A fresh Israeli airstrike hit Beirut’s southern suburbs on Tuesday, March 4, after the Israeli military issued an online evacuation warning directing residents to leave an area in Haret Hreik, a densely populated district long associated with Hezbollah facilities. Footage circulating on social media showed smoke rising from a multi-storey building in the southern suburb, known locally as Dahiyeh. Witnesses said residents fled quickly after the warning was posted, reflecting a pattern seen repeatedly in the conflict in which alerts are followed by rapid strikes. There were no immediately confirmed casualties linked to the specific building shown in the footage.
The warning was issued by the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, who posted a map marking buildings and surrounding landmarks, including sites near mosques and other public locations, urging civilians to move away “immediately” ahead of a strike. Local Lebanese outlet L’Orient-Le Jour reported similar warnings in the southern suburbs during the day, with mapped locations pointing to specific buildings.
The strike in Beirut came amid an intensifying exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah that has drawn Lebanon deeper into a regional escalation linked to the broader U.S.-Israeli confrontation with Iran. Reuters reported that Israeli strikes in Lebanon in recent days have hit areas beyond the border zone, including Beirut’s southern suburbs and the eastern city of Baalbek, while Israel has also issued wide evacuation orders for parts of southern Lebanon.
Associated Press reported that Israel expanded evacuation warnings to dozens of villages in southern Lebanon as airstrikes intensified, and that some recent strikes around Beirut caused casualties and displacement, although details varied by location and remained fluid as the situation developed. Haret Hreik and nearby districts have repeatedly been targeted during bouts of fighting, and residents described a familiar routine: checking alerts, leaving if possible, waiting for the blast, then returning to assess damage and retrieve belongings.
The renewed strikes are likely to heighten concerns over civilian safety in Beirut’s crowded southern suburbs, where residential buildings sit close to schools, mosques and commercial areas. Lebanese authorities have not issued a consolidated casualty figure for Tuesday’s strikes in Beirut, while Israel has said its operations are aimed at Hezbollah infrastructure and personnel.
