Israeli Airstrikes Target Southern Beirut Amid Ongoing Tensions with Hezbollah

Beirut, Lebanon – Israeli airstrikes hit the southern suburbs of Beirut on Saturday, targeting Hezbollah’s main stronghold, according to Lebanese state media. The strikes come after Israel issued evacuation orders to residents in the area, marking the first such attacks in three days amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that two Israeli airstrikes struck a building in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of southern Beirut. The agency later confirmed additional airstrikes in the nearby Al-Umara neighborhood of Choueifat. This escalation follows an earlier warning by the Israeli military for residents to evacuate the targeted areas, citing Hezbollah-linked facilities as the reason for the operation.

Footage released by AFP showed thick plumes of smoke rising from the southern suburbs less than an hour after the evacuation order was issued. The warning was delivered by Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee, who posted a message on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) urging civilians in the southern suburb of Dahiyeh, specifically in the Haret Hreik neighborhood, to leave the area. “You are located near facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah, against which the IDF (Israeli military) will be operating in the near future,” Adraee wrote in Arabic.

The spokesperson also expanded the warnings to residents in the Burj al-Barajneh and Choueifat neighborhoods, signaling the potential for further strikes in these areas.

The airstrikes are part of a broader military campaign Israel launched against Lebanon on September 23, following nearly a year of cross-border skirmishes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters. The current round of violence was initially triggered by the ongoing Gaza war, but tensions between Hezbollah and Israel have remained high, leading to repeated clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border.

According to Lebanese health ministry figures compiled by AFP, the conflict has claimed at least 1,418 lives in Lebanon since the escalation began in late September. However, the actual death toll is believed to be higher due to the difficulty in verifying all casualties in conflict zones.

As the situation in southern Beirut remains tense, civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence, with many fleeing their homes in anticipation of further airstrikes. International observers have called for de-escalation, but the conflict shows no signs of abating as Israel continues to target Hezbollah positions across the country.