Family returns to Lebanon to find crater where their 50-year-old home once stood

BAALBEK, Lebanon — In the eastern Lebanon town of Baalbek, the Jawhari family gathered around a gaping crater where their home once stood, tearfully trying to make sense of the destruction.

“It’s heartbreaking. A heartache we will never recover from,” said Lina Jawhari, her voice broken, as she hugged relatives who had come to support the family. “Our world turned upside down in a second.”

The house, which had been a meeting place for generations, was reduced to rubble by an Israeli airstrike on November 1, leaving behind shattered memories and twisted fragments of a once-vibrant life.

Families return after ceasefire

The family, like thousands of Lebanese, returned to check on their property after the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect early Wednesday.

Fierce Israeli airstrikes in the last two months have leveled entire neighborhoods in eastern and southern Lebanon as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut, predominantly Shiite areas of Lebanon where Hezbollah has a strong support base. Almost 1.2 million people were displaced.

The airstrikes have left a huge trail of destruction across the country.

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Searching through memories

A photo of the Jawhari family home – taken on a phone by Louay Mustafa, Lina’s nephew – is a visual reminder of what once was. As the family searched through the rubble, each recovered fragment invited them to gather around it.

A worn letter sparked collective cheers, while a photo of her late father sparked sobs. Reda Jawhari had built the house for his family and was a craftsman who left a legacy of metalworking. The sisters cried and hoped to find a piece of the mosque-church structure built by their father. Minutes later, they lifted a mangled piece of metal from the rubble. They held on, determined to preserve a piece of his legacy.

“Different generations were raised with love… Our life consisted of music, dance and dabke (traditional dance). This is what the house is made of. And suddenly they destroyed our world. Our world turned upside down in a second. It’s unimaginable. “It’s unimaginable,” said Lina.

Despite her determination, the pain of losing her home and the memories that come with it remains harsh.

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Regret and unexpected loss

Rouba Jawhari, one of four sisters, had one regret.

“We are sad that we didn’t take my parents’ photos with us. “If only we took the photos,” she said, holding an ID card and a bag of photos and letters recovered from the rubble. “It didn’t occur to us. We thought it would be two weeks and we would be back.”

The airstrike that destroyed the Jawhari home came without warning and occurred at 1:30 p.m. on an otherwise ordinary Friday.

Her neighbor Ali Wehbe also lost his home. He had gone out to get something to eat a few minutes before the rocket hit and rushed back to find his brother searching for him among the rubble.

“Every brick holds a memory,” he said, pointing to the remains of his library. “Under every book you would find a story.”