In southern Lebanon, every morning begins with the same question: is it safe enough to go to work? Ali, who runs a small construction company, checks the news before heading out. Will his crew make it to the building site today — or will they have to stop everything and move the machinery out of the area? His wife and children are staying away, and each morning he calls to make sure they are safe.
Ali lives and works in Nabatieh, near the so-called Yellow Line, where Israeli forces remain in control of parts of southern Lebanon. Drones hover overhead and artillery fire can be heard in the surrounding area. Before the war, Ali and his crew built homes. Now, much of their work is clearing away what is left of them, as owners watch excavators tear down the ruins of houses they once lived in.
Yet some are determined to start again. One of Ali’s clients decides to resume construction on a building abandoned when the fighting began, hoping it will show others that ordinary life can still return. Ali takes on the job, knowing that every day of work is a gamble: no one knows whether the building they are putting back together today will still be standing tomorrow.
