When the map turns red: Inside the lives upended by Israel’s expulsion orders

Phones started pinging, and maps circulated quickly across WhatsApp groups: red marking buildings, streets, and sometimes entire districts.

People zoomed in, trying to recognise landmarks. Within minutes, cars clogged narrow roads. Families rushed into the streets carrying children and elderly parents.

In some neighbourhoods, warnings arrived during school hours. Students were told to leave immediately. Parents, stuck in traffic, struggled to reach them. Some children were left standing alone, crying on the pavement. 

In the morning of 27 September 2024, the Israeli military began to issue threats to residents of Lebanon to abandon their homes.

Since then, dozens of air strikes have been preceded by similar alerts, often giving residents a short window to flee. 

“For your safety and the safety of your children, you must evacuate your homes immediately and stay away from them by a distance of no less than 300 metres,” read the warnings circulated widely online.

Read more: Inside the lives upended by Israel’s expulsion orders