Fresh Israeli airstrikes struck Beirut’s southern suburbs and south Lebanon on Tuesday, following military evacuation warnings and continuing a sustained campaign that has displaced nearly 760,000 people. Lebanon was drawn into the broader Middle East conflict last week when Iran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.
Israel has intensified military operations across Lebanon since March 2, maintaining a campaign despite a 2024 ceasefire agreement and deploying ground troops into border areas. The escalation has created a humanitarian crisis with tens of thousands taking refuge in emergency shelters, including a Beirut stadium housing more than 3,000 displaced civilians.
Sustained Airstrikes Target Hezbollah Infrastructure and Civilian Areas
The Israeli military reported it had begun “striking Hezbollah infrastructure” in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of the militant group. The National News Agency (NNA) documented several strikes Tuesday on the capital’s southern suburbs, with AFPTV footage showing smoke rising from the area.
A strike on a motorcycle near the suburbs killed one person, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. The Israeli military announced it would attack specific buildings in Abbassiyeh near Tyre and the coastal city of Sidon, with subsequent attacks reported in both locations.
In the southern town of Jwaya, Israeli attacks killed the town’s mayor and a municipal council member, demonstrating the wide geographic scope of the campaign beyond military targets.
Hezbollah Responds with Continued Border Attacks
Hezbollah claimed its fighters attacked Israeli troops near the southern border towns of Khiam and Odaisseh, and launched rocket fire at Israel, including strikes on what it characterized as a “missile defence site” south of Haifa. The militant group reported engaging Israeli forces near the border town of Aitaroun “with light and medium weapons.”
The continued Hezbollah attacks indicate the militant group remains operationally capable despite sustained Israeli airstrikes, maintaining the cycle of attack and counterattack along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens as Displacement Reaches Record Levels
Lebanese authorities reported that 759,300 people had been registered as displaced by March 11, with 122,600 staying in emergency shelters. The UN noted “a faster pace of displacement compared to 2024,” during Israel’s previous conflict with Hezbollah, indicating the current campaign is displacing civilians more rapidly.
Health ministry data confirmed that Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 486 people and wounded more than 1,300 others. Among the casualties were 15 rescuers affiliated with Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Committee killed while responding to Israeli strikes.
Life in Emergency Shelters
Displaced civilians have taken refuge in improvised shelters, including Beirut’s Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium. Fatima Shehadeh, 35, a mother of four who fled the southern suburbs, described her family’s escape: “I was pushing my baby in a stroller. We left on foot at 2:00 am and spent the night outside before coming to the stadium shelter.”
Shehadeh expressed fear about the impact of raids on her children, noting that one child refused to leave their tent due to the intensity of nearby strikes. The stadium accommodates over 3,000 people, with dozens of family-sized tents set up on concrete floors with thin mattresses.
Malak Jaber, a 35-year-old mother of three from Nabatiyeh in south Lebanon, recounted: “We spent two or three days living under a bridge, until they opened up this place. My home was bombed yesterday. If I want to go back… we’ll be starting from zero.”
Israeli Strike Hits Central Beirut, Killing Diplomats
An Israeli airstrike hit an apartment building in central Beirut on Wednesday, marking the second targeting of the Lebanese capital’s heart since the Middle East war began. The strike occurred in the Aisha Bakkar area, a densely populated neighborhood close to one of Beirut’s largest shopping malls.
AFPTV’s live broadcast captured the moment of impact, showing a fireball erupting within a multi-storey residential building. An AFP correspondent at the scene documented destroyed walls on the seventh and eighth floors with damaged vehicles nearby.
Fawzi Asmar, owner of a bakery in the targeted street, described the terrifying moment: “I ran from room to room, pulled my wife and daughter out of the rooms and hid them behind a wall, then the second strike hit.”
The previous week, Israeli forces targeted the Ramada Hotel in central Beirut. Iran subsequently accused Israel of killing four of its diplomats in that strike, characterizing it as a “terrorist attack” and a “war crime.”
Iranian Diplomatic Casualties and International Response
Iran’s permanent UN mission reported that four Iranian diplomats were killed in the weekend Ramada Hotel strike, which the Israeli military claimed targeted “key commanders” in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, the organization’s foreign operations arm.
Iran’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani accused the UN Security Council of “turning a blind eye” to the strike, stating: “The Council is turning a blind eye to this grave violation despite its primary responsibility under the UN Charter to maintain international peace and security.”
Iravani characterized the strike as both a “war crime” and a “grave terrorist attack,” demanding international accountability and citing the Security Council’s mandate to maintain international peace and security.
Internal Lebanese Tensions Amid External Conflict
The escalating crisis has created divisions within Lebanon’s government. President Joseph Aoun’s office announced that he and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa had agreed on the need to control their shared border after Syria accused Hezbollah of firing artillery shells into Syrian territory overnight.
A day earlier, Aoun had publicly accused Hezbollah of working to “collapse” the state and expressed Beirut’s readiness for “direct negotiations” with Israel. This positioning reflects tensions between the Lebanese government and Hezbollah, which operates both as a political party and militant organization.
Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc head Mohamed Raad responded by vowing that his group would “defend our existence whatever the cost,” reinforcing the organization’s commitment to continued military engagement regardless of the humanitarian toll.
Complete Evacuation from Border Areas
By Tuesday, the last residents of Alma al-Shaab, a Christian village near the Israeli border, evacuated after defying Israeli evacuation orders for several days, according to UN sources, the village mayor, and an AFP correspondent. The complete evacuation of this border area underscores the total displacement of communities near the conflict zone.
Key Developments:
Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs and south Lebanon after evacuation warnings
759,300 people registered as displaced, 122,600 in emergency shelters
At least 486 killed, over 1,300 wounded since March 2
Israeli strike on Beirut hotel kills four Iranian diplomats
Hezbollah continues border attacks with rockets and ground engagement
UN notes “faster pace of displacement” compared to 2024 conflict
Lebanese government tension with Hezbollah over internal stability
