Reporter Jad Mouawad files from a village on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel for "To Many in a Town Under Attack, Militiamen Are Defenders [1]."
"For the past week, Israel's army has thrown everything at Kafr Kila. It has bombed it, unleashed tank fire against it, lobbed phosphorus shells into it. At least once, an Israeli airstrike hit the ridge above the village. Many residents have fled the destruction, but so far the defenders, local fighters with Hezbollah and allied factions, have held on.
"'How could you stay silent when you see your land burn and your children get killed?' said Mr. Yahia, who said he was a platoon commander with the local defense force. 'The whole population here is resisting.'
Mouawad, who is Lebanese, refers to Hezbollah as a resistance movement, not a terrorist organization: "Israel aims to drive the Islamic resistance, Hezbollah in particular, out of south Lebanon. ut its past occupations and wars here have provided a powerful rallying cause that is deeply rooted in this rugged land."