Beirut, Lebanon. Israel carried out air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Tuesday and said its troops pushed deeper into southern Lebanon, as an Israeli envoy said disarming Hezbollah was key to ending the war.
Air strikes and evacuation order
Strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Tuesday afternoon sent thick columns of smoke over the city. Two hours before they began, an Israeli military spokesperson ordered residents to leave immediately, specifying three new districts that should be evacuated.
A member of the municipal council for the area told Reuters families were fleeing, adding to the nearly 700,000 that Lebanese authorities say have already been displaced by the war.
Casualties and spread of attacks
Israel has launched air strikes across Lebanon’s south, east and Beirut’s suburbs, killing nearly 500 people including more than 80 children, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Government warning on displacement and resources
Lebanon’s Minister of Social Affairs Haneen Sayed said on Tuesday that the state was bracing itself for higher displacement figures than in 2024, when the last war between Israel and Hezbollah pushed more than a million people out of their homes.
“So we expect that the needs, the numbers of displacement, will be higher than in 2024. Now on the other side in terms of resources, there’s far less resources this year given the global situation, the regional war that’s happening,” she said.
EU aid shipment and appeal for international help
Sayed spoke to Reuters at Beirut’s airport, where the European Union was delivering 45 tons of emergency supplies including medical kits and blankets.
“Our traditional partners and friends in the Gulf are of course under stress themselves. So we’re appealing to the international community to be with us at this moment to help stabilize the situation in terms of humanitarian needs,” Sayed said.
Israeli envoy’s position
An Israeli envoy said the key to ending the war was disarming Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
What impact do you think the new evacuation orders will have on displacement in Beirut’s southern suburbs?
