Israeli strikes across Lebanon overnight have forced residents in and around Beirut to flee, with families undertaking long, chaotic journeys to mountain and school shelters. The Lebanese health ministry reported at least 31 dead and 149 wounded. Israel says the strikes were retaliatory after rockets from Hezbollah, which claimed its attack was to avenge a reported killing of Iran's supreme leader — a claim not independently verified. Authorities opened dozens of school shelters, but memories of the 2024 displacement and strained shelter capacity compound civilians' fears.
Israeli Strikes Drive Beirut Residents Into Mountain Shelters As Death Toll Mounts
Lebanese took flight at the latest strikes (Mahmoud ZAYYAT)(Mahmoud ZAYYAT/AFP/AFP)
Israeli bombardment shattered the night around Beirut, sending families scrambling for safety as explosions and heavy gunfire signalled a return to open conflict. Beirut café owner Hassan raced home and hurried his wife and young daughter into the nearby mountains; a journey that, because of clogged roads and panic, took more than three hours.
"We fled without taking anything — no clothes and no food for my daughter," Hassan said.
The Lebanese health ministry reported at least 31 people killed and 149 wounded after a series of strikes that began in the early hours of Monday. An AFP photographer on the outskirts of Beirut's southern suburbs described crippling traffic as residents abandoned homes in cars and on motorcycles, carrying whatever belongings they could.
Claims, Retaliation and Unverified Reports
Israel said the strikes were in retaliation for rocket fire from Iran-backed Hezbollah. Hezbollah said it launched rockets to "avenge the pure blood" of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, alleging he had been killed in a US-Israeli attack — a claim that could not be independently verified at the time of reporting.
An Israeli army spokesman warned those newly displaced that, "air raids are continuing, so for your safety and the safety of your families, do not return to your homes."
Displacement and Human Impact
Lebanese authorities opened displacement centres in dozens of schools across Beirut, the south and Mount Lebanon. Officials and residents recalled the mass evacuations during the 2024 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, when shelter networks were overwhelmed.
In Sidon, the main route north from the south, hundreds of cars piled high with mattresses, blankets and children's schoolbags lined both sides of the two-way highway. "We've been on the road for seven hours," said one displaced southerner who declined to be named. "In this country, we live only for suffering and exhaustion."
At a school-turned-shelter in Sidon, Izdihar Yassine described fleeing her village in Nabatieh province. "We were asleep and woke to the sound of rockets... we left immediately," she said. Yassine added she has cancer and had been due to receive treatment in Nabatieh that day but could not travel because of the violence.
On Monday morning, Hassan returned briefly to collect essential documents and money. "I came back to pack a bag and take what I could — our ID cards and some money," he said. "No one knows what awaits us or where things are heading."
str-lar-ris/phz — Reporting by local sources and AFP
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