Israel Orders Mass Evacuations in Southern Lebanon as Airstrikes Intensify and Hezbollah Expands Attacks

BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA

Israel’s military on Wednesday ordered residents of dozens of villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately, signaling a sharp escalation in cross-border hostilities as airstrikes pounded areas in and around Beirut and Hezbollah announced a new wave of attacks against northern Israel.

The evacuation directive, delivered in Arabic by the Israeli military’s spokesperson, instructed civilians living close to the Israeli frontier to move north of the Litani River without delay. The warning underscored the risk of further strikes and possible ground operations in the area, which has become a renewed flashpoint in a conflict that has already displaced tens of thousands.

The latest violence erupted after Hezbollah fired rockets and drones into northern Israel earlier this week, drawing swift retaliatory airstrikes. The exchange followed U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that have rippled across the region, pulling Lebanon deeper into the expanding confrontation. Since Monday, Israeli bombardment has struck multiple areas across Lebanon, killing more than 50 people, wounding approximately 300 and forcing widespread displacement from southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The evacuation order focused on territory south of the Litani River, an area that comprises roughly 8% of Lebanon’s landmass and runs along much of the border with Israel. Israeli officials warned that anyone choosing to remain or move south of the river would be placing themselves in grave danger. The Lebanese government has previously stated that it cleared the zone of Hezbollah’s overt military presence in recent months, in accordance with understandings reached after the last major round of fighting.

Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire in late 2024 following a 14-month conflict that began after the war in Gaza spilled over into Lebanon. Despite that agreement, Israeli airstrikes continued intermittently, with nearly 400 people reported killed in Lebanon between the truce and this week’s escalation.

Overnight, Israeli aircraft carried out four strikes in and around the capital. One attack hit a hotel in the predominantly Christian southeastern suburb of Hazmieh. Other strikes targeted the towns of Aramoun and Saadiyat, south of Beirut’s international airport, killing six people and injuring eight, according to Lebanese state media. Another strike struck the eastern city of Baalbek, leaving six dead and 15 wounded.

The strikes reportedly occurred without prior evacuation warnings, a tactic that in past confrontations has suggested the targeting of specific individuals. Lebanese security officials, speaking anonymously in line with regulations, said the intended target in Hazmieh was a local official affiliated with Beirut’s southern suburb of Ghobeiri. He was reported wounded.

Residents described scenes of panic and destruction. Maggie Shibli, whose husband owns the Hotel Comfort in Hazmieh, said the strike shattered any remaining sense of security. “We live in a country where a missile can fall on your head at any moment,” she said.

Abbas Najdeh, displaced from the southern port city of Tyre and staying at the hotel with his family, recounted being jolted awake by the blast. “We were sleeping, and suddenly my children, my wife and I were thrown away,” he said.

In parallel with the evacuation notices in the south, the Israeli military issued warnings for residents to leave specific buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs shortly before those structures were struck. Hezbollah responded by announcing multiple operations against Israel, including two attacks it said involved precision-guided missiles. Israeli authorities have not publicly detailed the extent of damage from those strikes.

The evacuation order south of the Litani River came a day after Israel reinforced its troop presence in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces have maintained positions at several points along the border since the previous ceasefire took effect in November 2024. While officials have not formally declared preparations for a broader ground offensive, the troop movements and artillery fire have fueled speculation that a larger incursion could follow.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported artillery shelling targeting villages along the frontier, including Aid al-Shaab and Beit Lif. The cross-border exchanges have revived memories of the full-scale war that erupted in September 2024 after months of lower-intensity clashes that began when Hezbollah launched attacks following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led assault on southern Israel.

In eastern Lebanon, authorities briefly closed the primary border crossing with Syria on Wednesday after receiving a warning of an imminent Israeli strike. The alert was later deemed a false alarm, but it heightened anxiety among residents already rattled by the intensifying conflict. Similar warnings in Beirut and other areas have contributed to widespread unease and repeated evacuations.

Additional tension stems from reports of Syrian troop movements near the Lebanese border. Syria’s current leadership, which took power after the ouster of Bashar Assad in December 2024, has historically opposed Iran and Hezbollah, both of which backed Assad during Syria’s civil war. A senior Syrian official said the troop deployments were defensive and aimed at preventing smuggling and guarding against instability, denying any offensive intent.

“The deployment is perfectly normal and within reasonable limits,” the official said, emphasizing that it was precautionary rather than preparatory for combat.

For many Lebanese civilians, however, the strategic calculations offer little reassurance. The cumulative impact of repeated displacement, damaged infrastructure and economic hardship has compounded public frustration and fear. Tens of thousands have already fled their homes in southern communities and densely populated districts of Beirut, seeking shelter with relatives or in temporary accommodations further north.

Israel maintains that its strikes are aimed at preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding military capabilities near the border and from targeting Israeli territory. Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has framed its actions as support for regional allies and resistance to Israeli operations.

With artillery exchanges continuing and evacuation orders expanding, the risk of a broader confrontation remains acute. Whether the current escalation remains confined to air and missile exchanges or develops into a more extensive ground campaign may depend on decisions taken in the coming days by military and political leaders on both sides of the border.