Lebanon Struck Again by Israeli Attacks, Hundreds of Thousands Displaced
Israeli airstrikes have resumed battering several regions across Lebanon, including the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, on Tuesday (11 March) local time. Lebanese authorities report that nearly 760,000 people have been displaced due to the escalation of conflict.
Lebanon has been drawn into the Middle Eastern conflict after the Iran-backed Hizbullah group launched attacks on Israel. This action is described as a response to the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a combined assault by the United States and Israel.
Since then, Israel has intensified airstrikes against various regions of Lebanon suspected of harbouring Hezbollah bases whilst simultaneously deploying ground forces to border areas.
Lebanon’s official news agency, the National News Agency (NNA), reported that several fresh strikes have struck the southern suburbs of Beirut, a region known as a centre of Hizbullah influence. Video footage shows thick plumes of smoke billowing from the area. The Israeli military stated the strikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported one fatality after a motorcycle near the area came under attack. Strikes also occurred in southern Lebanon. The NNA reported Israel pounded the Abbassiyeh area near Tyre.
In the southern town of Jwaya, Israeli strikes reportedly killed the local mayor alongside a city council member.
For its part, Hizbullah stated that its fighters attacked Israeli forces near the border towns of Khiam and Odaisseh. The group also claimed to have launched rockets into Israeli territory, including at air defence missile system locations south of Haifa.
Hizbullah subsequently stated it also engaged in armed contact with Israeli forces near the border town of Aitaroun using light and medium weapons.
Lebanese authorities report that since 2 March, Israeli strikes have killed at least 486 people and injured more than 1,300 others. The government has also recorded 759,300 people registered as displaced, with approximately 122,600 residing in emergency shelters.
In Tyre district, specifically in Hennawiyeh, the Lebanese Ministry of Health stated two people were injured in one Israeli strike. However, a follow-up strike subsequently killed them along with rescue personnel who arrived to assist.
The Islamic Health Committee, affiliated with Hizbullah, previously stated that 15 of its rescue workers have been killed by Israeli strikes since 2 March.
Amid the wave of displacement, thousands of residents are seeking shelter in various emergency locations, including at Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut. One displaced person, Fatima Shehadeh, 35, a mother of four who fled the southern suburbs of Beirut, described her panic whilst leaving her home.
“I pushed my baby in a pram. We left on foot at 02.00 in the morning and spent the night outside before eventually arriving at the shelter in the stadium,” she said.
She expressed concern about the impact of strikes on her children. One of her children was so frightened that it hid inside a tent. “It won’t come out because of the airstrikes. The explosions were very close,” she said.
Inside the stadium, dozens of family tents have been erected. The displaced sleep on thin mattresses spread across concrete floors. Beirut Mayor Ibrahim Zeidan stated the location can accommodate more than 3,000 people.