Shepherds in south Lebanon bear brunt of hostilities

Local shepherds in south Lebanon are bearing the brunt of the hostilities at the Lebanon-Israel border, according to Reuters.

"All of us shepherds take our herds to [the border areas of] Mays al-Jabal, Houla... but with the shelling, you can't get anywhere near there," Ali Beber, with a flock of 350 sheep, told the news agency.

"The hay I have left can feed them for another two or three days, then I'm going to have to go into debt to get them food,” he added.

Many living in the area have now been displaced, as fighting has intensified.

Burned olive trees and torched agricultural land across southern Lebanon have also affected peoples’ livelihoods, particularly as farmers were already badly hit by a four-year economic meltdown.