Hollow eyes and packed cars: Lebanon's citizens make a journey of refuge out of Israeli fire

Emma Murphy and John Irvine discuss the situation in southern Lebanon

For hours and hours the traffic snaked along the roads. Not a spare seat in any car and barely any belongings.

Framed by the window of our car the scene inside those passing us looked like vivid sketches of misery and despair.

In the back seats tired heads tilted to the side. Hollow eyes and empty stares.

In the hands of many of the woman, I noticed over and over, the white of crumpled tissues.

For the children, less aware for now of the trauma of displacement, this was a journey on which no one was worrying about screen time.

Little faces were lit by the glow of games. A distraction for a while. They are leaving the south in their tens of thousands.

A stream of those with no real idea where they are going, but full knowledge of what they are leaving.

They woke on Monday to a warning to evacuate their towns and villages. Before they could fully process that they were under fire from the air.

The Israeli military says the areas in which they live are the storage and launch sites but they are also home to thousands of civilians who are now on the move.

Many have stayed too weary or too defiant to leave.

More than 500 never made it out - among them 50 children.

Israel says its targeting of the south and east is to diminish Hezbollah’s threat to the northern border, so residents can return there and live in peace.

Hezbollah says their attacks will continue until there’s a ceasefire in Gaza.

Neither seems set to achieve their goal.

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