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The Israeli army conducted at least four air strikes on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on Wednesday, after issuing eviction orders for much of the city. The first strike hit only about an hour after the warning.
Lebanese rescuers with loudspeakers drove through the historical city, asking people to leave their homes shortly after the Israeli order.
“To Tyre’s residents, to ensure your safety please leave the city immediately,” civil defence workers said.
Tyre is one of the largest cities in south Lebanon, and the areas under Israeli threat are densely populated. The Unesco heritage-listed city is home to important sites, including an ancient castle, close to Israel's eviction map. It is often described as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
“There have been several bombardments, the missiles flew over our heads. They marked off a large area of Tyre this morning as a warning – but these are all residential areas,” resident Sami Baredei, 67, told The National over the phone.
Thick smoke was visible from the port, where Mr Baredei lives, with grey plumes rising behind residential buildings and palm trees. He owns a small boat equipment shop near the port in the Christian quarters, which have so far been spared from shelling in the Hezbollah-Israel war.
The Israeli army claimed it was attacking Hezbollah command complexes, including the headquarters of the southern front unit.
When The National visited Tyre last week, Mr Baredi said he was determined to stay in his hometown, despite the majority of residents fleeing as Israel intensified its air campaign on parts of Lebanon and launched a ground invasion along the border.
Tyre officials told The National they were hoping the areas under attack were “entirely empty.”
“The area on the map is predominantly residential and commercial, with most of it now evacuated,” said Hassan Dbouk, president of the Union of Tyre Municipalities, referring to the map for eviction orders issued by the Israeli army.
“We hope it's entirely empty,” he said. “We're concerned this may lead to widespread destruction. We're terrified of major devastation. We've seen what they did in Gaza. It's the same scenario, unfolding step by step,” he added.
The eviction order sparked further displacements and fear among those remaining in Tyre.
"Some families, who had not left the city of Tyre began leaving their homes to stay clear of areas that the Israeli enemy threatened to target," Lebanon's official National News Agency said.
But shelters are already full. Tyre, although largely depopulated of the vast majority of its residents, has also become a temporary refuge to thousands of displaced people.
“Our centres are full so we cant take anyone new in. I’ve been telling people who try to come to us to go to the centres in Tripoli and Akkar,” Mortada Mhanna, the head of Tyre's Disaster Management Union, told The National.
He added that so far the strikes have been limited to the map issued by the Israeli army, while stressing the situation is "unpredictable".
“They’ve hit the areas they said they would strike but we don’t know if they’ve finished hitting or not now. it's an unpredictable situation and highly worrisome,” he added.
