Arabic version: لبنانيون يستعدون لاحتمال تصعيد إسرائيلي جديد

According to Al Jazeera, Lebanese residents in areas previously hit by Israeli attacks are preparing medication, food, charged devices and evacuation bags as fears grow of another major escalation. Aya, from Abbasiyeh in southern Lebanon, said her family has stored extra medicine for her grandparents and that she would leave if attacks intensified again.

Israel and Hezbollah have been at war since October 2023. The Lebanese health ministry says Israel has killed about 9,000 people in Lebanon, mostly during escalations in autumn 2024 and March and April 2026. A ceasefire was announced in April, but Israel has continued attacks and destruction of homes and infrastructure in the far south, while people above the so-called Yellow Line still report hearing explosions and drones.

Ramez, who asked not to use his real name for security reasons, said he has not returned to his Beirut home after a neighbouring building collapsed on his apartment during explosions in July 2024. He said he keeps batteries and power banks charged, maintains a months-long water supply and keeps his car’s petrol tank full. Karim Safieddine of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy said residents have been planning escape routes for months.

Concern over renewed conflict is also worsening economic pressure. The World Bank said in August that it expected inflation in Lebanon to reach 17.5 percent this year. Jad Dilati, a Lebanese analyst from Nabatieh, said some families continue paying rent elsewhere to secure alternative accommodation, but added that this is not affordable for everyone. Analysts warned that another round of fighting could deepen sectarian tensions as households exhaust savings and face further displacement.