BEIRUT: Israeli airstrikes struck the southern suburbs of Beirut on Saturday, Lebanon’s state media reported, just hours after the Israeli military ordered residents to evacuate the area. The strikes mark the first aerial attacks in three days on Hezbollah’s stronghold in the Lebanese capital.
Lebanese state media reported that two Israeli airstrikes targeted a building in the Haret Hreik neighborhood, part of the Dahiyeh district. The National News Agency (NNA) later confirmed that Israeli warplanes also bombed the Al-Umara neighborhood in Choueifat, a nearby area south of Beirut.
Footage from local media showed plumes of smoke rising from the targeted areas shortly after the Israeli military ordered urgent evacuation from Dahiyeh, specifically residents in Haret Hreik.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned residents on X (formerly Twitter), to evacuate the area which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) planned to target.
“You are located near facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah, against which the IDF will be operating in the near future,” Adraee wrote. Similar warnings were later issued for the Burj al-Barajneh and Choueifat neighborhoods.
These latest developments come after Israel launched a significant air campaign across Lebanon on September 23, intensifying attacks following nearly a year of cross-border exchanges with Hezbollah. The conflict has since expanded, with Israel conducting regular airstrikes and ground operations in southern Lebanon.
The ongoing Israeli bombardment campaign has already killed at least 1,418 people in Lebanon, according to a tally based on figures from the Lebanese health ministry. However, the real death toll is believed to be higher.
Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israeli attacks, raising concerns of further escalation in the region.
