Israeli air strikes target southern Beirut

The Israeli military conducted drone strikes and airstrikes on parts of Beirut on Friday, following an "urgent" evacuation warning issued to residents of the southern part of the capital. This comes after prior warnings issued by the Israeli army to some residents in the Lebanese capital.

According to Reuters, witnesses and security sources reported that the initial Israeli airstrike on Friday afternoon targeted a building in the Haret Hreik neighborhood, apparently as a "warning shot." Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued the warning minutes earlier, along with a map targeting "people in the southern suburb of Beirut, specifically the Haret Hreik neighborhood."

Adraee wrote on X: "To all those present in the buildings marked in red on the map, and in the adjacent buildings: You are in the vicinity of facilities belonging to Hezbollah." He also attached a satellite image purportedly of the location. "For your safety and the safety of your families, you must immediately evacuate these buildings and move away from them by at least 300 meters, as indicated on the map."

While Israel has frequently struck southern Lebanon in recent weeks and months, this is the first such evacuation order issued in Beirut since the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah last November. Lebanon's National News Agency reported that the Lebanese Ministry of Education has instructed the closure of all public and private schools, secondary education institutions, vocational centers, and the Rafik Hariri University complex in Haret Hreik. All students, teachers, and administrative staff were told to stay away from the area on Friday, with calls to "strengthen caution in student transportation to ensure everyone's safety."

According to National News, the Jamous neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs descended into chaos and panic following the Israeli warning. Traffic became paralyzed as residents fled en masse, fearing an escalation of Israeli actions. Reuters cited witnesses as saying that gunfire was also heard in the area after the evacuation warning was issued. Meanwhile, Israel launched a series of attacks on southern Lebanon on Friday, including a deadly strike on Kafr Tebnit in the Nabatieh area. The Lebanese Ministry of Health stated that the attack resulted in one death and eight injuries, including three children.

Earlier on Friday, Israel said it intercepted a rocket fired from Lebanon. Hezbollah denied involvement in the attack. The group also denied involvement in a series of rocket attacks on northern Israel six days prior. Hezbollah stated that these incidents were an Israeli attempt to create a pretext to resume the war against Lebanon.

On March 22, Israeli shelling and airstrikes struck southern Lebanon, killing at least eight people. Under the ceasefire agreement reached last November, Hezbollah was to withdraw its weapons from southern Lebanon, while Israeli ground forces were to retreat, and the Lebanese army was to deploy in the area.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun condemned the attacks on Beirut at a press conference in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron. He stated, "We reject any attacks on Lebanon, and any suspicious attempts to return Lebanon to a cycle of violence." Aoun also confirmed that current information indicates that Hezbollah was not the party that launched rockets at Israel. Macron stated that "there is no clear information about what happened in the south that can justify the Israeli attacks."