BEIRUT: Lebanese citizens who haven’t left their homes in the southern towns and villages of the country are praising the Kuwait Red Crescent Society’s support, which has allowed them to remain in their homes despite Zionist shelling. The residents of the south noted the food and in-kind aid distributed by the Kuwait Red Crescent Society through the Lebanese Red Cross during the past days for those who remained in their towns and those affected by the military confrontations in the south. The society concluded the first phase of aid distribution Saturday.

Joseph Salameh, the mayor of the town of Qulayaa, told KUNA that the Lebanese “are mainly suffering from the deteriorating economic situation” and difficult living conditions, and the military confrontations and the transformation of the south into a battlefield “made the situation of southern families worse and more difficult”.

Salameh added that the ongoing military confrontations since last October have damaged agricultural land and deprived farmers, who make up most of the population of Qulayaa, from cultivating their land and benefiting from their crops, in addition to damaging shops and stifling the town’s economy.

Salameh thanked the State of Kuwait and the Kuwait Red Crescent Society for their assistance, which will help the town’s residents, some 2,000 people, who have remained in their homes despite security risks and economic constraints.

Tariq Al-Masri, a resident of Shebaa and a father of three, thanked the Kuwait Red Crescent Society for their help during these difficult times. “We have been left alone to face our fate. Kuwaiti aid has come to save us in a time of need.”

Masri told KUNA, who works as a painter, that work has been suspended in Shebaa and neighboring towns due to the ongoing war, pointing to the inability of the people to benefit from their land, on which they relied to meet some of their basic needs, as the military assault has killed the planting season.

Taha Saab, another resident of Shebaa, told KUNA that the families in the town lack various basic needs considering the interruption of work and the tough situation in the south. Saab explained that many families preferred to stay in the south because it was difficult to leave their homes behind and bear the high cost of living elsewhere. He stressed the importance of the humanitarian initiative carried out by the Kuwait Red Crescent Society in keeping families at home and saving them from displacement.

The Kuwait Red Crescent Society has distributed aid, including food and cleaning materials, in cooperation with the Lebanese Red Cross, to 2,500 families still residing in their towns in southern Lebanon, despite the continuation of military confrontations, which are approaching their eighth month. Lebanese Red Cross relief coordinator Youssef Boutros told KUNA that the second phase of aid distribution by the Kuwait Red Crescent Society to the southern families will begin soon. He explained that the association will distribute Eid sacrifices to Lebanese families and families of Syrian and Palestinian refugees for the coming Eid Al-Adha. — KUNA