Southern Lebanon's displaced Shiites fear return of old divisions

Looking out from a friend's balcony, Milia el-Cheikh struggled to find her own home in the ruins of her now-deserted village, its entrances strung with barbed wire. Her home village of Dibbine is one of several Shiite-majority towns and villages across southern Lebanon that have been destroyed by Israeli forces, who are battling the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and have occupied vast areas despite a string of declared ceasefires related to the larger Iran conflict.

Israel has ordered Shiite-majority communities to be emptied, accusing residents of supporting Hezbollah, while allowing Christian, Sunni and other residents to remain. That risks aggravating sectarian tensions that have been mostly dormant since Lebanon's 1982-2000 civil war.

El-Cheikh has long visited a friend from church who lives in the neighboring Christian-majority town of Jdeidet/Jdeidat Marjayoun, having coffee on her balcony. Now, the once-comforting ritual takes place against a searing backdrop of loss, and fear for what might come next. “Nothing is more agonizing than not being able to get to your home,” she said. Christian-majority Jdeidat Marjayoun is one of a string of towns and villages visited by The Associated Press on the edge of the zone of southern Lebanon occupied by the Israeli military in its war with the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

The military has pushed out the majority Shiite population living within the zone, believing they harbor Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure, and many towns have been heavily demolished. Thousands in the neighboring mixed communities, were allowed to stay. But Israel overshadows their lives. They have been hit in the fighting, and explosions and buzzing drones surround them.

Streets are deserted, particularly at night. Israeli troops have raided their towns and restrict roads around them, isolating them from the rest of Lebanon. Many residents – mostly Christian, Sunni Muslim or Druze – say Israel is driving a wedge between them and their neighbors by ordering them not to allow displaced Shiites into their communities, believing they might include fighters.

Despite the Iran-U.S. deal calling for an end to fighting in Lebanon, Israel says it won't withdraw from the south, insisting the zone is necessary to defend its territory. The latest conflict began when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel after Israel and the U.S. launched their war on Iran on Feb. 28. Israel invaded and has expanded its zone of control, up to 12 kilometers (7 miles) deep into Lebanon in places.

According to Amnesty International, Israel’s military in April listed at least 53 villages and towns, mostly Shiite, that Lebanese can’t return to. On Thursday, Israel added at least eight more predominantly Shiite villages to the zone.