️ The Israeli military has ordered hundreds of thousands of people to immediately leave their homes in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of the Hezbollah armed group. The military's Arabic spokesperson wrote on X, "Save your lives, evacuate your homes immediately," apparently signaling plans for intense bombardment in the area.
️ Following the order, huge traffic jams formed on main roads heading north and south as panicked residents complied with the unprecedented blanket evacuation demand. On Wednesday, the Israeli military told all residents of a large swathe of southern Lebanon near the Israeli border to leave ahead of a much-anticipated ground incursion.
️ Lebanese authorities have said at least 102 people have been killed in Israeli strikes over the past four days. Israeli authorities have not reported any fatalities. Israeli aircraft have carried out waves of strikes targeting Hezbollah in Beirut's southern suburbs, southern Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa Valley since Monday, when the group launched rockets and drones over the border in retaliation for the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
️ Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem vowed on Wednesday that the Shia militia and political party would confront Israel "to the point of the utmost sacrifice, to the furthest limits." This came a day after the Israeli military's chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, said it was "determined to eliminate the threat Hezbollah poses and will not stop until the terror organisation is disarmed."
️ The Israeli military said on Thursday morning that it had carried out strikes overnight on several Hezbollah command centres in Beirut, which it alleged were intended to be used to plan and carry out attacks on Israeli troops and civilians. The Lebanese health ministry said at least three people were killed in Israeli air strikes on vehicles on the main road to the city's airport.
️ A residential building on the outskirts of Beirut was struck late on Wednesday, but locals said they believed no one had been there at the time. Several people told the BBC on Thursday morning that they had left the building at the beginning of the week and were staying elsewhere due to safety concerns, noting that the area had been targeted in the past. They said they did not know, or would not comment on, what the target may have been.
Source: www.bbc.com