On an early September morning, a precarious calm reigns over Hebbariyeh, a southern Lebanese village that lies on the southwest foot of Mount Hermon, a mountain range that straddles Lebanon, Syria and occupied Palestine. It’s a region known for its olive orchards, and its fig, pine and oak trees.
Montaha is preparing makdous from her pink, ground-floor house. It’s a traditional Levantine preserve made of tender, small-sized eggplants. It’s their season. She does this work while keeping all the doors and windows open. It prevents them from shattering, she says. Israel has been frequently bombarding her village.