The courtyard of the Deir Al-Ahmar public school is a balcony that opens onto the Bekaa plain, the city of Baalbek, less than 15 kilometers away, and the surrounding villages: a daily visual torture for the displaced who have taken refuge in the establishment. . After each explosion, they scan the horizon, terrified at the thought of seeing a column of smoke rising over their town or neighborhood.
On November 6, around 2 p.m., the roar of the jets interrupted a lively discussion between Haïder, a 30-year-old tattoo artist, and a small group of teenagers to whom he was showing his creations on his smartphone. Four explosions sound. Everyone looks at the sky towards the planes. Or down, to measure the damage. “Come back, they’re hitting!” “, says Haider over the phone. His brother, sheltered like him at school, had gone down to town to wash clothes. On November 6, Israeli strikes killed 59 people on the plain.
Since September 23, when Israeli attacks in Lebanon began to intensify, thousands of Bekaa residents have found refuge in Deir Al-Ahmar. But the Christian people are about to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the disaster. On October 30, the Lebanese civil defense called over loudspeakers for the evacuation of the ancient city of Baalbek, a historic stronghold of Hezbollah, populated by 80,000 inhabitants. In the morning, it was the Israeli army that ordered the departure of the population, two-thirds Shiites, with important Christian and Sunni minorities.
“Overnight, between 15,000 and 20,000 people flocked to Deir Al-Ahmar. Most slept in their cars. Deir Al-Ahmar is safe and the closest city to Baalbek. Still, many did not have the means to go further. “Living conditions in Lebanon mean that in case of emergency, one must go to the nearest safe area.” explains Jean Fakhri, president of the Union of Municipalities of Deir Al-Ahmar, which includes, in addition to the town and its 4,500 inhabitants, small neighboring communities.
Needs increase, reserves decrease and winter arrives. “I have been tired of eating lentils for forty days… The State has abandoned us, plague Haider, whose business was destroyed. But I’m not going to Baalbek anymore. It’s too dangerous. A drone killed a woman and her two children a few days ago not far from my house. » The road connecting the two towns is almost deserted and is only used by people fleeing Baalbek. In the villages, only a few Lebanese soldiers continue to circulate to stock up on provisions in the few open grocery stores.
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