A Diary of War in Lebanon: Spring 2026

• Since March 2026, Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon has caused thousands of casualties, displaced nearly 20% of the population, and triggered widespread destruction across the south and Beirut’s Dahie district.
• Humanitarian infrastructure, including hospitals, ambulances, and press personnel, are being systematically targeted, which observers characterize as war crimes.
• Repeated ceasefire announcements have failed to hold, leaving the population in a state of exhaustion, trauma, and constant displacement.

The Cycle of Displacement

• Families are fleeing to the same makeshift shelters used during the 2024 conflict, with schools and public plazas serving as informal refugee camps.
• As of mid-March 2026, over 770 people have been killed—including over 100 children—and nearly 2,000 wounded.
• By late May, evacuation orders expanded to include the ancient city of Tyre, effectively turning previously populated areas into ghost towns filled with debris.

Systematic Targeting and Impunity

• Tactics include the 'double tap' strategy, where rescuers are struck minutes after an initial bombing, aiming to terrorize communities and prevent medical intervention.
• Journalists have become a specific target, with dozens killed since October 2023, hindering the documentation of the conflict and the ability to relay the human cost.
• The destruction of infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, has left the wounded with no safe haven, even within hospital walls.

The Breakdown of Meaning

• The constant surveillance by drones and the normalization of 'Gaza-style' destruction have eroded the distinction between civilian spaces and military targets.
• Political apathy from international powers has deepened the sense of abandonment in Lebanon, forcing citizens to rely on the 'Resistance' as a perceived, albeit controversial, protection mechanism.
• Trauma has become a defining feature of daily life, where phrases like 'ceasefire' have lost their meaning and survivors struggle to process the rapid, systematic erasure of their homes and history.