10/13/2026
LEBANESE DRIVER USES ‘SAFE ROADMAP’ TO NAVIGATE STREETS SHAPED BY YEARS OF CONFLICT
BEIRUT,LEBANON:A veteran driver in Beirut has developed a mental “safe roadmap” of Lebanon,using more than two decades of experience to navigate roads affected by airstrikes,military operations and years of conflict.
Samer Bounasreddine,44,said he keeps track not only of routes to different destinations but also of areas where recent bombings have occurred and where potential dangers remain.
During a journey with a CMG reporter in late September,Bounasreddine travelled through Beirut’s southern suburbs along a major road connecting the city centre with the airport. The area has been heavily hit by Israeli airstrikes during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Pointing to a badly damaged neighbourhood, Bounasreddine described an 11-storey building that he said had been completely destroyed in an Israeli airstrike.
Southern Lebanon remains a major area of confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah. Although a ceasefire agreement took effect in June, airstrikes,exchanges of fire and military operations have continued, according to the report.
As the journey continued south along the Saida-Tyre Highway,Bounasreddine assessed how far it was safe for the reporter to travel.He eventually decided to stop, explaining that the Lebanese army could prevent them from proceeding farther south.
For many residents,howeverthe journey continues because their homes are in the affected areas.Bounasreddine said some people returning to Tyre and other parts of southern Lebanon were facing the difficult task of rebuilding their lives after their homes were destroyed.
