Bekaa Valley, Lebanon – A gentle breeze sweeps across the rugged, arid terrain along the Lebanon-Syria border, stirring the figures that traverse the mountain pass, maneuvering around two large craters.
What was once a bustling thoroughfare connecting Beirut in Lebanon, through the Bekaa Valley, and extending to Damascus in Syria via the Masnaa Crossing, has been devastated by Israeli airstrikes. Travel has become nearly impossible. Families now traverse the area on foot, balancing their belongings atop their heads while carefully navigating the rubble.
Following a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah established on Wednesday, Israel had been conducting extensive bombardments across Lebanon since late September. On October 4, its military targeted Masnaa, the primary border crossing into Syria, intensifying its offensive on Lebanon nearly a year after initiating a conflict in Gaza.
The remnants of Masnaa are scarcely sufficient to facilitate passage, let alone accommodate the once-frequent trucks laden with fresh produce that used to traverse the route in both directions. “Since the strike, no produce has been coming in or going out, neither avocados nor bananas, even though the season is in full swing,” states Abu Hussein, a young laborer typically engaged in loading and unloading trucks, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Due to the absence of commercial truck traffic, he now spends his days in the shade by the roadside or assisting individuals in transporting their belongings through the rubble. “This is a significant economic setback for us,” he remarks. In 2023, Lebanon exported between 250 and 350 tonnes of agricultural products daily to the broader Middle East via Masnaa, generating annual revenues of $176 million, as reported by Lebanese customs data, which also includes industrial exports.
Israel asserts that it targeted the road to Masnaa to hinder Hezbollah from acquiring weapons from Syria; however, local residents are concerned that this may be the initial phase of a blockade against the country.
Since that event, all other official border crossings between Syria and Lebanon have also been subjected to bombardment, and in October, Israel enforced a maritime blockade on southern Lebanon.
Throughout the nation, Israeli airstrikes have devastated over 2,000 hectares (approximately 5,000 acres) of farmland, while 12,000 hectares (nearly 30,000 acres) have been abandoned by farmers seeking safety.
This translates to a loss of 10 percent of Lebanon’s arable land, although this figure is regarded as a conservative estimate. Much of the remaining land has been left uncultivated. Prior to Israel’s offensive, nearly one in four Lebanese individuals were already facing hunger due to the country’s economic turmoil and inflation, according to the World Food Programme. With the escalation of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah since September, the agency has cautioned that “Lebanon’s food insecurity is poised to deteriorate further.” “The conflict also jeopardizes… more than 60 percent of Lebanon’s agricultural output.”
While Gaza has endured an Israeli blockade for 17 years, leading to severe famine, many in Lebanon are apprehensive that they may face a similar fate.
