SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Efforts to end the war in Lebanon continue. The U.S. and other countries are trying to broker a cease-fire between the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israel. In September, Israel stepped up attacks across the Israeli-Lebanese border and killed the head of Hezbollah. NPR's Jane Arraf joins us now from Beirut. Jane, thanks so much for being with us.
JANE ARRAF, BYLINE: Thank you, Scott.
SIMON: You've been covering this story in real time as the conflict has deepened. What is life like in Lebanon now?
ARRAF: It's much different from previous wars when you talk to the Lebanese. There are entire communities in this country literally being destroyed. And Scott, even here in Beirut, even outside the neighborhoods where Israel is bombing, it's impossible not to know that this is a country at war. This is the sound of life in Beirut these days - the constant buzz of Israeli drones.
(SOUNDBITE OF DRONES BUZZING)
ARRAF: Along with the drones, there are the sound of explosions and vehicles belonging to displaced Lebanese choking the streets. There are almost a million displaced, and without enough shelter, some are still sleeping on the streets. The Lebanese government says almost 3,400 people have been killed so far in Israeli attacks, and a lot of those are women and children. And the World Bank says those attacks have caused about $8 billion in damage, including the cost of 100,000 damaged or destroyed homes. The scale of destruction is overwhelming.
SIMON: Does that destruction make it more likely for Hezbollah and Lebanon to accept a cease-fire?
ARRAF: Well, Hezbollah is indisputably weakened. Its own leaders acknowledge that. But Hezbollah, we have to remember, was created to counter Israel's occupation of Lebanon four decades ago, and it's not going to melt away. Yesterday, Iranian envoy Ali Larijani met with the Lebanese parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, who's at the center of negotiations. Larijani said Iran also wanted a solution to the conflict, and he told the Lebanese channel that the latest proposal includes some positive points. But details of that proposal haven't been released, and the apparent stumbling block here is Israel's insistence that it continue to be able to launch attacks across the border even after a cease-fire. There's no indication that Hezbollah would accept that.
SIMON: Jane, what else have you been able to see as you traveled throughout Lebanon to many of the areas hit?
ARRAF: Well, in recent weeks, Israel has struck much further than its attacks in Hezbollah areas. Those were border areas, the south of Beirut, Bekaa Valley. This town, for instance, we went to the town of Almat, which is north of Beirut and a long way from the border. It's one of those stunningly beautiful and quiet mountainside towns. But on Sunday, Israel targeted a house where three displaced families were living and didn't give any warning. The home was flattened. Twenty-seven people were killed, including at least seven children. And when we walked through that rubble, you could see little kids' shoes and clothes and school workbooks. Israel said it was targeting Hezbollah fighters and weapons and that it took steps to mitigate harm to civilians but wouldn't provide any details about that. I spoke with a neighbor who was assessing the damage in her house, Radia Ahmed (ph).
RADIA AHMED: (Speaking Arabic).
ARRAF: She says they did coloring and drawing with the displaced children. We knew their names, she says. And even if there is a cease-fire, in communities like this, the damage has already been done.
SIMON: NPR's Jane Arraf in Beirut. Thank you so much.
ARRAF: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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