٠٠:٠٣:٢١Farmers in the southern Lebanese town of Deir Seriane recounted the daily challenges they faced while working on their land amid the ongoing shelling between the Israeli army and Hezbollah on the border with Israel.
Footage filmed on Friday features farmers measuring water levels to grow tobacco to harvest the crop during the summer season. People also can be seen picking and collecting the current crop in the town, about 7 km from the Lebanese-Israeli border.
"Despite the war conditions, we started it as an experiment by trying to plant [tobacco] so if the situation changes, and God willing, it will change and calm down, we can harvest what we planted because summer is coming and there is no other income for us and we cannot stay without work in the summer if the situation calms down, but if it stays as it is now, we will remain steadfast, and we not abandon this land easily," Ali Ibrahim Mukhtar, a farmer, shared.
About 25,000 families in Lebanon reportedly benefit from tobacco production. The country ranks 35th globally in tobacco cultivation, with an area of 9,024 hectares, according to a report issued by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2021.
According to Lebanese state media, the Israeli army launched a raid on Friday targeting the vicinity of the Deir Seriane town and the road connecting it to the Taybeh town which was targeted twice in February and March.
Israel's military earlier said that its warplanes had struck Hezbollah sites in eastern Lebanon, where the Iran-backed group has a strong presence.
The Israel-Hezbollah armed conflict on the Lebanese-Israeli border has escalated since October 7, with the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, as Israel targeted Hezbollah sites in different towns in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah launched attacks targeting settlements in northern Israel.
'We will not abandon this land' - Lebanese farmers continue to work amid tension at border with Israel
Farmers in the southern Lebanese town of Deir Seriane recounted the daily challenges they faced while working on their land amid the ongoing shelling between the Israeli army and Hezbollah on the border with Israel.
Footage filmed on Friday features farmers measuring water levels to grow tobacco to harvest the crop during the summer season. People also can be seen picking and collecting the current crop in the town, about 7 km from the Lebanese-Israeli border.
"Despite the war conditions, we started it as an experiment by trying to plant [tobacco] so if the situation changes, and God willing, it will change and calm down, we can harvest what we planted because summer is coming and there is no other income for us and we cannot stay without work in the summer if the situation calms down, but if it stays as it is now, we will remain steadfast, and we not abandon this land easily," Ali Ibrahim Mukhtar, a farmer, shared.
About 25,000 families in Lebanon reportedly benefit from tobacco production. The country ranks 35th globally in tobacco cultivation, with an area of 9,024 hectares, according to a report issued by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2021.
According to Lebanese state media, the Israeli army launched a raid on Friday targeting the vicinity of the Deir Seriane town and the road connecting it to the Taybeh town which was targeted twice in February and March.
Israel's military earlier said that its warplanes had struck Hezbollah sites in eastern Lebanon, where the Iran-backed group has a strong presence.
The Israel-Hezbollah armed conflict on the Lebanese-Israeli border has escalated since October 7, with the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, as Israel targeted Hezbollah sites in different towns in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah launched attacks targeting settlements in northern Israel.
Farmers in the southern Lebanese town of Deir Seriane recounted the daily challenges they faced while working on their land amid the ongoing shelling between the Israeli army and Hezbollah on the border with Israel.
Footage filmed on Friday features farmers measuring water levels to grow tobacco to harvest the crop during the summer season. People also can be seen picking and collecting the current crop in the town, about 7 km from the Lebanese-Israeli border.
"Despite the war conditions, we started it as an experiment by trying to plant [tobacco] so if the situation changes, and God willing, it will change and calm down, we can harvest what we planted because summer is coming and there is no other income for us and we cannot stay without work in the summer if the situation calms down, but if it stays as it is now, we will remain steadfast, and we not abandon this land easily," Ali Ibrahim Mukhtar, a farmer, shared.
About 25,000 families in Lebanon reportedly benefit from tobacco production. The country ranks 35th globally in tobacco cultivation, with an area of 9,024 hectares, according to a report issued by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2021.
According to Lebanese state media, the Israeli army launched a raid on Friday targeting the vicinity of the Deir Seriane town and the road connecting it to the Taybeh town which was targeted twice in February and March.
Israel's military earlier said that its warplanes had struck Hezbollah sites in eastern Lebanon, where the Iran-backed group has a strong presence.
The Israel-Hezbollah armed conflict on the Lebanese-Israeli border has escalated since October 7, with the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, as Israel targeted Hezbollah sites in different towns in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah launched attacks targeting settlements in northern Israel.