A massive number of people are evacuating to safer locations from Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut. Following Israel’s order for renewed attacks in the area, the streets have witnessed severe traffic congestion and a mass exodus of people.

Al Jazeera journalist Zeina Khodr reports that residents are rapidly abandoning their homes and fleeing Dahiyeh, an area known as a stronghold for Hezbollah—the Iran-backed armed group in Lebanon.
She noted that immediately after the order for attacks was announced, locals began leaving the area by any means possible, taking only their essential belongings.

She further added that many government-run shelters have already reached full capacity; consequently, many people are remaining inside their own vehicles while monitoring the unfolding situation.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that if Hezbollah’s attacks persist, there will be no peace in Beirut. Concurrently, he announced the establishment of a military-controlled zone in the vicinity of the Litani River in southern Lebanon.

“If there is no peace in northern Israel, there will be no peace in Beirut either,” he asserted, making these remarks against the backdrop of the ongoing operations targeting Dahiyeh.
Yesterday, the Israeli military seized the nearly 900-year-old Beaufort Castle, located in southern Lebanon. This move is being regarded as the deepest military incursion into the country in recent decades.

Earlier on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered attacks on the Dahiyeh district, declaring that the campaign against Hezbollah would be extended even deeper into the territory.