Escalation in Tensions: Israeli Military Orders Evacuations Near Beirut
The Israeli military issued an evacuation order for residents in a neighborhood near the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Friday, marking a significant escalation in tensions since a U.S.-brokered cease-fire came into effect months earlier. This directive followed reports of rockets being fired towards northern Israel.
Avichay Adraee, a spokesperson for the Israeli military, shared a map on social media highlighting a single building in the densely populated Hadath neighborhood of Dahiya, which was marked in red. He urged anyone within approximately 300 yards of this structure to “evacuate immediately,” emphasizing that they were near “facilities” associated with Hezbollah, the prominent Lebanese political and militant organization.
Since the onset of the conflict triggered by the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah has actively fired rockets and drones at Israeli positions in a show of solidarity with its Palestinian allies. The situation escalated into a full-scale war, culminating in an Israeli ground invasion, before both sides eventually consented to a cease-fire in November.
Despite the truce with Hezbollah, Israeli forces have consistently targeted what they claim are militant sites in southern and eastern Lebanon. However, the Dahiya area, traditionally known for its strong support of Hezbollah, had notably not been targeted since the cease-fire was established.
On Friday morning, air-raid sirens blared across northern Israel, including in the city of Kiryat Shmona. The Israeli military later reported that one of the incoming projectiles was intercepted while another fell within Lebanese territory. Hezbollah categorically denied any involvement in the rocket fire and reiterated its commitment to maintaining the cease-fire.
In a provocative statement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned of potential military action against Beirut. He declared, “If it’s not quiet in Kiryat Shmona and the communities in the Galilee, it shall not be quiet in Beirut.”
As the evacuation order was issued, gunfire erupted in Dahiya as residents rushed to warn their neighbors about the Israeli threat, creating a scene reminiscent of the most intense periods of the conflict when Israeli airstrikes targeted the neighborhood almost daily.
“People are panicking,” reported Elie Hachem, director of the St. Therese hospital located about 600 meters from the building identified in Adraee’s social media post. “I can hear cars honking frantically outside on the street.” He noted that although the hospital had sustained significant damage during the war, the staff had no immediate plans to evacuate. For the moment, Hachem stated that their primary goal was to “keep everyone calm.”
Contributors: Hwaida Saad and Dayana Iwaza, reporting from Beirut.
