues.
For the people of Zrariyeh, the work is measured one house, one recording and one rescued book at a time.
