The beaches of the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre, usually crowded with summer visitors, turned into makeshift refuges on Tuesday as some families fled their homes following an Israeli evacuation warning.
Families carrying bags, blankets and plastic chairs streamed toward the seafront, seeking open spaces they hoped would be safer from airstrikes. Others packed their belongings into cars and joined long lines of traffic heading north toward the coastal city of Sidon.
"We do not want to leave the city and take refuge in a school, so we chose the beach," said Rola Sultani, who arrived at the waterfront with relatives shortly after the warning was issued.
The exodus followed one of the most sweeping evacuation orders issued for Tyre since the latest escalation began. Panic spread quickly through neighbourhoods that had until recently been considered relatively safe.
Witnesses described scenes of confusion as families searched for shelter. Cars loaded with mattresses, suitcases and frightened children clogged the coastal highway. Some drivers stopped repeatedly to ask whether schools or community centres still had room for displaced people.
In Sidon, families arriving from Tyre gathered along the beachfront, where some began erecting tents to spend the night. Children played near the water while adults followed news updates on their phones, anxiously awaiting developments.
The latest displacement comes as Lebanon faces mounting humanitarian pressures.
For many fleeing Tyre, however, immediate concerns were finding a safe place to sleep and hoping they would soon be able to return home.
