Israeli Strike Hits Nabatieh Coffee Business During War That Ended With Iran-US Ceasefire Deal

Kamal Kamal returned to Nabatieh after hearing a ceasefire deal had been agreed between Iran and the United States, only to find an Israeli strike had reduced his roastery and warehouse to rubble. Kamal opened the business in the 1970s. He leaned on a walking stick and surveyed the destruction.

"When I opened it in the seventies, I was still a young man... now nothing is left," he said. " The city of Nabatieh usually had a population of some 90,000 people before the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah erupted on March 2.

Israel pressed its military offensive in the Nabatieh area in recent days, and the city was largely deserted. Lebanon's army on Monday urged displaced residents to delay their return to southern border villages, citing the risk of Israeli violations and attacks. Hezbollah issued a similar warning.

The city's municipality issued a statement asking residents not to return at the present time under any circumstances. The Lebanese army set up a checkpoint at the entrance to Nabatieh. Intermittent artillery shelling rang out and smoke rose in the city on the day residents returned.

Rana Nasrallah, age 45, fled with her family to Sidon during the war and later returned to inspect her destroyed home in Nabatieh. "We grew up in this neighbourhood. We used to play here as children.

And here's where the older women used to sit and chat, the historic Nabatieh market before us... the landmarks that they perhaps wanted to erase," she said. "As soon as the ceasefire was declared and before any official (Lebanese) announcement...

We got going and came here. We couldn't wait any longer," Nasrallah said. "We came to breathe in the scent of our land... " Heavy machinery worked to remove rubble and clear roads in Nabatieh as residents inspected properties.