Hezbollah support endures in south Lebanon as ceasefire fails to stop war with Israel

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Hezbollah support endures in south Lebanon as ceasefire fails to stop war with Israel38 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleHugo BachegaMiddle East correspondent, Southern LebanonNeha Sharma/BBCThe air strike in Saksakiyeh killed nine members of the same displaced family, relatives saidLast Saturday an Israeli air strike, at lunchtime and without warning, destroyed a building where a family displaced by the war were sheltering in a town in southern Lebanon called Saksakiyeh. A ceasefire, announced last month, has failed to stop the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Shia Muslim armed group. In this part of the country, Israel's attacks come day and night.

When I arrived, rescuers had already ended their search. At the top of the rubble a man looked at the devastation in silence. Neighbours had recovered a kids' bicycle, damaged, and a purple teddy bear, which was covered with dust.

The Details

Nine people were killed there. The Israeli military said it had targeted Hezbollah members who were operating from a building that was being used for military purposes, and that they had posed an "immediate threat". It did not give details.

Relatives said the victims were a woman in her 70s, a son and his wife, another son, her four grandchildren, and her great-granddaughter, who was two years old. (The Israeli military said it was "reviewing reports regarding harm to uninvolved civilians". )As the sun set, I was told by residents to leave.

"That's when things get active in the sky," one of them said. Southern Lebanon is the heartland of the country's Shia community, from which Hezbollah gets most of its support, and has been under constant Israeli bombardment. And Hezbollah, the militia and political party backed by Iran, has carried out rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel and against Israeli troops that invaded during the war and remain in Lebanon.

What Experts Say

I visited towns and villages in Lebanon's south in the past two weeks. Countless buildings have been destroyed, and streets remain deserted as residents are reluctant or unable to return. Some of the people I met were exhausted from constant wars but, as the Israeli attacks and occupation continued, many still believed Hezbollah was the only force capable of defending them.

Neha Sharma/BBCIsrael said it had targeted Hezbollah members in SaksakiyehArab Salim is a village of narrow alleys surrounded by lush hills. Like most communities in the south, posters hanging on walls and from lamp-posts celebrate fighters killed in battle. From a pre-war population of around 6,000 people, only a tenth is estimated to be there.

(We had to co-ordinate our travel to southern Lebanon with Hezbollah's media office; the group did not interfere in our reporting. ) On my drive, I passed the wreckage of a pick-up truck that had been hit by an Israeli air strike a couple of hours earlier.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.