The Israeli military issued an unprecedented evacuation order on Thursday for all residents of Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, a densely populated Hezbollah stronghold home to more than 500,000 people. Arabic-speaking spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted a map on X highlighting four neighborhoods, Borj el-Barajneh, Hadath, Haret Hreik, and Chiyah—urging people to "save your lives, evacuate your homes immediately" and head north or east of the capital.

The directive, the first to cover the entire Dahiyeh area, sent waves of panic through the streets. Massive traffic jams clogged main roads leading north and south as families loaded belongings into cars and fled on foot, some heading to central Beirut's Martyrs' Square. Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport canceled flights amid the chaos. Residents expressed desperation, with one woman asking, "Is there any place to go? What should I do?" while another prayed, "May God help all of the Lebanese."

The order followed intensified Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in the suburbs, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley. It came one day after a similar warning for dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, covering about 8 percent of Lebanese territory. Lebanese health authorities reported 102 people killed in Israeli strikes over the past four days, including seven children, though they did not distinguish between civilians and fighters.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich escalated rhetoric, stating the Dahiyeh "will look like Khan Younis," referring to destruction in Gaza, and adding, "You wanted to bring hell on us, but you have brought hell upon yourselves." Israel's military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, affirmed determination to eliminate Hezbollah's threat and disarm the group.

The escalation traces to Monday, when Hezbollah launched rockets and drones into Israel in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This pulled Lebanon deeper into the broader Israel-Iran conflict, with Iran firing missiles at Israel and U.S. bases. Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem vowed to confront Israel "to the point of the utmost sacrifice" and insisted on its right to bear arms.

The Dahiyeh area, predominantly Shiite Muslim, has long been a Hezbollah bastion and faced Israeli strikes in past conflicts, including 2006 and 2024. A fragile 2024 U.S.-French ceasefire required Hezbollah to withdraw north of the Litani River, but violations persisted.

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Hezbollah to cease fire and Israel to avoid ground operations, announcing aid for displaced Lebanese. Human Rights Watch warned that the evacuation orders risk violating the laws of war. As strikes continue, fears mount of a wider war and potential Israeli ground incursion.