Israeli forces have launched a new wave of strikes on Lebanon, while Hezbollah responded with a warning to Israeli residents to evacuate areas within five kilometers of the northern border, reports Al Jazeera.
The death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon this week has risen to at least 123 people, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported.
“The toll of Israeli aggression has risen to 123 martyrs and 683 injured,” the ministry said in a statement released Thursday.
Lebanese state media reported early Friday that Israel carried out airstrikes on multiple locations in southern Lebanon.
🚨🇱🇧🇮🇷 Scenes outside Beirut: streets are packed, people are fleeing.
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 5, 2026
The southern suburbs are emptying out ahead of Israeli strikes.
Lebanon's displacement crisis is accelerating by the hour.
bintjbeil news https://t.co/U5kveitXmN pic.twitter.com/hUcknhGHvN
Hezbollah’s call to evacuate border areas came less than a day after Israel warned residents of southern Beirut suburbs to leave, triggering a mass flight from the densely populated part of the capital known as Dahieh, home to around half a million people.
“The aggression of your army against Lebanese sovereignty and safe civilians, the destruction of civil infrastructure, and the campaign of displacement you carry out will not go unanswered,” Hezbollah stated.
Hezbollah took responsibility for a series of early Friday attacks on Israeli ground forces, including those that had recently entered Lebanese territory.
In a statement published on Telegram, the group said its fighters attacked Israeli forces at multiple locations within Lebanese territory. Israeli military camp Joav in the occupied Golan Heights and a naval base in Haifa were also targeted.
⚡️🇮🇱🇱🇧BREAKING:
— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws1) March 5, 2026
Israel just bombed the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon.
The airstrike is massive. This is a highly populated residential area. pic.twitter.com/SwxL6d2tLZ
So far, there are no reports of casualties from these attacks.
Israel stated that it will not evacuate border towns and has sent additional troops into Lebanon, claiming it is a defensive measure to protect the population in the area.
Tens of thousands of people in Lebanon have left their homes following Israeli threats, and the mass evacuation of southern Beirut suburbs has almost completely emptied that part of the city, reports NNA.
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Hundreds of displaced families have sought shelter on Beirut’s beaches, many for the second time, having been evacuated once before during the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war.
Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has threatened to turn Beirut’s southern suburbs into another Gaza.
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 5, 2026
Israel has already issued a forced displacement order for hundreds of thousands of people from that part of Lebanon’s capital. pic.twitter.com/dWPm5Metjv
The humanitarian crisis is rapidly worsening, and the Lebanese government has opened multiple reception centers and urged citizens to move toward the northern part of the country.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East conflict on Monday, when Israeli forces launched airstrikes against Hezbollah, initially targeting southern Beirut suburbs as well as southern and eastern Lebanon.
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Source: Serbian Times; Foto: Al Jazeera