BEIRUT — Lubnan Baalbaki, conductor of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, experienced a heart-wrenching moment as he watched a live aerial video of his family’s village in southern Lebanon on his phone. Within moments, he witnessed multiple homes being destroyed, with smoke plumes marking the scene of devastation. As he focused in closer, his fears were confirmed: his family’s home in the border village of Odaisseh, where his parents are laid to rest, was reduced to rubble.
Baalbaki expressed the indescribable anguish of seeing his childhood home annihilated so quickly during Israel’s offensive in Lebanon, which began with stated aims of weakening the Hezbollah militant organization, moving them away from the border, and stopping more than a year of Hezbollah attacks in northern Israel. The Israeli military has shared footage of controlled explosions in border areas, claiming they were targeting Hezbollah facilities and munitions.
However, the ongoing bombardment has resulted in the complete destruction of entire neighborhoods and even whole villages. According to a recent report from the World Bank, over 99,000 housing units have suffered “fully or partially” in the conflict.
The family home in Odaisseh, crafted by Baalbaki’s late father, the esteemed Lebanese painter Abdel Hamid Baalbaki, was a trove of personal and artistic heritage. It housed numerous paintings created by his father, along with an art workshop and an impressive library of over 1,500 books—all of which were lost along with the structure.
What weighed even heavier on Baalbaki’s heart was the loss of the letters exchanged between his parents during his father’s studies in France. Only a few of these cherished mementos survived as digital images.
“The language of passion and love they shared was filled with poetry,” Baalbaki reflected, recalling a book of poems and photographs created by his father in memory of his beloved wife, which contained a dedication that started with, “Dedication to Adeeba, the partner of my most precious days, the love bird that left its nest too soon.”
After his mother’s untimely death in a car accident, Abdel Hamid crafted his wife’s tombstone with great care, later being laid to rest beside her in the garden adjacent to the family home. Witnessing the destruction of the home where those memories were built stirred up the pain of losing his parents all over again, a loss that had haunted him for months.
The escalation of conflict began on October 8, 2023, with Hezbollah launching missiles into Israel in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza, prompting Israeli airstrikes in retaliation. Throughout nearly a year, tensions remained largely contained until the conflict drastically escalated on September 23, marked by severe airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, including Beirut’s southern suburbs. This led Baalbaki and his siblings to frequently monitor satellite images for updates on their village.
On October 26, the destruction in and around Odaisseh triggered an earthquake alert in northern Israel, revealing a video showing their family home being completely leveled. Just days prior, the satellite images displayed the house intact. Now, Baalbaki is determined to fulfill his father’s vision despite the tragic loss.
“The mourning phase has shifted to determination to reconstruct this dream,” he stated. Once the conflict subsides, he plans to transform the remains of his family home into an art museum and cultural center, honoring the legacy of art and beauty left behind by his father.