Lebanese flee their homes as Israel orders attacks on Beirut

Lebanese flee their homes as Israel orders attacks on Beirut MEE staff on Mon, 06/01/2026 - 15:07 Israel warns 'no calm in Beirut' as it expands its offensive to the Lebanese capital six weeks after ceasefire Families flee the southern suburbs of Beirut, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered attacks Dahieh, Lebanon, 1 June 2026 (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters) Off Residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs began leaving their homes again on Monday after Israel threatened to expand its attacks on the Lebanese capital, raising fears of a renewed assault on Dahieh despite a nominal ceasefire. The latest wave of anxiety followed a statement by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who warned that there would be “no calm in Beirut” if Hezbollah’s attacks on Israeli forces and northern Israel continued. “The Dahieh in Beirut is no different from the communities in northern Israel – if there is no calm in the north, there will be no calm in Beirut,” Katz said, referring to the densely residential area in Beirut's southern suburb. The warning came as Israel intensified its ground and air offensive in Lebanon in recent days. Hezbollah said its fighters were still confronting Israeli troops near the ancient Beaufort Castle, the strategic hilltop fortress in southern Lebanon, a day after Israel said it had seized it and raised the Israeli flag there. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Hezbollah said in a statement on Monday that its fighters were engaged in a “battle of attrition” against Israeli troops in the area. Israel has framed its expanded campaign as an effort to push Hezbollah away from Israeli forces and residents in the north. Katz said the Israeli army was working to turn the area around the Litani River into a zone under its security control, “free of weapons and terrorists”. The Litani River runs around 30 kilometres north of the Lebanon-Israel border and has long been central to Israeli demands for Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the south. Israel’s military escalation has also widened beyond the south of the Litani. Last week, the Israeli military declared all areas south of the Zahrani River, around 40 kilometres from the border and including the major cities of Sour (Tyre) and Nabatieh, as “combat zones”, ordering residents to leave. On Monday, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued further expulsion orders for towns and villages north of Litani. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Families scattered again For residents of Dahieh, the Israeli threats revived fears many had only recently begun to leave behind. Thousands had gradually returned to the area after the April ceasefire, repairing homes, reopening shops, and trying to resume a fragile sense of normal life. Batoul Fawaz, 31, had spent the war renting temporary accommodation and was preparing to return to her home in Dahieh. She had already handed back the keys to her rented room. 'We are no longer afraid for our lives only. We are afraid for our homes' - Batoul Fawaz, 31, displaced from Dahieh Then the Israeli statements came. “I rented a room in a hotel until I figure out what to do. I am renting just to sleep,” she told Middle East Eye. “We are no longer afraid for our lives only. We are afraid for our homes.” Her family, she said, is scattered again. “One of my sisters had just given birth and had returned to Dahieh. After the Israeli announcement, she had to leave again with a newborn,” Batoul said. The threats against Beirut come after weeks of mounting pressure from Israel’s far-right ministers to respond more aggressively to Hezbollah’s increased use of explosive drones, including FPV-style attacks on Israeli occupation forces in south Lebanon. According to a report by Israeli public broadcaster Kan, Hezbollah’s drone capabilities are limiting 80 percent of Israeli assaults in southern Lebanon. Last week, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the Lebanese capital itself to be punished for Hezbollah's drone attacks, saying: “For every explosive drone, 10 buildings should fall in Beirut.” Lebanon: Those who resist Israel are now called internal enemies of the state Read More » National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to return to full-scale war in Lebanon, calling for Israel to cut off the country's electricity and seize territory up to the Zahrani River. Netanyahu has since vowed to push deeper into Lebanon, saying on Friday that large parts of the south were now considered a “combat zone”. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the latest Israeli escalation as “a vicious and reprehensible Israeli aggression”. Israel's escalating offensive in Lebanon is also complicating wider diplomacy. Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday that a ceasefire in Lebanon remains an essential condition for any deal with the United States to end the wider regional war. The Iranian news agency Tasnim later reported that Iran was halting indirect negotiations with the US over Israel's attacks on Lebanon. For displaced families in Dahieh, however, the issue is more immediate. The ceasefire had allowed them to consider returning, but Israel’s latest threats have now delayed that return once again. Israel's war on Lebanon News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0