In Lebanon, thousands are displaced from border towns by clashes, stretching state resources

TYRE, Lebanon — More than 4,200 people have been displaced from villages in south Lebanon by clashes on the border with Israel, and local officials said Friday that they are ill-prepared for the much larger exodus that would ensue if the limited conflict escalates to an all-out war. He appealed to international organizations to “give us enough supplies that if the situation evolves, we can at least give people a mattress to sleep on and a blanket.” The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and allied Palestinian groups in Lebanon have launched daily missile strikes on northern Israel since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, while Israel has responded by shelling border areas in south Lebanon. For many of the displaced, the current tensions bring back memories of the brutal one-month war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006, during which Israeli bombing leveled large swaths of the villages in south Lebanon and in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Back then, aid flowed into Lebanon from Qatar and other countries for reconstruction, but this time, Tahini said, “God knows if someone will come to help us.” “I am not a political analyst.