Hezbollah havoc

Middle East | Israelis and Lebanese want the militant group disarmed, but how now? | Jill Nelson

From his hilltop home on Mount Lebanon, Abbas Halabi reviews the destruction in nearby Beirut. Smoke billows from burning buildings and the once bustling streets now echo with sounds reminiscent of the country's civil war that began in 1975 and finally ended in 1990. The banker, judge, and president of Lebanon's Arab Group for Muslim-Christian Dialogue mourns the destruction of his country's decade-long renaissance and the piles of debt incurred for a dream that seems to be disintegrating before his eyes—roads and bridges destroyed, buildings toppled, and ports demolished.

Across the border in the northern Israeli town of Tiberias, Hava Bausch takes her dog for a walk through her own empty town, typically buzzing with tourists from around the world. Her bed and breakfast is now vacant, and neighboring hotels have received one cancellation after another—and for good reason.