Lebanese Residents Refuse to Flee Historic Tyre Despite Israeli Strikes

The ancient Lebanese coastal city of Tyre has become nearly deserted after Israeli evacuation orders and airstrikes forced over 1 million people to flee. Despite the devastation, several thousand residents are refusing to leave their homes, with some families setting up tents in the rubble of destroyed buildings.

TYRE, Lebanon — The historic coastal city of Tyre in southern Lebanon, renowned for its ancient Roman archaeological sites and pristine beaches, has transformed into a near-deserted landscape.

Stray dogs wander through empty streets lined with residential buildings damaged by recent Israeli bombing campaigns. The millennia-old city saw mass departures last week when Israel intensified military operations targeting the Iranian-supported militant organization Hezbollah and issued broad evacuation directives for all areas south of Lebanon’s Litani River.

Israeli forces have recently bombed most bridge crossings over the Litani River, effectively cutting off large portions of the nation — including Tyre — from connection to the remainder of Lebanon.

The escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, occurring within the broader regional confrontation involving Israel, the United States and Iran, has displaced more than 1 million Lebanese citizens. Many have sought shelter with family members in northern regions or established makeshift encampments throughout Beirut’s rain-soaked thoroughfares.

However, thousands of residents continue to remain in Tyre, determined not to be driven from their ancestral territory.

Local fishermen, claiming they cannot financially survive abandoning their livelihood, dropped their nets into Mediterranean waters Thursday, lamenting that strict nighttime restrictions and lack of buyers mean their daily haul brings minimal income.

“To avoid being displaced and suffering on the streets, we prefer to stay in our homes,” said 52-year-old fisherman Joseph Najm.

Displaced families from surrounding communities have packed into Tyre’s Christian neighborhood, hoping Israeli forces will choose not to target that area. Hezbollah draws its primary support from Lebanon’s Shiite population, while southern Lebanon’s Christian residents have generally attempted to stay neutral in the fighting.

Throughout other sections of Tyre, especially neighborhoods where deep religious conviction intersects with Hezbollah’s armed resistance movement, the thunder of Israeli bombing runs has created an atmosphere filled with dread, terror — and stubborn resistance.

Local inhabitants report their resolve to remain has only strengthened as Israeli officials suggest potential long-term military control similar to their destructive takeover of much of Gaza following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 assault.

“This is our land — where would we go? We won’t abandon our homes, even when they’re destroyed,” said Jihan Salama, 55, examining what was left of her family’s residence: an enormous mound of debris with twisted metal rods protruding from concrete fragments. An Israeli bombing attack on southern Lebanon demolished Salama’s multi-floor building Tuesday.

The current warfare between Israel and Hezbollah commenced March 2, when the Lebanese militant organization fired multiple rockets across the international boundary, occurring two days after Israeli and U.S. strikes against Iran triggered the continuing Middle Eastern conflict.

“We saw our belongings flying in the air, hundreds of meters in the air,” said Salama’s neighbor, Nader al-Ashqar, 60, who awakened to the deafening blast of airstrikes that Tuesday and rushed from the structure with his spouse and two daughters as Israeli warplanes flew overhead.

“Everything is gone,” he said. “But God told me to stay here.”

Since Israel and Hezbollah started exchanging attacks, at least three Israeli military personnel have perished in ground fighting and two Israeli civilians from rocket fire, including one man killed Thursday in the northern city of Nahariya.

Lebanese casualties have reached at least 1,116 deaths, including 42 healthcare professionals according to Lebanese officials, among them paramedic Ahmed Ibrahim Deeb, who died in an Israeli airstrike while riding his motorcycle Tuesday en route to assist patients near Tyre.

Salman Harb, Hezbollah’s primary spokesman in southern Lebanon, led journalists through Tyre’s destruction Thursday, highlighting multiple ambulances struck by Israeli fire. Israeli authorities have claimed Hezbollah uses medical vehicles to conceal military operations, though they have not provided supporting evidence.

Searching through the leveled wasteland of concrete blocks Thursday, Salama considered her future plans.

“Tomorrow,” she said, “we will set up tents and remain here.”