As Israeli Jets Strike Beirut, Residents Seek Refuge on the Beach – Reuters

By Emilie Madi

BEIRUT – The recent series of explosions in Beirut’s southern suburbs, targeted by Israeli airstrikes, has forced Zeina Nazha and her young daughter to seek refuge on a city beach to escape the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.

Nazha, along with others from the Dahiyeh area—a Hezbollah stronghold supported by Iran—has found herself sleeping on blankets under the open sky or in tents and makeshift shelters, as no safer options are available.

The Lebanese government reports that Israel’s intensified military operations over the past two weeks have displaced a million people from their homes, particularly in the southern regions, Beirut, and the Bekaa Valley in the east. Israel justifies its actions as necessary to protect its northern areas from Hezbollah rocket fire and to enable many citizens to return home.

"There was bombing in the al-Sallem neighborhood. We stayed for a while there, and my family fled," Nazha shared. "The situation we’re living in is very difficult… people are dying," she added.

Nazha and her daughter spent a night on the corniche, Beirut’s seaside promenade, usually bustling with families enjoying the vibrant city atmosphere. Despite efforts from the government and various organizations to open shelters in schools and other facilities for displaced individuals, Nazha reported that all the locations she visited were completely occupied.

Nearby, Mohamed Terkmene, a Syrian man residing in Lebanon who has been displaced by the conflict, said he has been sleeping on the beach for four days. He mentioned that soldiers had visited to advise him and his neighbors to evacuate their homes in Dahiyeh.

"We are unable to sleep, and we’re uncertain how long we will remain here. A month, two months, a week or two, until this war is resolved," Terkmene expressed.