JERUSALEM: The Israeli military on Friday said it had started a new “wave of strikes” against Iran-backed Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
“The IDF is now striking Hezbollah infrastructure in the Dahiyeh area in Beirut,” the military said, using the Arabic name for the area.
Israeli strikes have hit the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, Lebanon’s state media reported. Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of four towns in Bekaa area.
Explosions and flashes lit up the night sky over the Beirut southern suburbs on Thursday night, Reuters footage showed. The Israeli military said it had carried out 26 waves of strikes overnight in the southern suburbs, saying targets included Hezbollah’s command centers and weapons storage facilities.
On Thursday, an Israeli military spokesperson told residents of the southern suburbs to move east and north, posting a map showing four large districts of the capital he said they must leave, including areas adjacent to Beirut airport.
Hezbollah, in a message published in Hebrew on its Telegram channel early on Friday, warned Israelis to leave towns within five5 kilometers of the border.
“Your military’s aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and safe citizens, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the expulsion campaign it is carrying out will not go unchallenged,” Hezbollah said.
During fighting between Hezbollah and Israel in 2024, tens of thousands of Israelis were evacuated from towns in the border area but many have since returned. Israeli officials have previously said there are no plans to remove them for now.
Lebanon was pulled into the war in the Middle East on Monday, when Hezbollah opened fire, igniting a new Israeli offensive, with airstrikes focused on Beirut’s southern suburbs and on southern and eastern Lebanon.
Israel has also ordered Lebanese to leave large areas of southern and eastern Lebanon.
The Lebanese health ministry has reported 123 people have been killed and another 683 wounded as a result of Israeli attacks this week. Its figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
There have been no reported fatalities in Israel as a result of Hezbollah attacks.
Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim group established by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982, was badly weakened by Israel during the 2024 war.
