Feature: Displaced Lebanese mark somber Eid amid prolonged border tensions

　　BEIRUT, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The celebration of Eid al-Adha in the southeastern Lebanese village of Kafr Kila was overshadowed by a dim and gloomy atmosphere this year as the village has fallen victim to the conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli army.

　　"Some people returned during Eid to check on their houses and properties and were shocked by the destruction," Khaled Ismail, 50, told Xinhua while wandering in the rubble of destroyed homes in the village.

　　Kafr Kila is located on the Lebanon-Israel border, where tensions have escalated since Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

　　The devastating conflict changed the Eid traditions for locals, with festive spirit replaced by sadness over destruction and neediness.

　　"Local families used to exchange visits during Eid. However, this is no longer the case, especially for the defenseless residents who couldn't risk leaving their villages under current circumstances," Najla Daher, a 20-year-old woman from the southeastern village of Kfarchouba, told Xinhua.

　　"Rockets and shells would come anytime in some areas, and the number of dead and wounded is rising almost daily," she said.

　　In the southeastern village of Mays al-Jabal, where only 49 percent of houses survived the bombing, Khalil Qabalan told Xinhua the only thing that people can do is to recite the Quran verses for the deceased.

　　"In the past, we used to buy sweets and clothes, attend Eid prayers, slaughter animals, and distribute the meat to relatives and neighbors. But now, we can only manage to scratch out a living," he said.

　　Qabalan also expressed concern over the reconstruction in southern Lebanon, complaining about the high cost of rebuilding homes.

　　"The construction of a single three-story building could cost 700,000 U.S. dollars, and establishing a small house costs around 150,000 dollars," he lamented, noting that the whole country is suffering from a deep financial crisis.

　　The confrontations have led to a massive displacement of around 100,000 people in southern Lebanon, according to estimates by the Interior Ministry, coinciding with the country's severe financial crisis, which has caused the collapse of local currency, the devaluation of salaries, and the surge of unemployment and poverty rates.

　　Hashem Haidar, the head of the Council for South Lebanon, told Xinhua, "The government has not yet decided to compensate people affected by the border conflict," noting that the country has suffered direct losses of more than 500 million dollars due to the deadly conflict, and the amount may exceed 1 billion dollars if indirect losses included. ■