Israel Attacks South of Beirut Shortly Before Requesting Evacuation from the Area

The Israeli army today attacked the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, shortly after ordering the evacuation of four neighborhoods, according to images released by AFPTV.

Before the attacks, the Israeli army had warned residents of the southern suburbs of Beirut to evacuate the area, warning of the possibility of attacks against the Shiite movement Hezbollah.

"For your safety and that of your family, you must immediately leave the buildings and those adjacent to them and move at least 500 meters away," army spokesman Avichay Adraee said in Arabic.

The warning was circulated on social media, specifically referring to the areas of Haret Hreik, Ghobeiry and Lailaki in the south of the Lebanese capital, where according to Israel, Hezbollah (Party of God) facilities are located.

Iran-backed Hezbollah has begun bombing northern Israel from southern Lebanon in support of Hamas, which has faced a military offensive from Tel Aviv in the Gaza Strip since it attacked Israeli soil on October 7, 2023.

Israel stepped up operations in Lebanon from September 23 and launched a ground invasion the following week, claiming it wanted to create safe conditions for the return home of some 60,000 people displaced by hostilities in the north of the country.

According to the authorities in Beirut, the conflict in Lebanon has already caused more than 3,000 deaths in more than a year, most of them in the last month and a half, and displaced 1.2 million people.