Tensions high between Lebanon and Israel despite ceasefire

DW (English)

Tensions between Lebanon and Israel are escalating nearly a year after a ceasefire that was supposed to bring calm to the region. Caught in the middle, the country's civilians are once again living in fear of a new war.

Transcript

00:00The sound of Israeli drones hovering over Beirut.

00:07For many residents, it's an almost daily reminder of wars they hoped were over.

00:14In her studio in the Lebanese capital, artist Aya Dips channels that unease into her work.

00:21Her war-related artwork has been featured by prestigious international NGOs and film festivals.

00:28This drawing illustrates the drone buzzing.

00:31It's so annoying that sometimes I can't tell if it's actually there or only in my head.

00:40We try to live normally, but everything around us is abnormal.

00:44We hear that the South is still being bombed daily.

00:48I live here in Beirut, but my parents live in the South.

00:52But even here in Beirut, relatively far away from the bombing,

00:56the drones are an everyday reminder that war is coming, or not.

01:01We never know.

01:05Her sketches captures the fears of a generation that grew up between ceasefires,

01:10seemingly never far from the next war.

01:14All my friends left. Literally all of them.

01:17In Lebanon, the idea of living abroad is always there, because there's no stability here.

01:23We thought that the next generations might be spared that decision.

01:28But I realized that even though we all try to stay, we all end up leaving,

01:33because we lack safety and stability.

01:36And we have no prospects here.

01:40This latest conflict has deepened Lebanon's already severe economic and political crises,

01:47and has led to even more people wanting to leave the country.

01:51The ceasefire may have eased the bombing, but not the fear.

01:54With tensions rising along the border again,

01:57Lebanon finds itself on the brink of another devastating war.

02:01Aya is part of a generation that knows what it means to live through war.

02:10My anxiety keeps rising.

02:14I feel angry and I'm less tolerant.

02:19Even when I try to create my own space, it feels like everything is out of control.

02:26We live in a country where we're always waiting for something to happen.

02:35For Aya and many others, the question isn't if war will return, but when.

02:41I'm trying to cope with the situation and accept that we're going through hardship.

02:47I feel down, but I will keep trying to do things that amuse me.

02:52I will keep trying to do things that help me calm down and carry on.

02:57In a country code between uncertainty and resilience,

03:01Aya's art has become both a coping mechanism and a reminder of what's at stake for Lebanon.

03:08Part 3

03:13www. particles-relatedcomment Discovery

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