RESIDENTS in southern Lebanon have begun fleeing north in a new wave of displacement as Israeli warplanes attack much of the country’s south. The Israeli air strikes this time were the most intense, killing more than 100 people and wounding more than 400 others, including women, children and paramedics.
Roads to southern Lebanon are jammed as people flee Israeli bombing. The area that has served as a safe zone for refugees since last year is now within reach of the Israeli military.
“The airstrikes have reached us on the outskirts of Tyre. There was an attack just 100 meters behind the refugee center, there were three people,” said Bilal Kashmar, coordinator of a refugee center in the southern city of Tyre.
He showed video of a plume of smoke rising directly across the street from a shelter housing hundreds of families. “Refugees no longer come to us. Those who wanted to flee have left the southern region completely,” said Kashmar.
Tire has hosted thousands of people displaced by the fighting. The city has been largely spared from air strikes until now. Before Monday’s fighting, around 110,000 people had fled southern Lebanon.
“The air strikes have not stopped. People are scared,” said Hassan Dabouk, head of the Municipal Tire Union.
Also read: More than 100 Killed a Day in Israeli Attacks in Lebanon
Videos of buildings collapsing, bombs falling from the sky and explosions shaking cameramen’s hands circulated on social media as people tried to track the extent of Israel’s bombing campaign.
In one video, a driver recorded smoke filling the air on the road ahead after a strike. “Stop, stop, stop!” One of the passengers screams as the video cuts.
“The important thing to note is that the roads are not safe. There were bombings from where we were in Tire to Saida. We need to think before they leave in this situation,” said Dabouk.
Also read: World Leaders Prevent Widespread War, Hezbollah Ready to Face Israel
Those with loved ones in the south are making public appeals for empty apartments or rooms that might house their family members who have fled Israeli airstrikes.
Spontaneous initiatives to provide housing emerged with individuals calling for rooms and hostels offering discounted rates to refugees. “We are currently collecting data from people who have connections in safe areas, in Druze and Christian areas,” said Faten Jebai, a journalist from southern Lebanon.
Jebai urges those without a place to stay to contact him, as he and other volunteers work to connect those who are homeless and will open houses or rent houses at low prices.
“More than 80 members of my family have now left the southern region. So I am not only looking for them, but also my friends and my family’s friends,” concluded Jebai. (The Guardian/Z-2)
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