Fears Rise in Beirut as Israel Announces Strikes Against Hezbollah

Thousands of residents fled the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, after Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced the expansion of a military campaign against Hezbollah. On Monday, Beirut prepared for Israeli airstrikes following Israel’s declaration of an attack on the city’s southern suburbs.

This announcement triggered fears of the collapse of the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah. Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that he instructed the Israeli military to target Dahiya, located on Beirut’s southern outskirts, as part of the escalating conflict with Hezbollah, a powerful militia supported by Iran. While avoiding direct attacks on Beirut since a U.S.-Iran cease-fire in April, Israel continued bombings in other parts of Lebanon. Concurrently, Hezbollah attacked Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and areas in northern Israel.

The news from Mr. Netanyahu prompted a mass exodus of residents, causing traffic congestion as people attempted to leave the area on Monday morning. Many residents have experienced this forced evacuation repeatedly over nearly three years of ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

I lost count of how many times I’ve evacuated,

said Zahra Khomasi, a 43-year-old resident, as she waited in her car in Tayouneh, near Dahiya. She has frequently evacuated amidst tensions, including during the last risen conflict in 2024 and again when renewed fighting began in March. After a temporary return to normalcy in April during a cease-fire, Ms. Khomasi again faced the need to flee with her two children, aged 14 and 9.

We’ve somehow become used to this, she shared.

The situation in Dahiya isn’t new for its residents, many of whom have repeatedly evacuated since 2023. At that time, Hezbollah’s attacks on Israeli positions, in support of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, triggered significant hostilities with Israel. Although a cease-fire in Lebanon took effect in November 2024, conflict has persisted in various parts of the country.