Video: Massive Traffic Jams as Thousands Flee Southern Lebanon Amid Deadly Israeli Strikes

Beirut: Massive traffic snarls were witnessed across South Lebanon as people rushed to leave the region in the aftermath of the deadly aerial assault by Israel, escalating the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Visuals have emerged from the southern region of the West Asian country wherein a sea of vehicles can be seen stranded in traffic. 

Dramatic visuals from southern Lebanon displayed cars stuck in traffic since morning till night. The citizens who attempted to flee the area were seen asking for water and food.

The gridlock eventually worsened the scenario as people attempt to leave the conflict zone.

490 Killed in Deadliest Attack on Lebanon

Israel on Monday carried out airstrikes on Lebanon, killing more than 490 people dead in the deadliest attack since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war after launching a series of strikes targeting ammunition and logistics sites in southern and eastern Israel. Meanwhile, the Israeli military gave an ultimatum to the residents in Beqaa to evacuate their homes and vacate the valley as it warned of more attacks against Hezbollah.

Fearing Israeli attacks targeting Hezbollah, thousands of residents fled southern Lebanon, causing major traffic jams on the highway from Sidon to Beirut in the largest exodus since the 2006 conflict. More than 700 people were injured in the strikes, a staggering one-day toll for a country still reeling from a deadly attack on communication devices last week.

In view of the Israeli threat, the Lebanese government ordered schools and universities to remain shut on Tuesday across most parts of the country and began preparing shelters for people displaced from the south. 

Israel Expands Airstrikes Across Lebanon 

The Israeli military announced that it hit some 300 targets today (Monday), saying it was going after Hezbollah weapons sites. Some strikes hit in residential areas of towns in the south and the eastern Beqaa valley. One strike hit a wooded area as far away as Byblos in central Lebanon, more than 80 miles from the border north of Beirut.

The military said it was expanding the airstrikes to include areas of the valley along Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria. Hezbollah has long had an established presence in the valley, and it is where the group was founded in 1982 with the help of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari repeated warnings urging residents to immediately evacuate areas where Hezbollah is storing weapons, including in the valley.