...
Centuries passed, empires rose and fell, but the divide endured, evolving when political powers began aligning themselves along sectarian lines.
People gather as rescuers work at the site of an Israeli strike, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran continues, in the Jnah area in Beirut, Lebanon, April 5, 2026.
Credit: REUTERS/Stringer
