Residents are returning to Zawtar al-Gharbieh in southern Lebanon after a U.S.-brokered agreement opened "pilot zones" to civilians and the Lebanese Army. Returning families are finding extensive damage — from bullet-pocked belongings to a cracked mosque minaret — and many houses remain uninhabitable. A few residents, including Mahasen Faqih and her husband Mohammed Sobeih, say they will live in a grocery shop while their home is rebuilt. Despite the deal, Israeli tanks and drones nearby underscore the fragile security situation.
Residents Return to Ruined Southern Lebanese Village After U.S.-Brokered 'Pilot Zones' Agreement
Mahasen Faqih gestures toward the rubble of her neighborhood from inside her destroyed home after returning to it following the Israeli military operation in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon — Residents have begun returning to a largely destroyed village in southern Lebanon after a U.S.-brokered agreement opened parts of the area to civilians and the Lebanese Army.
Damage and Daily Life
They are met with shattered and blackened homes, personal items riddled with bullet holes and graffiti believed to have been left by Israeli forces. The turquoise tiles of a mosque's minaret are cracked, and many houses have collapsed ceilings and ruined rooms.
Mahasen Faqih and her husband, Mohammed Sobeih, are among the few families to return to Zawtar al-Gharbieh. Their home is uninhabitable; they said they will live temporarily in their grocery shop until the house can be repaired.
Security and the Pilot Zones
The U.S.-brokered "pilot zones," negotiated in direct talks between Lebanon and Israel, allow civilians and the Lebanese Army to re-enter designated sections of the border area. Still, Israeli military vehicles remained visible nearby, with a tank churning dust and drones operating overhead — reminders of how fragile security remains.
Uncertainty persists along Lebanon's southern border after fighting escalated in February, when Hezbollah fired on Israel and Israeli forces responded with airstrikes and ground operations. Residents and local officials say the newly opened zones offer a cautious path for people to return, but many families remain reluctant until reconstruction and security stabilize.
Photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
An Israeli tank drives through Zawtar al-Sharqiyah village, occupied by Israeli forces, as seen from the southern village of Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Mustafa Jamalddine)(AP Photo/Mustafa Jamalddine)
An Israeli drone flies overhead as journalists, Lebanese soldiers and residents gather in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Mahasen Faqih and her husband, Mohammed Sobeih, inspect their home, destroyed during the Israeli military operation, after returning to it in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Mohammed Sobeih laughs as he smokes a cigarette while sitting amid the rubble of his home after returning to it following the Israeli military operation in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Mohammed Sobeih clears debris inside his home after returning to it following the Israeli military operation in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Mahasen Faqih is seen through a shattered glass door as she checks her home, destroyed during the Israeli military operation, after returning to it in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Mohammed Sobeih returns to his home, destroyed during the Israeli military operation, carrying a cooler in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Ihsan Yaghi gestures inside her fire-damaged home, showing what she says, is graffiti left by Israeli forces, following a military operation, in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
A resident stands behind a mirror riddled with bullet holes inside his home following an Israeli military operation in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Mahasen Faqih and her husband, Mohammed Sobeih, stand inside their destroyed home overlooking the rubble of their neighborhood after returning to it following the Israeli military operation in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Mohammed Sobeih gestures inside his home, destroyed during the Israeli military operation, after returning to it in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Smoke rises following an explosion in an Israeli-occupied area, as seen from Zawtar al-Gharbieh, southern Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Lebanese soldiers and a resident inspect the rubble of a home destroyed during an Israeli military operation in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, southern Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
A resident inspects his home, which was burned during an Israeli military operation, in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
A Lebanese military vehicle drives past homes damaged during the war in the southern village of Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Mustafa Jamalddine)(AP Photo/Mustafa Jamalddine)
Mahasen Faqih and her husband, Mohammed Sobeih, smile as they sit amid the rubble of their home after returning to it following the Israeli military operation in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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