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ConflictsLebanon

Balancing work and war in Beirut

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Mohamad Chreyteh in Dahiyeh, Lebanon
May 11, 2026

Work and war coexist in Lebanon, with some citizens going to extraordinary lengths to help in emergency situations. Meet Ali Othman, who waits tables to earn money by day – and digs for bodies by night. 

After Israeli  airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, volunteer rescuers search for survivors and recover the dead. Ali Othman lives between two shifts: serving tables by day and working as a rescue volunteer by night. Alongside his father and brother, he searches the rubble in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold, where at least 28 bodies were recovered. The war has also displaced his family, forcing them from their damaged home.

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