Escalating tensions in the Middle East have led to intensified Israeli strikes on Lebanon, including bombardment of Beirut, as the conflict with Iran widens. The strikes, which began Monday, have prompted mass evacuations and raised fears of a broader regional war.
On Thursday morning, Israeli strikes continued to target Lebanon’s capital, with the Israel Defense Forces issuing evacuation warnings for parts of Beirut and large areas of southern Lebanon prior to the attacks. According to statements from Israel, hundreds of targets throughout the country have been struck since Monday. The military expanded its warning to residents of the densely populated southern suburbs of Beirut, ordering them to depart immediately ahead of planned strikes.
The evacuation order effectively forces the evacuation of the entire Dahiyeh area on the outskirts of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold that is also a major residential and commercial hub. More than 300,000 people have evacuated southern Lebanon, the IDF reported. The development underscores growing regional instability and the potential for a large-scale humanitarian crisis.
The IDF stated that heading south is “strictly prohibited” and any movement in that direction “could endanger your lives.” At least 77 people have been killed and 527 others wounded since Israel resumed strikes on Lebanon on Monday, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Anyone south of the Litani River in Lebanon has been told to abandon their homes and evacuate north, raising concerns about a potential ground incursion by IDF forces in the coming days and weeks.
Hezbollah launched rockets and initiated the current escalation on Monday, prompting the Israeli response. The conflict is unfolding against the backdrop of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, further embroiling Iran’s proxy force in Lebanon.
Panic has gripped Beirut’s southern suburbs as residents attempt to comply with the unprecedented evacuation order. Huge traffic jams formed on main roads heading north and south, as people sought to flee the area. “We’re coming from Bir Hassan. They [the Israeli military] issued a warning so that’s why we’re leaving,” one resident, Mohammed al-Khaouzam, told the BBC while stuck in traffic with his family. He described Lebanon as his “second country” and expressed hope for the safety of all Lebanese citizens.
Food kitchens and shelters in the capital have warned they cannot support the number of people being displaced. The situation is further complicated by reports that a Syrian man was seen carrying a child as they crossed the Syrian-Lebanese border into Syria, fleeing the violence.
Israeli aircraft have carried out waves of strikes targeting Hezbollah in Beirut’s southern suburbs, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley since Monday. The Israeli military struck a building housing Al-Manar channel studios in Beirut’s southern suburbs following the evacuation warning, the channel reported. The announcement could influence future diplomatic talks and efforts to de-escalate the conflict.
