Civilians flee Tyre after Israeli army threatens city with impending attack

Lebanese civilians are fleeing the southern city of Tyre following threats from the Israeli army for residents to leave large portions of the area, which is currently home to thousands of displaced individuals.

“The situation is very bad; we’re evacuating people,” said Mortada Mhanna, head of Tyre’s disaster management unit. Bilal Kashmar, the unit’s media officer, informed AFP that many residents are abandoning the city for the suburbs.

“You could say that the entire city of Tyre is being evacuated,” he noted, mentioning that this once vibrant southern hub has largely been emptied of its inhabitants.

As of Tuesday, only about 14,500 people remained in Tyre, many of whom were displaced from other areas in the south.

“Some families, who had not left Tyre before, began leaving their homes to avoid areas threatened by the Israeli enemy,” Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported. 

Prior to Israel threats the metro area population of Tyre was around 170,000 people.