Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Intensifying Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon have struck Beirut’s southern suburbs and the southern city of Sidon, as Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned that the escalating conflict could trigger a major humanitarian catastrophe after tens of thousands of civilians were forced to flee their homes.
Israeli warplanes carried out a series of heavy strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut early Friday, continuing bombardments that began late Thursday night following what Lebanese officials described as an unprecedented Israeli evacuation warning issued to residents of the densely populated area.
The southern suburbs, commonly referred to as Dahiyeh, are home to an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 residents and are widely known as a stronghold of Hezbollah. The strikes caused extensive damage to infrastructure and residential buildings, while thick smoke was seen rising from several locations.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, several neighborhoods were targeted, including areas near a hospital in the district of Haret Hreik, as well as the districts of Al-Mreijeh and Hayy al-Jamous. Israeli drones and fighter jets were reported to be flying intensively over Beirut and surrounding areas in Lebanon throughout the day.
Footage from the scene showed deserted streets and collapsed buildings, with heavy machinery working to remove debris from structures that had been flattened during the bombardment.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that it had carried out approximately 26 waves of “large-scale” airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs since the latest escalation began four days earlier. The military said the strikes targeted command centers and at least ten high-rise buildings that it claimed housed military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah.
Among the facilities reportedly hit during overnight operations was a headquarters of the group’s executive council, as well as a storage site used for drones that Israeli officials said were intended for attacks against Israel.
The strikes triggered a mass displacement of residents. Heavy traffic gridlocked roads leading out of the southern suburbs on Thursday afternoon as thousands attempted to leave following Israeli evacuation warnings.
Lebanon’s Minister of Social Affairs Hanin El Sayed said around 100,000 people had already taken shelter in emergency facilities after fleeing their homes due to the Israeli threats and bombardment.
Speaking to Arab and foreign ambassadors, Prime Minister Salam stressed that decisions of war and peace must remain solely in the hands of the Lebanese state. He said his government was working with international partners to halt what he described as Israeli aggression and warned that the continued attacks and mass displacement could lead to a humanitarian disaster.
“Part of Lebanon is paying a very heavy price, but the entire country is ultimately a victim,” Salam said, reiterating the government’s commitment to maintaining exclusive state authority over weapons and security decisions.
He also renewed Lebanon’s readiness for negotiations aimed at halting the escalation and called for the protection of civilian infrastructure and property to prevent further loss of life and damage to the country’s already fragile economy.
Meanwhile, Israeli military operations expanded beyond Beirut to other parts of Lebanon, including the south and eastern regions. The Lebanese National News Agency reported airstrikes on dozens of villages across southern Lebanon.
In remarks late Thursday, Eyal Zamir said Israeli forces deployed in southern Lebanon had received orders to deepen their advance in order to expand control along the border area.
Israeli aircraft also carried out an airstrike on the southern city of Sidon, hitting an area near the Al-Zaatari mosque. Several civilians were reported injured and nearby buildings, including a structure belonging to the Maqassed charitable organization, sustained damage. Ambulances rushed to the scene to transport the wounded and assess the destruction.
In response, Hezbollah announced early Friday that it had launched a series of rocket and artillery attacks against Israeli military positions and settlements.
The group said it targeted several locations in northern Israel, including the settlements of Metula, Manara and Margaliot, as well as the Yiftah military barracks near the Lebanese border. Additional strikes were reported against Israeli military positions in the Syrian Golan Heights and a naval base in the city of Haifa.
Hezbollah also said it attacked Israeli troop concentrations near the Lebanese border towns of Khiam and Kfar Kila and claimed that its fighters had struck an Israeli military vehicle advancing toward Khiam, forcing it to withdraw.
In a separate statement, the group warned Israeli residents living within five kilometers of the Lebanese border to evacuate their communities, releasing a map showing the areas it said could become targets.
“Your army’s aggression against Lebanese sovereignty, the targeting of civilians, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the displacement campaign will not go unanswered,” the statement said.
Israeli strikes continued throughout Friday across southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley. Air raids hit the town of Srifa in the south, reportedly killing and wounding several people, while additional casualties were reported after a strike on the town of Qleileh near Tyre.
Other towns hit by Israeli airstrikes included Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Sawaneh, Khiam, Kfar Tebnit, Habboush, Kfar Rumman, Toul, Khirbet Selm and Anqoun. In the village of Qalaouiyeh, airstrikes destroyed a center belonging to the Islamic Scouts organization and a women’s religious hall, according to local media reports.
Artillery shelling was also reported along the Hasbani River basin, Wadi Barghaz and the outskirts of Rashaya al-Foukhar in southern Lebanon, while separate air raids targeted the towns of Douris and Majdaloun in the Bekaa region.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said the death toll from Israeli strikes since Monday had risen to at least 123 people, with 683 others wounded.
The escalation comes amid broader regional tensions. Hezbollah said earlier this week that it launched rocket attacks against Israel overnight Sunday in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in an attack on Tehran that Iranian officials have blamed on the United States and Israel.
The rapidly expanding conflict has raised growing international concern that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could ignite a wider regional war at a time when tensions across the Middle East are already at a critical level.
