Every morning, Huda checks her phone before making coffee. Urgent notifications from WhatsApp news groups flood the screen: statements, analyses, videos, and reports of bombings and assassinations. She sighs and whispers, “We can’t live a single day normally anymore. Every notification could be the start of a war.”
Last Thursday morning was no different–albeit the news felt heavier than usual. Hezbollah had issued a new statement rejecting any negotiations with Israel and reaffirming its refusal to disarm. For many, the message sounded like a mobilization order–or even a declaration of war–igniting debates, deepening fears, and heightening anxiety among the Lebanese.
The Israeli response was swift: evacuation warnings targeted buildings in southern villages, forcing some residents to flee, followed by airstrikes that destroyed these structures.
Huda, who lives in the southern Lebanese village of Tair Daba, says, “The southern Lebanon lives to the rhythm of sirens and explosions. One of the warnings was for a building near our house. We opened the doors and windows and just sat there waiting for the strike. Words can’t describe our terror.”
She pauses, then continues in an interview with Alhurra: “It reminded me of the morning of September 23, 2024, when the Israeli army escalated its attacks on the south in response to what Hezbollah called the ‘War in Support for Gaza.’ That day, my family and I left everything behind and fled to northern Lebanon. It took us twelve hours to get there because of the traffic.”
In Huda’s home—as in many across Lebanon–war is no longer a possibility but a constant shadow that looms large over daily life, much like the Israeli drones that never leave the skies of southern Lebanon or the assassination hits that target Hezbollah officials and operatives.
Suspended Dreams
Huda had been waiting for the ceasefire agreement that ultimately took effect in November 2024. She had hoped It would give her a brief respite to start a small business of her own. But that dream remains in abeyance amid the persistent instability.
With visible sorrow, she says, “you can’t dream in Lebanon anymore.”
She sees Hezbollah’s continued possession of weapons outside the control of the state as a perpetual threat: “Instead of handing their weapons to the Lebanese army so that people can live in peace, the party adamantly clings to them, totally indifferent to the danger it imposes upon us.”
In southern Lebanon, fear is no longer transient–it has become part and parcel of daily life. Rasha, a college student from Nabatieh, tries to strike a balance between her study assignments and her mounting anxiety. She opens her books but all the while keeping track of the latest war updates. She struggles to memorize a line and forget a headline. Ultimately, worry seeps in through the pages and shatters her concentration.
She tells Alhurra: “My phone has become both my enemy and my friend. Breaking news permeates our lives. I can’t focus–constant alerts, videos, and reports suggest war could erupt any moment.”
What weighs most on Rasha’s heart is her sick mother, who can barely move. “I know that in the face of immediate danger, we won’t be able to flee quickly,” she whispers.
War looms large
In Beirut’s Southern Suburb, Mayada, too, lives with constant worries.
“Every time I hear a drone, I think a strike is imminent,” she tells Alhurra.
For her, the sights of surrounding destruction are not just memories of what happened, but rather a daily reminder that the war has never truly ended. “The destroyed houses in Ghobeiri, Haret Hreik, Shiyyah, and other neighborhoods stand as proof that the chapter of war has not been closed yet. Our home in Shiyyah was partially damaged and could be destroyed any moment, as there are no guarantees the Suburb won’t be bombed again.”
The economic situation only makes matters worse. Mayada says her husband “can’t afford to rent an apartment in a safer area. We barely manage to pay the school fees for our three children. We truly can’t take it anymore.”
Fear of a large-scale Israeli military operation extends to the Bekaa Valley as well. Ali, a resident of Shamstar in the Baalbek district–which recently saw Israeli airstrikes on its outskirts–says, “We’re in a constant state of apprehension. With rumors on TV channels and social media platforms, and amid the nonstop buzzing of drones overhead, we live under relentless psychological pressure.”
A Nation Under Strain
According to Lana Kaskas, director of the “Key of Life” Association and a clinical psychologist and social worker, the unrelenting fear and anxiety that pummel people’s lives daily are taking a heavy toll on their mental health. “they trigger compulsive negative thoughts–such as the war is inevitable and that there’s no safety or future,” she explains.
Emotionally, Kaskas adds, chronic anxiety breeds feelings of helplessness and loss of control: “People feel unsafe, and that manifests physically–muscle tension, sleep or appetite disorders, and sometimes acute panic attacks.”
Israel’s Objectives
Retired Brigadier General and strategic expert Naji Malaeb explains that Israel’s recent evacuation warnings to southern Lebanese residents before bombing certain buildings aim to pressure the Lebanese government to forge ahead with disarming Hezbollah.
“The escalation coincided with a Lebanese cabinet meeting, where the army presented a report claiming it had cleared 90% of weapons and fighters south of the Litani River,” Malaeb notes. “But Israel is very doubtful of these findings and threatens to take matters into its own hands if the Lebanese army did not act.”
On the prospect of a full-scale war between Hezbollah and Israel, Malaeb tells Alhurra that Israel sees no need for an all-out war or a ground invasion as long as it can achieve its goals through military pressure and limited escalation.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned that Israel would strike Beirut if Hezbollah fires on northern Israeli settlements.
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, Katz confirmed that he conveyed this message to U.S. envoys Tom Barrack and Morgan Ortagus.
Meanwhile, Charles Jabbour, head of communications and media relations for the Lebanese Forces Party, told Alhurra that “Israel will normally continue to strike as long as it perceives a military threat emanating from Lebanese territories.”
He added that the Lebanese government’s August 5 decision to disarm Hezbollah “has stripped the party of its last fig leaf.”
