TYRE, Lebanon — The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah brought hope for normality back to many in southern Lebanon on Friday, including fishermen who have long launched their single-engine wooden boats into the Mediterranean at dawn.
Israel, which sent troops into southern Lebanon during the last two months of its war with the Iran-backed terror group, carried out an intense bombing campaign against Hezbollah that kept hundreds of fishers at this ancient Phoenician port on shore, upending their lives and the industry.
Hezbollah, unprovoked, had begun firing into Israel the day after Palestinian terror group Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, and its relentless attacks forced the displacement of some 60,000 residents of northern Israel. Hezbollah, like Hamas, is avowedly committed to destroying Israel . Amid the destruction and displacement as Israel struck back, the siege on Tyre’s port cut many people off from key ingredients for traditional Lebanese dishes like sayadiyeh — fish and rice boiled in fish sauce — or fried and grilled fish eaten with dips such as hummus and tabbouleh or fattoush salads. (Read More)