People from the south and eastern Lebanon are fleeing the rocket attacks. The situation is reminiscent of the one 18 years ago. "But today is even worse than 2006," says a woman who ran then and still runs today.
Tens of thousands are fleeing their homes in Lebanon - from the south and east of the country, affected by the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. 58-year-old Ferial Mehsen is one of them: she escaped from southern Lebanon and came to the capital Beirut, says a report on the German public television ARD.
In Beirut, she lives with her daughter and grandchildren in a school that is used for emergency housing for internally displaced people. The woman says that she was in this school before - during the war in 2006. "And then we were afraid, but not as much as now," Ferial told ARD. "And then we suffered and ended up on the street. But now the situation is worse."
And it could get even worse. According to Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, the country is facing a major logistical problem. It is very difficult to move so many people from one place to another within two days. It is difficult to ensure their safety, he emphasizes.
No ceasefire in sight
And the attacks continue. In southern Beirut, there were explosions again, ARD recalls. The target of the attack was apparently a high-ranking member of Hezbollah. Footage from the scene shows destroyed houses and smoke rising over the southern part of the Lebanese capital, where Hezbollah is stationed.
Lebanon also suffers economically from the conflict with Israel, explains Lebanese Minister of Economy Amin Salah. He expressed hope that France, the United States and other countries calling for a ceasefire would succeed. "Any escalation and continuation of the conflict will lead us to a catastrophe," Salah says. According to the minister, the next two days are crucial.
For now, however, there is no prospect of a truce. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed his army to proceed with "all forces". According to the Israeli military, Israeli fighter jets are destroying infrastructure along the Syrian-Lebanese border to prevent arms shipments from Syria to Hezbollah. According to Arab media, Hezbollah is also firing rockets at Israel.
Like 18 years ago
In the midst of all this, tens of thousands of people are fleeing. People like Mehsen, 58, and her grandchildren. She already knew where to seek shelter. She says that she was in the same place in 2006 - in a room next to the current one. "Now I am here again, but in another room. Only God knows why - every time I'm displaced, I end up in the same building," the woman told ARD.
The 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah that Mehsen talks about lasted a month and ended with a military truce. One of the important demands in the UN resolution at the time was that Hezbollah withdraw at least 30 kilometers inland from the border with Israel. That never happened.