The mass evacuation order comes hours after Lebanon banned Hezbollah’s military activities and the group launched rockets at Israel in retaliation for Khamenei’s killing.
JERUSALEM – The Israeli military has issued its most extensive evacuation warning in Lebanon to date, ordering civilians in 50 villages across the south and two neighborhoods in Beirut’s southern suburbs to flee immediately ahead of imminent military action.
The urgent alerts, broadcast on Tuesday by Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee via Telegram, signal a significant broadening of Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah following a deadly weekend of cross-border attacks.
“Urgent warning to the residents of Lebanon, specifically in the villages which names are shown. For your safety you must evacuate your homes immediately,” Adraee stated, publishing a list of dozens of communities, primarily in southern Lebanon—a region where Israel frequently conducts strikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.
In a separate, more targeted warning for the capital, Adraee addressed residents of the Ghobeiry and Haret Hreik neighborhoods in southern Beirut. “You are located near Hezbollah facilities and interests, against which the IDF will operate in the near future,” he told them, urging people to stay away from specific buildings.
Beirut’s Unprecedented Move Backfires
The mass evacuation orders come just one day after the Lebanese government took the unprecedented step of banning Hezbollah’s military and security activities—a direct challenge to the powerful Iran-backed faction, which holds seats in both the cabinet and parliament.
The decision, however, failed to deter further escalation. Hezbollah responded defiantly, announcing early Monday that it had launched rockets and drones toward Israel. The group framed the assault as vengeance for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in recent U.S. and Israeli strikes.
Heavy Civilian Toll
Israel swiftly retaliated, vowing to make Hezbollah pay a “heavy price.” Overnight bombardments targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs and numerous villages across the south. The Lebanese health ministry reported that at least 31 people were killed and 149 others wounded in the strikes on Monday alone.
With Israeli forces now warning residents across a wide geographic area to clear out, fears are mounting of a prolonged and devastating conflict that could displace hundreds of thousands of civilians.
