Rebuilding Amidst Ruin: Life in South Lebanon Under Constant Threat
By [Your Name], International Editor, nouvelles-du-monde.com
BEIRUT, Lebanon – The southern district of Dahiyeh in Beirut, Lebanon, is once again facing the immense challenge of reconstruction, but this time under conditions drastically different than those following the 2006 war with Israel. This reality is the focus of a recent article by Iman Ali, a doctoral candidate in anthropology at Cornell University, and the subject of a recent discussion on the MERIP Podcast.
Ali’s research, conducted through fieldwork in Lebanon, examines the impact of Israel’s war in the fall of 2024 and the near-daily drone and missile strikes that have continued since the November 2024 ceasefire. Her work, titled “Repair Amid Ongoing Ruination—Rebuilding Dahiyeh Once More,” published in the Winter 2025 issue of Middle East Report, highlights the material and political obstacles facing Lebanon’s Shi’i community.
The situation today stands in stark contrast to 2006. Following the conflict between Hizballah and Israel, the southern neighborhoods of Dahiyeh were rebuilt with relative speed, bolstered by funding from regional and global partners and spearheaded by Hizballah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. Now, financial support is scarce, Hizballah’s leadership has been weakened, and the constant threat of renewed Israeli aggression looms large.
“The challenge of rebuilding could not be more different,” Ali notes in her article.
The podcast discussion, featuring Ali alongside Najib Hourani, an associate professor of anthropology and global urban studies at Michigan State University, delved into the history of Dahiyeh and the immense burden placed on Lebanon’s Shi’i communities by ongoing resistance to Israeli aggression.
Ali’s work juxtaposes the current struggles with the broader history of Israeli invasions, occupations, and wars in Lebanon, seeking to understand how everyday life persists under precarious conditions. It underscores the resilience of the community while acknowledging the profound difficulties they face.
The podcast episode, recorded on February 25, 2026, is available here. Ali’s article can be read in full here.
This ongoing cycle of destruction and rebuilding highlights the deep-seated instability in the region and the urgent need for sustainable solutions to address the root causes of conflict and support the affected communities.
