In a field overlooking a lush valley in southern Lebanon, villagers in Zibqin balanced on branches to pick their olives on Thursday while Lebanese Army soldiers stood nearby, Reuters reported. The harvest, a crop families wait for all year, is going ahead within earshot of a conflict that has not gone away.

Zibqin sits beside Israel's self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops have demolished dozens of villages, saying the armed group Hezbollah had embedded itself in civilian infrastructure, a claim the group denies. Israeli shelling frequently strikes the valley below the olive groves despite a June ceasefire between the two sides.

A harvest families cannot afford to miss

For many households, the olive crop is a main source of income and nutrition, and farmers say they have little choice but to return to the fields. Ali Bzieh, a 65-year-old farmer from the village, told Reuters the land and the harvest were his livelihood, and that his attachment to the trees kept him coming back despite the danger.

Many families returned to Zibqin after the ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, but local officials say the situation remains unstable. Raef Bzieh, a local official, said continued bombing and attacks on the outskirts of the village had caused worry and panic among residents, even as the harvest goes on.

Source: Reuters.