How Israel's war on Lebanon's water has become existential

It was half past five in the afternoon when Bahij Abdallah saw a white object pass overhead.

He was outside a pumping station in Ebel el-Saqi, in the hills above Marjayoun, checking on an open water reservoir. He had sat down on a stone step with his phone in his hand, while three colleagues remained inside.

At first, he thought the white thing was a drone.

“Suddenly, it stopped in the air for a second, turned, and fell on the station,” Abdallah told Middle East Eye. “Then the smoke and the fire started.”

The phone flew out of his hand. He felt a wall of air, and then metal pushing into his body. He looked down and saw blood dripping from his face. His shoulder was burning.