War Refugees in Lebanon Seek Shelter From Storms in Trucks, Under Trees

Displaced Lebanese families are taking refuge in makeshift shelters as severe weather compounds their struggles fleeing conflict. Over 800,000 people have been forced from their homes since fighting began in March, with most unable to find space in official shelters.

Families displaced by warfare in Lebanon are struggling to stay dry during severe weather, with many forced to create improvised shelters after official facilities reached capacity.

In the coastal city of Sidon, Hussain Murtada and his seven family members have taken refuge in the bed of a pickup truck, using rope to secure a plastic tarp against Sunday’s downpour. A baby could be seen among the blankets and belongings packed into their temporary home along the waterfront.

“We are putting tarp over it because we’re soaked,” Murtada explained while adjusting the makeshift covering. The father had evacuated his family from Hanawiya, located just eight miles from Israel’s border.

“I asked here at the schools and they are full, they’re all full,” he said. “What should I ask for? I just want a shelter for me and the children.”

The current crisis has forced more than 800,000 Lebanese residents—roughly 15 percent of the nation’s total population—to abandon their homes. The exodus began after Hezbollah launched attacks against Israel on March 2 in solidarity with Iran, prompting Israeli military responses that have pulled Lebanon into the broader Middle Eastern conflict just over a year after the previous Israel-Hezbollah confrontation ended.

Government officials report that only about 132,000 displaced individuals have found spaces in organized evacuation centers. The remaining hundreds of thousands have scattered across the country, staying with family members, occupying unfinished construction sites, or living outdoors.

Mohammad Marie, who evacuated from Nabatieh in Lebanon’s south, has been camping beneath a tree along Beirut’s famous Corniche waterfront promenade. His plastic covering was torn away by wind, leaving him completely exposed to the elements.

“It might keep raining for a week, so where will I go? I will stay here, what else can I do? I have no shelter except here, under this tree,” Marie said, his clothing thoroughly soaked. “I don’t have a tent, I don’t have anything, and my financial situation is very difficult. I have no money to rent a house.”

International aid organizations responded Friday when the United Nations announced a $308 million emergency funding request to assist Lebanon with the humanitarian crisis.

Lebanese health officials reported Sunday that Israeli military operations have resulted in 850 deaths and over 2,100 injuries since March 2, including 107 children and 66 women among the casualties. The ministry’s statistics do not distinguish between civilian and military deaths.

Israeli forces have lost two soldiers during operations in southern Lebanon, while no Israeli civilian deaths have been recorded from Hezbollah rocket and drone strikes since the conflict began March 2.