Despair in Lebanon: Thousands flee homes under Israeli attack

Families in southern Lebanon filled the roads heading north on Monday, fleeing increased Israeli bombardment and seeking an uncertain future, with children cradled on parents’ laps and suitcases strapped to the roofs of cars, as plumes of smoke rose in the distance, Reuters reported.

Cars, vans and pickup trucks were crammed with belongings and packed with people, often housing multiple generations in one vehicle. Other families, however, fled their homes in a hurry, taking only the essentials with them as bombs fell all around them.

“When the attacks hit the houses in the morning, I grabbed all the important documents and we fled. Bombs were everywhere. It was scary,” said Abed Afou, whose village, Yater, was hit hard during the bombings.

Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah have been exchanging fire across the border since the Gaza conflict began after an attack by Hezbollah’s ally Hamas. However, Israel has stepped up its strikes in the past week, expanding the areas hit in Lebanon.

On Monday, as the bombardment expanded, many received automated calls, attributed to the Israeli military, warning them to leave their homes for safety.

Afou, who had remained in Yater since the fighting began despite it being just 5km from the Israeli border, decided to leave when the attacks began hitting homes. “I told my son not to be afraid,” said Afou, who was with his three children and other relatives stuck in traffic on the way to Beirut.

Along the road, other vehicles crept north, forming long lines into Sidon. A van with open back doors held a family, with a woman and child hanging outside.

A man passing by shouted out the window: “We will come back. God willing, we will come back. Tell Netanyahu we will come back.” However, Ahmed, another refugee, expressed uncertainty: “Only God knows if we will be able to come back.” He was traveling with more than 10 people, including many children.

Lebanon’s health ministry said more than 270 people were killed in the bombings, with one official declaring it the deadliest day in the country since the end of the civil war in 1990. Israel said it had struck about 800 targets linked to Hezbollah, alleging the buildings contained weapons from the group.

Some residents witnessed the destruction up close. “We have never seen such intensity of bombing, not even in previous wars,” said Abu Hassan Kahoul, who was fleeing to Beirut with his family after two buildings were destroyed near his home.

Even in Beirut, tensions were rising, with parents pulling their children out of schools after new warnings of Israeli strikes. “The situation is far from calm,” said a man named Issa as he picked up his son from school.