Israel orders first-ever mass evacuation of southern Beirut

For the first time, the Israeli military has issued an urgent call for entire neighbourhoods in Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate, marking a significant expansion from prior alerts that usually targeted specific buildings, CNN reports.

Avichay Adraee, the Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), posted on X, urging residents of Burj al-Barajneh and Haret Hreik/Al-Hadath to leave via two main highways.

The IDF warned people not to move south, noting that any travel in that direction could be life-threatening, and stated that officials will announce when it is safe to return.

🔸سكان أحياء برج البراجنة والحدث - يرجى التوجه شرقاً باتجاه جبل لبنان على محور بيروت-دمشق.

🔸سكان أحياء حارة حريك والشياح - يجب الانتقال شمالًا باتجاه طرابلس بمحور بيروت-طرابلس وشرقًا لجبل لبنان على اوتوستراد المتن السريع

🔸انتبهوا، يحظر عليكم التوجه جنوبًا. أي توجه جنوبًا قد… https://t.co/hT3e6dONif pic.twitter.com/mPnDuydQ1r

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) March 5, 2026

These densely populated neighbourhoods, home to tens of thousands, are predominantly Shiite and have long been viewed as Hezbollah strongholds, making the scale of the evacuation alert unprecedented even during the 2024 confrontation.

By Jeyhun Aghazada