Lebanon today: Israeli strikes on Beirut, ground incursion, and over one million displaced
Israeli strikes on Beirut and its suburbs as well as the south, a ground incursion, and more than one million displaced: this is the current situation in Lebanon.
Since the early hours of Tuesday morning, intense Israeli airstrikes have targeted three neighborhoods in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
At the same time, an expanding Israeli ground incursion is underway in southern Lebanon, while the humanitarian situation has sharply deteriorated, with the number of registered displaced persons exceeding one million.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced that it had targeted the city of Nahariya in northern Israel using rockets and drones; medics reported that one person was injured.
The conflict involving Iran has extended to Lebanon after Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, during the initial days of the U.S.-Israeli offensive.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, Israeli warplanes carried out two strikes targeting the areas of “Kafaat” and “Haret Hreik” in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The agency also reported a third strike targeting a residential apartment in the upper floors of a building in the “Doha Aramoun” area.
It added that a series of airstrikes and artillery shelling also focused at dawn on southern towns, injuring an Ethiopian woman, citing the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
For its part, Israel confirmed responsibility for these attacks, stating that its strikes targeted Hezbollah sites in Beirut as part of what it describes as a response to the group’s activities.
Expansion of ground operations
In a notable field development, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced in a post on the platform X that the “36th Division” had joined ground operations in southern Lebanon.
He explained that these forces had, in recent days, “carried out focused ground activity toward an additional objective in southern Lebanon” in order to expand the scope of the forward defense zone.
He added that these forces are operating alongside the “91st Division” with the aim of “consolidating the forward defense zone, removing threats, and creating an additional security layer for residents in the north.”
According to the post, the deployment of ground forces was preceded by intensive artillery and air force strikes targeting Hezbollah positions in the area.
The Israeli army reaffirmed its intention to continue operations against Hezbollah, which it says has joined the conflict under Iranian backing.
Prior to launching its ground operations, Israel targeted several bridges and key roads that serve as major transit routes in southern Lebanon, including a bridge over the Litani River linking its northern and southern banks, as well as a main road, effectively isolating the border area of Marjeyoun from Hasbaya, adjacent to the Bekaa region in the east.
Evacuation warnings
In this context, the Israeli army issued new evacuation warnings to Lebanese civilians.
In separate posts on X, spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged residents of the village of “Arab al-Jal” to urgently evacuate a specific building marked on a map and nearby structures, claiming that it “is used by Hezbollah.”
Residents were instructed to remain at least 300 meters away.
These warnings are part of broader evacuation orders issued by Israel for areas in southern Lebanon, covering a geographical range exceeding 40 kilometers from the border.
A humanitarian catastrophe
The military escalation, the widening scope of bombardment, and repeated warnings have led to a severe humanitarian crisis. Lebanese authorities announced that the number of officially registered displaced persons has surpassed one million within just two weeks of fighting.
More than 130,000 of them are staying in over 600 collective shelters under difficult living and health conditions.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Monday that displaced Lebanese would not be allowed to return to their homes south of the Litani River until “the security of residents in northern Israel is ensured.”
Casualty toll
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that the death toll since the start of the current military confrontation has risen to 886, including 67 women and 111 children, in addition to 2,141 injured.
