Family returns to Lebanon to find a crater where their 50-year-old home once stood

BAALBEK, Lebanon (AP) — In eastern Lebanon's city of Baalbek, the Jawhari family gathered around a gaping crater where their home once stood, tears streaming as they tried to make sense of the destruction.

“It is heart-breaking. A heartache that there is no way we will ever recover from,” said Lina Jawhari, her voice breaking as she hugged relatives who came to support the family. “Our world turned upside down in a second.”

The home, which was a gathering place for generations, was reduced to rubble by an Israeli airstrike on Nov. 1, leaving behind shattered memories and twisted fragments of a once-vibrant life.

The family, like thousands of Lebanese, were returning to check on their properties after the U.S.-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect early Wednesday.

Intense Israeli airstrikes over the past two months leveled entire neighborhoods in eastern and southern Lebanon, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut, which are predominantly Shiite areas of Lebanon where Hezbollah has a strong base of support. Nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced.

The airstrikes have left a massive trail of destruction across the country.

A photo of the Jawhari family's home — taken on a phone by Louay Mustafa, Lina’s nephew — is a visual reminder of what had been. As the family sifted through the rubble, each fragment recovered called them to gather around it.

A worn letter sparked a collective cheer, while a photo of their late father triggered sobs. Reda Jawhari had built the house for his family and was a craftsman who left behind a legacy of metalwork. The sisters cried and hoped to find a piece of the mosque-church structure built by their father. Minutes later, they lifted a mangled piece of metal from the debris. They clung to it, determined to preserve a piece of his legacy.

“Different generations were raised with love... Our life was music, dance, dabke (traditional dance). This is what the house is made up of. And suddenly, they destroyed our world. Our world turned upside down in a second. It is inconceivable. It is inconceivable," Lina said.

Despite their determination, the pain of losing their home and the memories tied to it remains raw.

Rouba Jawhari, one of four sisters, had one regret.

“We are sad that we did not take my mom and dad’s photos with us. If only we took the photos,” she said, clutching an ID card and a bag of photos and letters recovered from the rubble. “It didn’t cross our mind. We thought it’s two weeks and we will be back.”

The airstrike that obliterated the Jawhari home came without warning, striking at 1:30 p.m. on what was otherwise an ordinary Friday.

Their neighbor, Ali Wehbe, also lost his home. He had stepped out for food a few minutes before the missile hit and rushed back to find his brother searching for him under the rubble.

“Every brick holds a memory,” he said, gesturing to what remained of his library. “Under every book you would find a story.”

Displaced residents walk on the rubble of their destroyed house in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Displaced residents react as they stand in front of the rubble of their destroyed house in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Lina Rida Jawhari, cries as she sits on the rubble of her family's destroyed house in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Zeina Rida Jawhari, reacts after recovering a photo of her father from the rubble of her destroyed house in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Displaced residents pause and hug as they stand in front of the rubble of their destroyed house in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man sits on the rubble of a destroyed house in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Displaced residents hug as they stand in front of the rubble of their destroyed house in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Zeina Rida Jawhari, reacts after recovering a photo of her father from the rubble of her destroyed house in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Displaced residents hug as they stand in front of the rubble of their destroyed house in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Protesters in Serbia stood in silence for 15 minutes on Friday for the victims of a roof collapse four weeks ago in a northern city, seeking to keep up pressure on the populist authorities to punish those responsible for the tragedy.

Traffic was blocked for a third week in a row at various spots in several Serbian cities and towns, including in the northern city of Novi Sad where the concrete outer roof at the central railway station smashed down on people on Nov. 1 without warning.

Initially 14 people died and three were injured but one more person later died in hospital.

The railway station building was renovated twice in recent years. Many in Serbia believe rampant corruption and opaque deals resulted in sloppy work during reconstruction and led to the collapse of the roof.

Street protests and blockades have been held almost daily since the roof crash, demanding justice. Another rally is planned on Sunday in Novi Sad to mark one month since the tragedy.

While prosecutors have announced the arrests of 13 people, a Serbian court this week released from detention former government construction minister Goran Vesic. This has fueled widespread skepticism of the ongoing investigation, as the populists control both the police and judiciary.

Serbia's authoritarian President Aleksandar Vucic has accused the protesters of being bullies and thugs who used people's deaths for political gains. Scuffles have erupted both in Serbia's parliament and during some of the recent rallies when pro-government protesters showed up to break up the opposition-led blockades.

Minor incidents were also reported during Friday's silent protest in Belgrade, the capital city. In Novi Sad, residents held a long black banner for the victims. Some people at the protests in other cities held white roses or posters with a red handprint, telling the authorities they have “blood on their hands.”

Opposition parties have repeatedly called for the resignation of Serbia’s prime minister and his government, as well as access to full documentation in the train station building and other infrastructure projects with Chinese state companies.

The station in Novi Sad was originally built in 1964. Its renovation was part of a bigger project with China and Hungary to build a high-speed railway between Belgrade and Budapest.

People hold a black banner and stand in silence to commemorate the 15 victims of a railway station roof collapse in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

People stand in silence to commemorate the 15 victims of a railway roof collapse one month ago and demand accountability for the tragedy in Kikinda, Serbia, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People hold a black banner and stand in silence in front of the Serbian parliament to commemorate the 15 victims of a railway station roof collapse in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

People stand in silence to commemorate the 15 victims of a railway roof collapse one month ago and demand accountability for the tragedy in Kikinda, Serbia, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People hold a black banner and stand in silence to commemorate the 15 victims of a railway station roof collapse in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)