LEBANON EMERGES FROM YEAR-LONG CONFLICT: A DEPLETED NATION ASSESSES THE COST OF WAR

Beirut, Lebanon - Over two months of all-out war have finally subsided, leaving behind a trail of destruction and devastation that will take years to recover from. The fragile peace agreement brokered in the wake of the conflict has brought an end to intense fighting between Israeli forces and Lebanese opponents, but at what cost?

Eyewitness accounts paint a grim picture of a nation left shattered and scarred. Villages once teeming with life now lie in ruins, as do towns and city streets where once-thriving communities were reduced to rubble by artillery fire and aerial bombardment.

For many Lebanese citizens, the sense of safety has given way to despair. Christou, a journalist reporting from Lebanon for The Guardian, described how what began as an exchange of rocket fire escalated into full-scale war. According to Christou, Hezbollah's near-mythical status in Lebanon proved untenable as it found itself outgunned and outmaneuvered by its adversaries.

"I've witnessed firsthand the devastation wrought on Lebanese communities," said Christou, who documented the conflict from the ground level. "The displacement of thousands, deaths of civilians, and widespread destruction are just a few aspects of this traumatic chapter in Lebanon's recent history."

As Lebanon struggles to pick up the pieces, fears of sectarian strife remain – not just after the Israeli invasion but also among other opposition groups which fear Hezbollah's authority might wane as its reputation fades. Those displaced by the conflict now find themselves living on the streets, their very existence uncertain.

It remains unclear what lies ahead for a nation weary from years of struggle and uncertainty but inescapably resilient. The question now hangs over whether Lebanon will once more rekindle into normalcy, to recover from the war it will now be facing – what's next for this fractured country?