France, April 18 -- "Thank God, we're happy, of course! It's a victory, even though we know our three-story house has collapsed. It's still something to be proud of," one man told RFI as he made his way to the village of Kharayeb in southern Lebanon, which has been heavily bombarded by Israeli missiles.

"We're returning with our heads held high," his wife added. "And we're not afraid of anyone, even if Israel bombs us, because we have our heroes on the front lines everywhere, and we're proud of them." 

More than 2,000 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since early March, according to UN figures. Over 1.2 million people have been displaced, the equivalent of one in five of the population.

Israeli ground forces...