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A collection of Israeli strikes have focused Beirut’s southern suburbs on the eve of the Muslim Eid al-Adha vacation, nearly an hour after the Israeli military issued a compelled evacuation order to residents in areas that it says held underground services utilized by the Lebanese group Hezbollah for drone manufacturing.
The assault on Thursday is the fourth time Israel has bombed Beirut since a ceasefire with Hezbollah went into effect in November. It has carried out assassinations and introduced strikes that it mentioned focused Hezbollah websites.
Israel has violated the ceasefire on a near-daily foundation for seven months, in keeping with the Lebanese authorities led by President Joseph Aoun, Arab nations, and rights teams. Aoun has lately appealed to the US and France to rein Israel in.
Aoun, in an announcement on Thursday after the strikes, voiced “agency condemnation of the Israeli aggression” and “flagrant violation of a global accord… on the eve of a sacred spiritual pageant”.
Earlier than the assaults, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee had ordered residents residing close to buildings within the neighbourhoods of Hadath, Haret Hreik and Burj al-Barajneh within the Dahiyeh suburbs to evacuate.
“You might be subsequent to infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah,” Adraee mentioned in a social media put up, which included a map of the eight buildings being focused in 4 totally different areas. The message in Arabic indicated that Israel would quickly bomb the realm.
After the evacuation order, Lebanese media reported the realm was practically emptied of inhabitants, who had been getting ready to have a good time Eid al-Adha. It was sealed off as “warning strikes” may very well be heard, the stories mentioned.
Later Thursday night time, the Israeli army additionally warned residents of the southern Lebanese village of Ain Qana to steer clear of two buildings that seem set to be focused. Ain Qana is positioned to the east of the coastal metropolis of Sidon.
‘Numerous panic’
Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, within the speedy aftermath of the strikes mentioned, “There was heavy site visitors right here as folks have been making their means out. As you’ll be able to think about, this did trigger a number of panic. This isn’t the primary time the military has carried out air strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs since a ceasefire got here into drive final November, however that is the biggest assault.”
Khodr mentioned as much as eight buildings have been focused in 4 densely populated neighbourhoods, including that the magnitude of those air strikes, meant all the realm’s residents needed to flee.
Analyst Rami Khouri instructed Al Jazeera that the assault was “no shock”, as Israel has been assassinating folks during the last three, 4 months. They’ve continued occupying 5 locations in South Lebanon after the ceasefire settlement.”
“The Israelis have at all times used army drive as their most important instrument to get their foes to undergo them,” he mentioned. “However the irony is that it hasn’t labored. It has solely generated nice dissent, and we’ll should see in Lebanon what it means … Hezbollah took a success final yr, they usually’re clearly regrouping,” he mentioned. “We don’t know precisely what they’re doing, however they’re regrouping,” he added.
Video verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad company confirmed folks hurrying away after the evacuation warning:
حركة نزوح كثيفة من الضاحية الجنوبية لبيروت بعد تهديد الجيش الاسرائيلي pic.twitter.com/yuqA4giy4v
— Al Jadeed Information (@ALJADEEDNEWS) June 5, 2025
The Israeli army accused Hezbollah of producing drones within the space in a “blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon”.
A Hezbollah official denied that there have been drone manufacturing services on the focused areas.
The Israeli army “will work to take away any risk to the State of Israel and its residents and stop any try to reestablish the terrorist group Hezbollah”, the army mentioned.
“When you speak to folks right here, what they’ll let you know is that that is terrorism,” mentioned Khodr, as “Israel warns folks to go away in the midst of the night time and on the eve of a serious spiritual vacation.”
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam additionally issued an announcement condemning the strikes. He known as on the worldwide group to discourage Israel from “persevering with its aggressions” and compel it to completely withdraw from Lebanese territory.
The 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah killed greater than 4,000 folks in Lebanon, together with tons of of civilians. The Lebanese authorities mentioned in April that Israeli strikes had killed one other 190 folks and wounded practically 500 because the ceasefire.
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