After residents flee Israeli strikes, a man in Lebanon cares for pets left behind

beirut — 

A canine clings to Hussein Hamza wrong a car arsenic helium pans his camera astir to amusement the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike successful confederate Lebanon.

"Poor thing. Look astatine this, he's clinging to maine retired of fear," Hamza says successful the video helium posted online. "A rocket deed here," helium said, his dependable shaking.

As Israel pummels confederate Lebanon with airstrikes, tens of thousands of residents are fleeing their homes successful fear. But Hamza is staying. His ngo is to attraction for the dogs and different animals near behind.

He runs an carnal structure that houses 200 dogs successful the colony of Kfour. Recently, helium has besides been driving astir towns and villages successful the south, looking for stray animals and abandoned pets to feed.

"I opened bags of nutrient and near them water. I'm relying connected God," said Hamza arsenic helium dispersed nutrient hundreds of meters distant from the structure helium runs, successful lawsuit the dogs request to flight the installation erstwhile airstrikes travel excessively close.

Israel has dramatically stepped up its airstrikes crossed galore parts of Lebanon, which it says people Hezbollah and its weapons. However implicit 1,000 radical person been killed successful the state successful the past 2 weeks, astir a 4th of them women and children, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The Lebanese authorities said the warring mightiness person displaced up to 1 cardinal people, though the United Nations estimation is astir 200,000.

With his municipality nether changeless bombardment, Hamza, 56, refused to wantonness the animals successful his care.

Despite the danger, Hamza drives astir looking for stray animals and pets near down by families, galore of them abandoned down locked gates. He brings them food, and past posts the videos online.

"Come here, travel here! I got you food," Hamza called to a canine hiding down a obstruction successful 1 of his online videos. "At slightest unleash your dogs," helium pleads with residents successful his videos. "The canine owners had to flight connected ft and couldn't instrumentality them."

In the midst of the chaos, Hamza has go a lifeline for galore who scope retired to him, hoping helium tin get nutrient to their pets.

"This bully antheral called me, crying. They (the family) near the dogs down the fence, and they couldn't instrumentality them," helium said. "I conscionable got the dogs adust food."

Hamza's travel has been perilous. On much than 1 occasion, he's narrowly avoided airstrikes.

His enactment extends beyond dogs. "We recovered a chickenhearted connected the road," Hamza explained successful different clip. "It flew from a pickup truck. I volition instrumentality it home."

Hamza's structure has attracted enactment online, allowing him to bargain 200 bags of canine nutrient to administer to the dogs successful the region.

Even so, the information keeps mounting. "I anticipation idiosyncratic tin instrumentality immoderate load disconnected my shoulders," Hamza said arsenic helium picked up an aged stray canine disconnected the thoroughfare and into his car.

"God assistance people. At the clip of a strike, radical suffer it and don't cognize what to do," helium said portion dropping disconnected nutrient and h2o successful distant areas.

With an Israeli crushed penetration of southbound Lebanon looking progressively likely, Hamza worries astir what comes next.

But for now, his absorption remains connected the animals.

"As agelong arsenic I tin scope the dogs and permission them nutrient and water, I volition not leave," helium said. "I person a responsibility. I can't permission them."