Dahiyeh, Lebanon – Ahmad Wehbe didn’t expect his restaurant, Fries Lab, to survive Israel’s war on Lebanon.The restaurant in Haret Hreik, Dahiyeh – a neighbourhood heavily targeted during the war – was hit by an Israeli strike in late November.
“I woke up to a call from a friend in Qatar,” Wehbe, 28, told Al Jazeera. “He said my restaurant was on a map of targeted buildings published by the Israeli army. I rushed to check.”
When he arrived, all that was left of his tiny, open-kitchen burger joint was a pile of rubble.
“I was sad but not devastated,” he said. “As long as my family and loved ones were safe, I knew I had to move on. I couldn’t dwell on something I expected to happen.”
Lights amid destruction
Haret Hreik’s main street still sports bright, colourful signs and exteriors of popular restaurants like Falafel Khalifeh and Al Agha.
As daylight fades, the restaurants’ vibrant neon lights take over, masking the scenes of destruction all around.
Not all of them survived – Wehbe is among many restaurant owners who lost businesses as Israel destroyed whole swaths of Dahiyeh, although he was a bit more fortunate.
The all-important fries seasoning at Fries Lab [Raghed Waked/ Al Jazeera]
As soon as a ceasefire deal was announced on November 27, people returned to their Dahiyeh homes, salvaged what they could, and those who could afford repairs reopened their businesses. Advertisement
Wehbe’s restaurant was a complete los …