When engineer Tarek Mazraani started campaigning for the reconstruction of war-battered southern Lebanon, Israeli drones hovered ominously overhead -- their loudspeakers sometimes calling him out by name.

Despite a ceasefire struck last November aiming to put an end to more than a year of fighting with Hezbollah, Israel has kept up near-daily strikes on Lebanon.

In addition to hitting alleged militants, it has recently also targeted bulldozers, excavators and prefabricated houses, often saying they were part of efforts to restore Hezbollah infrastructure.

The bombing has prevented tens of thousands of people from returning to their homes, and has made rebuilding heavily-damaged border villages -- like Mazraani's Hula -- almost impossible.

"For us, the war has not ended," Mazraani, 61, told AFP.

"We can't return to our villages, rebuild or even check on our homes."

In cash-strapped Lebanon, authorities have yet to begin reconstruction efforts, and have been hoping for international support, particularly from Gulf countries.

They have also blamed Israeli strikes for preventing efforts to rebuild, which the World Bank estimates could cost $11 billion.

Eager to go back home, Mazraani established the "Association of the Residents of Border Villages"........

© Al Monitor