Traumatized horses rescued from Israeli bombings find refuge in the Bekaa Valley Israel invades Lebanon

Bar Elias, Lebanon – Purebred Arabian horses run in the sunlight, hooves swirling in clouds of sand. They galloped around the booth, encouraged by their bosses in the small fort-like stable at the edge of Bar Elias.

But despite the beauty of the place, as the day draws to a close, there is a sense of sadness.

Eighteen horses survived the Israeli bombings that turned their stable in southern Lebanon into rubble, killing many people and horses.

The rescued horses had found a new home in the heart of the Bekaa Valley. However, many died when a neighboring stable was bombed when Israel launched its offensive in Lebanon on September 23.

The bloodiest escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah since October 7, 2023, Israel’s attack on Lebanon has left more than 1,300 dead and 9,000 injured in just a few weeks.

All the southern regions of Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley are being bombed as Israeli forces try to attack and capture villages near the border.

Wounds and panic

The open wounds still stain the horses’ coats, and their eyes flashed with fright at the slightest sound.

“When they arrived they were tired, some [were] they were injured, and the severity of their illnesses became apparent in the days following their arrival,” Jaafar Araji, 32, a worker at the family’s stable, told Al Jazeera.

Rescued from the wreckage and transported by a convoy of six trucks, the rescued Arabian and European horses require constant attention from the stable staff.

“They had lost about half their weight, and we don’t know exactly how long they had been without food… their owner couldn’t come to the stable for the first two days because of the shooting,” added Jaafar as he walked around the stable. .

The gray sow with a wound on her side carried what looked like sadness in her eyes.

“She had a miscarriage when she arrived, she was traumatized and lost her strength. We stayed with him all night to reassure him and make sure that he doesn’t get lost,” he said in the air.

“To be honest, we can open our own clinic here because of the many years of experience we have in caring for our horses.”

Jaafar and his family take out rescuers every day and give them medicine despite the absence of reliable – and accessible – vets in Lebanon and the difficulty of getting food during the war.

“In Lebanon, there are only a few vets, and they don’t usually refuse to help those who don’t have thousands of dollars to pay – so we had to learn by ourselves,” he said.

Empty medicine boxes stacked near the stables bear witness to the difficult nights of care required by injured, injured horses.

“We work long shifts at night because that’s when most of their symptoms appear,” he explained.

But they can’t always be saved: One horse died of its wounds and severe weakness, Jaafar told Al Jazeera sadly on the phone days later.

A refuge in time of war

During the day, the stable hosts a riding school for children, teaching them to ride the famous Arabian breed.

Now, in the golden rays of the afternoon, the stable workers rest and enjoy some time with the horses.

Zakaria Araji, Jaafar’s father and owner of the stable, sits on a bench near the stall where the horses are trained, drinking Turkish coffee while watching the horses trot. He feeds and takes care of these war survivors at his own expense.

“When I received a call from their owner asking for help, I immediately accepted it without asking for anything. I don’t even know his name, but that doesn’t matter.

“Horses are innocent and innocent people, I have to do everything I can to help them,” he explained.

This is not the first time this stable has helped rescue horses – it still hosts many rescued in neighboring Syria.

Jaafar explains that they will soon take another 20 horses from South Baalbek, whose owner was killed in the strike. He is currently building new booths to accommodate them.

He vows to take care of them “no matter the cost”.

“When we see that Israel is bombing farms, barns, and killing these innocent animals, it is unjust. Even if its owner was part of Hezbollah, what was wrong with the horses?” Zakaria asked.

A long history

The Arajis are part of the Bar Elias region’s history and social fabric.

“I got this stamp from my father, and he from his father, this has been happening for generations. In the whole village, Araji is a name tied to horses,” said Zakaria proudly.

Most of their purebred Arabians come from long bloodlines, which Jaafar says were originally war horses.

He says: “Their long necks were covered with armor, and they stood in the first line to protect the other horses behind them from incoming arrows.”

Centuries later, horses were no longer used for conflict or transport, they became the vocation of breeders, racers and show riders.

“There are no big horse races here and there is not much profit to be made – we keep these horses without love and affection,” he explained.

But Lebanon’s economic crisis has hit the stables hard, as imported medicine and food prices have soared.

Zakaria says he had 30 horses, but only ten are left after he was forced to sell them due to hard times.

He and Jaafar are willing to take care of the injured arrivals no matter the cost.

In order for these injured horses to go home, the people must return to the south and reopen the stables.

Because of this, it is not clear whether the horses will ever return to their homes in southern Lebanon, as Israeli bombardment has turned the area into a desert.