Joe and Diana Elias discovered that their home in the southern Lebanese village of Qouzah had been destroyed after satellite images showed it flattened during recent fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. The couple, who have been unable to return since violence escalated in early March, said the loss was 'a catastrophe' not only for their family but for the entire community. Imagery independently reviewed by a British news organization's Verify team confirmed that large हिस्सes of the village, including the Elias family home and olive groves, were demolished.

The Israel Defense Forces said anti tank missiles had been launched from the coordinates of the house toward its troops, injuring four soldiers, and that it struck what it described as military targets to prevent further attacks. Visual analysis indicates controlled demolitions occurred in at least 12 border villages, with nearly a third of buildings in Qouzah’s main residential area destroyed between early March and mid April. More than 1.2 million people across Lebanon have been displaced since the fighting resumed, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Elias, a former mayor who spent decades in the United States before returning to his ancestral village, said his family had rebuilt the house after earlier damage and cultivated olive trees that produced about 1,000 litres of oil each year. He argued that civilians are paying the price of the conflict and questioned whether they could rebuild without a lasting peace. Although a 10 day ceasefire was announced on 16 April, Israeli forces remain present in areas up to 10 kilometres beyond the border.