In The News Life in Beirut as Israel’s ‘precision strikes’ kill displaced civilians
Mar 13, 2026
Sally Hayden, an Irish Times foreign correspondent based in Beirut who covers humanitarian impact and displacement. She describes relentless Israeli strikes, mass displacement and shelters filled with families and children. She explains evacuation warnings, confused maps and life in makeshift shelters. She reflects on political pressures, front line uncertainty and why she remains reporting from Beirut.
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Scale Of Civilian Displacement In Lebanon
- Israeli airstrikes and evacuation orders have caused mass displacement across Lebanon.
- Lebanon's Ministry of Health reported at least 570 killed and 780,000 registered displaced, including ~200,000 children, reshaping daily life in Beirut (Sally Hayden).
Journalist Forced To Consider Evacuating Her Beirut Home
- Sally Hayden's own apartment fell inside an Israeli-declared evacuation zone, forcing personal decisions about leaving.
- She describes vague, wide-area orders and panic, noting elderly and disabled people face acute problems relocating.
Public Venues Turned Into Overstretched Shelters
- Public buildings like sports stadia and schools are being repurposed as shelters with limited capacity.
- Sports City was hosting ~750 now planning thousands; WHO lists 567 shelters with ~120,000 people, only 12 equipped for disabilities (Sally Hayden).