Beirut, Lebanon. Israel carried out airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday, intensifying fighting with Hezbollah that has displaced large numbers of people and raised Lebanon’s reported death toll since Monday.
Evacuation orders and strikes in Beirut
Israel ordered residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs to leave on Thursday before launching strikes that lit up the night sky. Israel also warned civilians to leave areas of southern and eastern Lebanon described as Hezbollah strongholds.
The evacuation orders were described as the widest Israel has issued in Lebanon and were followed by bombardments that continued into Friday, with smoke visible across Beirut’s skyline.
Displacement and conditions for residents
Residents reported spending the night outdoors in Beirut. Jamal Seifeddin, 43, said people were sleeping in streets, cars, and on the beach in the capital’s downtown district, adding that he had been forced to sleep on the ground without a blanket.
The Norwegian Refugee Council estimated that 300,000 people had been displaced in Lebanon, and said the number could potentially exceed one million.
Escalation and casualty reports
Lebanon was pulled into renewed hostilities on Monday when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, prompting a new Israeli offensive against the group, which was established by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982. The development came 15 months after their 2024 war.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said 217 people had been killed since Monday, up from 127 earlier, and that 798 had been wounded. The ministry’s figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
No fatalities have been reported in Israel as a result of Hezbollah attacks. The Israeli military said eight Israeli soldiers were injured by projectile fire toward Israeli territory near the border, including five who were seriously wounded.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s son, a combat soldier, had been injured in Lebanon.
How do you think the widening evacuation orders will affect civilian displacement in Lebanon?
