Life and loss as a first responder in southern Lebanon

What the report says

Al Jazeera’s new short film focuses on Ali Safiuddin, the head of Civil Defence in Tyre, southern Lebanon’s largest city, and how his work as a first responder has been shaped by repeated loss. The film, titled *The Ones We Couldn’t Save*, was published on 13 August 2026 and draws on his experience rescuing civilians after Israeli air strikes and other blasts in Lebanon.

The report says that although a ceasefire formally covers southern Lebanon, fighting and shelling continue along the so-called “Yellow Line,” where Israel has designated a security zone inside Lebanese territory. Tyre itself is described as relatively calm, but nearby municipalities have still been hit. Safiuddin says the current lull is helping his team repair equipment and prepare for possible renewed escalation.

A major part of the film revisits Safiuddin’s personal tragedy during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, when an Israeli strike hit the Civil Defence building sheltering his wife and young daughter, killing his daughter Lynn. He also describes rescuing a teenage girl after the 2020 Beirut port explosion, linking that survival to his memory of his daughter.

The piece also notes the risks faced by Lebanon’s emergency crews. Al Jazeera cites UN figures saying at least 135 first responders and healthcare workers have been killed since early March, and says teams have adjusted their methods because ambulances themselves can be targeted. The story places Safiuddin’s account within the wider context of ongoing insecurity in southern Lebanon and the strain on civilian rescue services.