Tension and fear in Lebanon as a result of the devastating Israeli airstrike.
After gathering all of their possessions, families in southern Lebanon sped north in cars, trucks, and motorcycles. As the Israeli military attacked what it believed were targets associated with the Shia militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Some locals said the Israeli military had warned them via voice recordings and text messages to. Evacuate regions close to the positions of the group backed by Iran.
A student from the southern town of Nabatieh, Zahra Sawli, described the heavy shelling to the BBC’s Newshour program.
I heard bombs going off about 6 in the morning. By midday, the situation had escalated significantly, and I noticed numerous strikes near my location.
“I heard a lot of glass shattering.”
In contrast to many, she and her companions stayed inside because they “didn’t dare,” she explained.
“Where exactly are we meant to travel?” Many individuals are still unable to leave the streets. She lamented that many of her friends were still unable to escape the traffic. Due to the large number of people attempting to escape.
At midday, a six-lane coastal highway leading north to Beirut was jammed with traffic as cars sped towards the capital from both directions.
Images from further interior showed smoke billowing from airstrikes as people strolled along the beach in Tyre, a city in the south of the country.
A family of five who rode in on a single motorcycle were interviewed by the BBC upon their arrival in Beirut.
They were making their way north to Tripoli from a southern village. They were utterly worn out.
How may we be of service to you? That was it, the father declared; we simply had to run.
As of Monday night, 492 had been killed and over 1,600 wounded in the bombardment, according to the Lebanese health ministry. According to the report, 35 children were among the victims. There were 1,100 strikes in the past 24 hours, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The Israeli Defense Forces claimed responsibility for an airstrike in southern Beirut, targeting a high-ranking Hezbollah commander.
Anxiety was also prevalent in Beirut. Even as southerners arrived in the nation’s capital in cars laden with bags, other locals were already making their exit.
Hamra, which is home to government departments, banks, and colleges, is one of the neighborhoods in Beirut that Israel has sent recorded warnings to evacuate, along with sites where it believes Hezbollah is keeping weapons.
Following additional evacuation orders, parents hurried to collect their children from school.
Issa, a father, told the news agency Reuters that he pulled his son out of school due to the numerous phone calls.
They’re harassing and threatening folks over the phone. Then we’ve come to collect my son from school. There is no reason to be optimistic, he added.
As he and his wife made their way out of Beirut, Mohammed, a Palestinian man, spoke with the BBC.
“Nowhere is safe in Lebanon. Israel is saying they are going to bombard everywhere,” he replied when asked if he would remain in the capital. Where should we go now that this neighborhood is under attack?”
“It’s scary, I don’t know what to do – work, go home, no idea what to do.”
A taxi driver yelled out to the BBC crew, wondering if they were aware of the impending fuel problem, while the crew set up on the opposite side of the road. “There are going to be too many people in Beirut,” he complained.
In order to accommodate the floods of people fleeing from the south, schools have been quickly transformed into shelters. Schools in eastern Lebanon, Tripoli, and Beirut were turned into shelters under a government decree.
The BBC was present in a classroom at a public school in Bir Hasan, west Beirut on Monday, where students were being readied for arrivals from the Bekaa Valley, a region in northeastern Lebanon that is considered a stronghold for Hezbollah and which Israel has also claimed to be targeting.
The classrooms were filled with beds when we arrived, but the workers assured us that by the end of the day, they would be completely filled.
On the other hand, as doctors in Lebanon prepared for an influx of patients, they were instructed to postpone any elective surgery scheduled for Monday.
There were rebels in Beirut despite the anxious and unpredictable mood.
“If a total war happens, we should stand as Lebanese people together regardless of our political affiliations because at the end of the day, our country is getting bombed,” a man told the news organization.
For some, the prospect of bloodshed was entirely unacceptable.
“What are our options if they insist on going to war?” It was forced upon us. Reuters spoke with store owner Mohammed Sibai, who said, “We cannot do anything.”
A 57-year-old named Mohammed from the area of Dahieyh in southern Beirut—the capital of Hezbollah—told the BBC that he had “survived all the wars since 1975” and that “it’s normal for me.”
“I will not leave, I will be in my house,” stated the man.
