Israel deployed ground troops into southern Lebanon and ordered the immediate and complete evacuation of residents in more than 80 villages last Tuesday, after Hezbollah launched missiles toward Israel in response to recent U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The deployment marks one of the most serious developments along the Israel-Lebanon border since October 2023, a recurrent combat zone that has remained persistently unstable. These latest developments have revived fears among many in Lebanon that the country may be drawn into a widening regional war in the Middle East.
For residents of southern Lebanon, this latest escalation feels painfully familiar.
The region was already pulled into conflict after the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October 2023, when Hezbollah began firing across the border in what it framed as solidarity with Palestinians and Hamas. According to Human Rights Watch, the clashes that followed lasted more than a year, killing over 3,961 people in Lebanon and displacing more than 1.2 million before a ceasefire was reached in November 2024. Repeated airstrikes left entire communities across the south devastated, with homes, businesses and infrastructure destroyed.
Now, as tensions expand to include Iran, many in southern Lebanon say they are once again facing the consequences of decisions made far beyond their towns and villages.
A sophomore international relations student from Lebanon, whose family is from the southern town of Saida and remains in close contact with them, said their relatives feel as though they are “back to square one.” The student requested anonymity due to safety concerns.
“My family has had to experience this for the past two years,” they said. “They just started rebuilding their lives, and now they are preparing to leave again.”
The student’s relatives described highways clogged by traffic as thousands attempted to flee villages near the border following Israeli evacuation warnings, they said. Traffic stretched for hours as families packed what they could and headed north toward Beirut and other areas they believed to be relatively safer.
“People are tired of packing up their lives every few months,” they added.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that at least 486 people were killed and 1,313 wounded in Israeli strikes this week, a toll officials warn is likely to rise. The International Rescue Committee says more than 700,000 Lebanese residents have been displaced, with nearly 100,000 people sheltering in collective centers, including schools and public buildings. Others have taken refuge in cars or along roadsides, uncertain where they will ultimately settle.
In the few southern towns where residents have either refused to evacuate or have not yet been ordered to leave, citizens are calling on the Lebanese army to protect them.
“We are all alone,” said Charbel Elalam, a young man from Rmeich, a village near the Israel-Lebanon border, during a phone call with a family member who is a freshman journalism student at USC. “But if we leave our homes, our churches, our schools, our livelihoods, what guarantees us that we will be allowed back?”
The Globe and Mail reported that Israeli forces crossed into Lebanon with heavy armament at multiple points along the border, while the Lebanese army repositioned troops away from the conflict zone.
Lebanese political leaders have turned their criticism toward Hezbollah. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced a ban on Hezbollah’s military and security activities, declaring them “illegal” and restricting their political role, according to Al Jazeera. He also ordered the Lebanese army to assert state authority by arresting Hezbollah members who disobey the government’s order to lay down arms.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun held those who launched the rockets responsible for their actions, emphasizing that the Lebanese people should not bear responsibility “for a reckless operation,” according to Arab News.
Analysts at the European Union Institute for Security Studies say that it is too early to predict how the latest escalation will shape the region, noting that much will depend on the actions of global powers and geopolitical negotiations. Diplomatic efforts remain uncertain — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate return to “serious diplomatic negotiations,” while President Donald Trump has stated that there will be no deal without Iran’s “unconditional surrender.” Iran’s foreign minister has stated that Tehran is not seeking a ceasefire.
In the meantime, many in Lebanon who are caught in the deadly crossfire see no end to their suffering.
The sophomore international relations student said her family’s hopes reflect what many across the country are longing for.
“They just want stability,” she said. “They want to be able to rebuild their home and know they won’t have to leave again in a few months. They want to live like everyone else, without waiting for the next war.”