Médecins Sans Frontières - ENGLISH - Director of operations back from South Lebanon

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSF357996

Date taken / Date Recorded 15/01/2026 1:13 PM

Country Lebanon

Commissioning section MSF-SWITZERLAND

Photographer / videographer / producer Maryam Srour

Copyright Maryam Srour/MSF

Usage Rights (MSF) External Media, MSF Fundraising, MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available no

Editor's rating ★★★★★ (C)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 2m34s

Maximum Size 1080px × 1920px 363.11 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist SRT file: MSF358497

Kenneth Lavelle
MSF Director of Operations

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,800
Villages, or parts of villages,

2
00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:05,200
completely destroyed,

3
00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:06,920
and within those ruins,

4
00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:09,280
you see families with young children

5
00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:10,960
trying to rebuild their lives...

ON-SCREN TEXT:

MSF Director of Operations is back from south Lebanon where he visited the governorate most heavily impacted by the Isareli war in the country.

6
00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:18,800
The last time that I was able to visit Lebanon

7
00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,560
was in November 2024

8
00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:24,000
after the conflict had escalated,

9
00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,280
and a few days before
the ceasefire was agreed.

10
00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,880
The situation, of course
was a lot more critical

11
00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:32,640
in the sense that
the fighting had forced

12
00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:35,640
hundreds of thousands of people
to flee their homes.

13
00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:38,800
Now, the ceasefire
allowed many people

14
00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:40,440
to return home,

15
00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:42,080
but what have they returned to?

16
00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:44,080
Villages that have
been destroyed.

17
00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:45,560
Their homes have
been destroyed.

18
00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:48,280
So, they're trying
to rebuild a life,

19
00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:50,960
but the fact is that
it's not really a ceasefire.

20
00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,280
There are still airstrikes,
there are still drone activity,

21
00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:58,000
The population are still
living in a conflict zone.

ON-SCREN TEXT:
14 months after the announced ‘ceasefire,' Israeli forces continue to attack and occupy parts of Lebanon.

ON-SCREN TEXT:
In the Nabatieh governorate, communities remain trapped under unrelenting Israeli hostilities.

22
00:01:13,320 --> 00:01:15,040
The areas where
I was able to visit,

23
00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:16,880
mainly in the governorate
of Nabatieh,

24
00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:20,800
it took us many, many months
to be able to access that area

25
00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:22,320
because of the conflict.

26
00:01:22,320 --> 00:01:25,320
We've now got teams there
on a more regular basis

27
00:01:25,320 --> 00:01:28,400
and they are implementing
the medical activities.

28
00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:32,040
A lot of the activity
is around mental health.

29
00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:33,880
The violence, the conflict,

30
00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:36,400
the constant airstrikes
and bombings

31
00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:40,080
have left a population
absolutely traumatized.

32
00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:42,340
The humanitarian response today

33
00:01:42,340 --> 00:01:44,600
is definitely not
at the level it should be.

34
00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,320
the healthcare system
was already fragile.

35
00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:50,020
The number of actors
that are able to scale up

36
00:01:50,020 --> 00:01:52,560
and to provide support
is diminishing.

37
00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,920
Many of them are suffering
from budget cuts.

38
00:01:55,920 --> 00:02:00,200
Many of them are unable to operate
in some areas in the south.

39
00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,400
What's being provided
today is insufficient.

40
00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:06,640
So as in many regions
where MSF work,

41
00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:10,520
especially over this last 12 months,
where budgets have been cut,

42
00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:13,080
there has to be a prioritization

43
00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:17,920
for the needs of populations
that are still in active conflicts.

44
00:02:17,920 --> 00:02:20,120
What was clear for me
during my visit,

45
00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:23,760
that this is not a post conflict
recovery situation.

46
00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:26,520
It's extremely
disheartening to see

47
00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:31,320
what this population have
suffered and continue to suffer.