Israeli warplanes unleashed a wave of airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs overnight into Friday, targeting over 115 Hezbollah sites, including command centers in residential buildings. The assault followed an unprecedented Israeli military order on Thursday for residents of the entire southern suburbs area, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiya, to evacuate immediately.

The Lebanese health ministry reported 123 people killed and 683 wounded across Lebanon from Israeli strikes since Monday, with attacks hitting Beirut's suburbs, southern cities like Tyre and Sidon, northern Tripoli, and eastern Baalbek. No breakdown between civilians and fighters was provided. Tens of thousands fled the southern suburbs amid chaos, with many sleeping in streets, cars, or Martyrs' Square in central Beirut.

The strikes marked a sharp escalation after Hezbollah fired rockets and drones at northern Israel starting March 2, targeting sites near Haifa in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei the prior week. Israel responded with initial bombings on Beirut early March 2, killing at least 31 there alone, and has since expanded operations.

An Israeli military spokesperson announced the airstrikes on X, stating forces struck 'Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure in Beirut's southern suburbs.' Another official noted the targets included residential structures used as Hezbollah headquarters. Hezbollah warned Israelis within 5 kilometers of the border to evacuate, vowing that Israel's 'aggression against Lebanese sovereignty... will not go unchallenged.'

In southern Lebanon, Hezbollah reported clashes with Israeli ground forces near Khiyam amid an ongoing incursion, with Israeli tanks advancing deeper into villages. Israel issued evacuation orders for swathes of the south and east ahead of further operations.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the country was being 'dragged further into an abyss' it did not seek. UN human rights chief Volker Turk expressed concern over the broad evacuation orders under international humanitarian law. French President Emmanuel Macron urged Hezbollah to cease fire and Israel to avoid ground intervention, pledging humanitarian aid.

The fighting revives tensions from the 2023-2024 war, ended by a U.S.-French ceasefire that Hezbollah violated by retaining arms south of the Litani River, according to Israel. It unfolds amid a broader U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, raising fears of regional war.