Familiar exodus for south Lebanon residents near Israeli border

Sitting idly outside their home in a south Lebanon town largely emptied of its residents, Shadia Abu Khalil and her mother sipped coffee as rocket fire pierced the Wednesday morning calm.

The two women are among the last remaining residents of Qlaileh in the Tyre district, used by militants to launch attacks against Israel in recent days.

"More than two thirds of town residents have left," Abu Khalil, 48, told AFP, saying the exodus was on a scale last seen during Hezbollah's 2006 war with Israel.

"I have five children. Those abroad called me, and those in Beirut called me... they all said: mom, get out!"

Tensions along the Lebanese-Israeli border have soared after Palestinian group Hamas launched an unprecedented multi-pronged attack on Israel's southern flank from the blockaded Gaza Strip on Saturday morning.

Since Sunday, Israel and its rivals across its northern border with Lebanon have traded fire.

On Monday, Hezbollah said Israeli strikes killed three of its members, while Palestinian fighters claimed a thwarted infiltration bid.

Israel said it hit Hezbollah observation posts on Tuesday, while Hamas' armed wing claimed rocket fire that a military source said was launched from Qlaileh.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah said it targeted an Israeli position near the village of Dhayra, with loud bangs shaking the orchards near Abu Khalil's home.

Israeli retaliatory fire shortly after wounded three people and turned Dhayra into a ghost town.

"Where are we supposed to go?" said Abu Khalil.

"It's not easy to just leave your home."

The violence is nothing new in south Lebanon, which Israeli forces occupied for 22 years until their withdrawal in 2000.

The 2006 war with Hezbollah, which left more than 1,200 dead in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 in Israel, mostly soldiers, also hit the area hard.

Since then, cross-border skirmishes have been common, but both sides have refrained from all-out conflict.

- No exit -

Sitting in a cafe at the entrance to Qlaileh, Bilal Saleh, 32, scrolled for the latest news updates on his mobile phone.

The father of two is the last member of his family still in the town after his brothers fled on Tuesday night.

"Barely anyone remains," Saleh said, relentlessly checking for fresh alerts.

"People filled their tanks with petrol, piled their kids and their belongings into their cars and quickly drove off... leaving everything behind," he said, adding: "This scene reminds me of the days of 2006."

That 34-day conflict caused large-scale destruction of roads and other infrastructure, as well as the mass displacement of civilians.

Around one million in Lebanon were internally displaced or fled the country, according to the United Nations.

Some sought shelter in mountainous towns and villages far from the fighting, while others crossed into neighboring Syria -- now ravaged by conflict since 2011, making it an unviable escape option if war broke out.

Lebanon's crushing, four-year-long economic crisis, one of the world's worst in modern times, has also limited people's ability to flee or host any displaced.

Kamleh, Abu Khalil's mother, said she had packed a bag but was not certain she would make it out because the family doesn't have a car.

Just the previous night, she said she waited for hours before finally hitching a ride to safety, after rockets were fired near her house.

"If we had a car or money... we would have gone to a relative's house in Sidon or Tyre," she said, referring to two major southern cities.

"We are exhausted, we are fatigued," the 72-year-old added.