Israel carried out heavy airstrikes on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut overnight after ordering its residents to leave, while the Iran-backed group warned Israelis to leave towns and villages at the frontier.
Smoke billows after reported strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon, March 6, 2026. Reuters/Mohamed Azakir
Israel carried out heavy airstrikes on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut overnight after ordering its residents to leave, while the Iran-backed group warned Israelis to leave towns and villages at the frontier.
Explosions and flashes lit up the night sky over the Beirut southern suburbs, Reuters footage showed. The Israeli military said it had carried out 26 waves of strikes overnight in the southern suburbs, saying targets included Hezbollah's command centres and weapons storage facilities.
On Thursday, an Israeli military spokesperson told residents of the southern suburbs to move east and north, posting a map showing four large districts of the capital he said they must leave, including areas adjacent to Beirut airport.
Hezbollah, in a message published in Hebrew on its Telegram channel early on Friday, warned Israelis to leave towns within 5 km (3 miles) of the border.
"Your military's aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and safe citizens, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the expulsion campaign it is carrying out will not go unchallenged," Hezbollah said.
During fighting between Hezbollah and Israel in 2024, tens of thousands of Israelis were evacuated from towns in the border area but many have since returned. Israeli officials have previously said there are no plans to remove them for now.
Lebanon was pulled into the war in the Middle East on Monday, when Hezbollah opened fire, igniting a new Israeli offensive, with airstrikes focused on Beirut's southern suburbs and on southern and eastern Lebanon.
Israel has also ordered Lebanese to leave large areas of southern and eastern Lebanon.
The Lebanese health ministry has reported 123 people have been killed and another 683 wounded as a result of Israeli attacks this week. Its figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
There have been no reported fatalities in Israel as a result of Hezbollah attacks.
Hezbollah, a Shi'ite Muslim group established by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, was badly weakened by Israel during the 2024 war.
Reporting by Hatem Maher, Nayera Abdallah in Cairo; Jana Choukeir in Dubai; Maayan Lubell and Pesha Magid in Jerusalem
Israeli attacks against Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah group will likely continue after its joint air war with the U.S. against Iran ends, a source briefed on Israel's military strategy told Reuters, describing the two fronts as unconnected.
As residents flee Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon's anti-Hezbollah newspaper Nidaa Al-Watan has landed its sharpest blow yet against Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem, comparing him directly to Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas commander whose strategy led Gaza to near-total destruction
French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday the reinforcement of military cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces, pledging armored vehicles and logistical support.
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