Israel Orders South Lebanon Villages To Evacuate As Airstrikes Hit Beirut After Hezbollah Rocket Fire, 12 Dead

Early Wednesday morning, the Israeli military issued a sudden and urgent order telling people living in dozens of villages in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border to leave their homes immediately and move north of the Litani River.

The warning said those who stayed or moved south of the river would be putting their lives in danger.

Hezbollah Attacks Trigger Escalation

Reports say that the order came as part of a rapid escalation of fighting that began earlier this week after the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah fired rockets and drones into northern Israel which drew retaliation from the Israeli Air Force. Those attacks marked a major widening of the conflict that began with recent US–Israeli strikes on Iran.

According to reports, Israeli aircraft hit areas around Beirut and deeper into Lebanon overnight. One of the hardest-hit places was Hazmieh, a mostly Christian suburb of Beirut, where a hotel was struck. Other strikes hit the towns of Aramoun and Saadiyat, just south of Beirut’s international airport, and a separate hit in the eastern city of Baalbek. According to Lebanese state media, at least 12 people were killed and more than 20 were wounded in these attacks.

The strikes reportedly came without advanced warning, which in past conflicts usually suggests that specific people were being targeted. A Lebanese security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the intended target in Hazmieh was a local official who was wounded in the attack.

Civilians Flee as Fears Grow

People caught up in the chaos spoke in shocked and simple terms. According to the Washington Post, Maggie Shibli, whose husband owns the Hotel Comfort in Hazmieh, said, “We live in a country where a missile can fall on your head at any moment.” Another man displaced from the southern port city of Tyre, Abbas Najdeh, said, “We were sleeping then suddenly I, my children and my wife were thrown away.”

This sequence of events has forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes, not just in the south, but also from the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs. Many are now headed north in hopes of finding safety, while others seek shelter in crowded shelters or with relatives.

The warnings came a day after Israel sent additional troops into southern Lebanon, the first since the end of a long cease-fire that had paused major fighting in late 2024. It’s still not clear if Israel plans a full ground invasion, however the evacuation order and troop movements have deepened fears that the fighting could spread further.

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