Britain and France kicked off a two-day multinational military planning conference in London on Wednesday to advance plans for restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, with military planners from more than 30 countries attending, according to a statement from the British Ministry of Defense.
The ministry said the meeting, held at the UK's Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, north London, aims to turn previously reached diplomatic consensus into a joint military plan so as to help reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping passageway when conditions allow and a ceasefire can be sustained.
British Defense Secretary John Healey said ahead of the meeting that the key task of the conference was to translate the diplomatic consensus into a joint plan to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait and support a lasting ceasefire.
The ministry also noted that international trade, energy security and the stability of the global economy depend on freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint through which one-fifth of the world's oil supply typically passes.
Britain and France are working to involve as many partners as possible in the planning process to resume the flow of shipping vessels through the waterway, with discussions focusing on military capabilities, command and coordination, as well as regional deployments, according to the UK defense ministry statement.
France and the UK had earlier convened 51 countries for an international summit on the Strait of Hormuz in Paris on April 17, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni all attending, while officials from across Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East joined by video link.
Britain, France hold multinational military planning conference on Strait of Hormuz
Displaced people from southern Lebanon are returning to their homes as a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect, while it seems a tremendous task to rebuild ruined homes.
Nearly 38,000 Lebanese homes have been destroyed or damaged since early March in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Besides the southern district of Beirut, Nabateih is not an exception to Israel's heavy bombardment north of the Litani River. People there have been suffering during the war. As the ceasefire came into effect, it seems they will continue to suffer as they rebuild the city.
Fifty percent of all the damaged buildings in Lebanon in this latest conflict are in Nabatieh Province. It stretches from the Israeli border to north of the Litani River, where its capital, Nabatieh, is located.
Fadl Hodroj is fixing a security grille damaged by an Israeli bomb.
"Israel was very aggressive. They bombed a lot of residential buildings. They strike buildings with enough force to damage the entire surroundings, an entire district, or the markets. In all villages, you will find the same kind of destruction. No one else does this except for Israel; their main goal is to harm the people and destroy their livelihood. They think they will force us out of the south, but we will stand strong and rebuild it again and again. In the end, this land is ours," said Fadl Hodroj, a repairman.
Fadl's comments resonate in the streets of this quiet city, which once had a population of 90,000. Although there is a ceasefire, few have returned. Ibrahim Sarhan is one of them.
"The house was a mess, with scattered aluminum and glass. But overall, as long as the building is standing, we thank God. A home is not the walls, but the memories -- images that move with you from one room to the other. A young boy who was just two years old, now he’s 30, 40 or 50. Then his kids now roam between the same walls. This is a family house, just like any other family in the south, it contains warmth. Also, the neighbors stand next to each other during the hard times and help one another," said Ibrahim Sarhan, a Nabatieh resident.
Sarhan texted his mother a picture of her favorite chair and table on the balcony, where she had her morning coffee. He didn't show her these visuals of his best friend spraying two containers of air freshener.
They couldn't dare open the fridge because of the intense smell of rotten meat and poultry, so they threw it away.
"The fridge was always loaded with food because we could have a sudden visit from another family. We would start cooking on the spot and prepare you a hot meal without wasting time running to the store for ingredients. Now, it's all rotten and gone bad. God willing, we will get a new fridge soon," Sarhan said.
More than 7,000 buildings have been either demolished or heavily damaged there, making Nabateih second to Beirut in terms of destruction.
More than a million people have been displaced. The few who still live here are wondering and waiting to see if the 10-day temporary truce will continue.
Displaced Lebanese return home for reconstruction
