South Beirut Sees Mass Exodus Amid Diplomatic Scramble To Ward Off Israeli Raids

Israel has on Thursday warned civilians in south Beirut to evacuate their homes and neighborhoods, amid fears of a fresh impending aerial assault, after IDF strikes across Lebanon and the capital the day prior led to at least 250 Lebanese deaths and over 1,400 people wounded. These were the heaviest strikes of the war.

“Just a short while ago, the Israeli military issued new forced evacuation orders, warning of air strikes this time for the southern suburbs, expanding the area where it says strikes may be conducted, including the Jnah neighborhood, which is south of a previously evacuated area,” Al Jazeera reports. Panic and a mass exodus is being reported:

Mass exodus from Beirut’s Jnah area after Israeli threat pic.twitter.com/92uE9CrdmQ

— RT (@RT_com) April 9, 2026

The effected area is densely populated with civilians and lies adjacent to Beirut’s lone international airport. People who fled Wednesday’s strikes on central Beirut in some places came to the Jnah area.

If Israeli bombs on Lebanon start flying again, this could re-trigger Iranian attacks on Israel. The Houthis in Yemen have also threatened to act, and all of this could collapse the fragile US-Iran ceasefire, amid impending talks expected to begin in Pakistan on Saturday.

Hezbollah now says it is engaged in ground clashes with the Israeli military in southern Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil area, per Al Jazeera, which lies a mere 3 miles from the Israeli border. Israel is seeking to de facto annex the area, Lebanon believes.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz has meanwhile stated the operations have dealt a “very strong blow to Hezbollah’s face, leaving it stunned and confused by the depth of the penetration and the scope of the blow.” Meanwhile:

TRUMP ASKED NETANYAHU TO REDUCE BOMBING IN LEBANON TO AID SUCCESSFUL IRAN NEGOTIATIONS, ACCORDING TO NBC REPORTS.

Referencing hundreds of ballistic missiles which were sent on Israel in the last weeks, Katz said the IDF is “prepared and ready to act forcefully if Iran fires at Israel.” Hezbollah had also by mid-March joined the fight.

Currently, Lebanese hospitals are said to be overwhelmed while treating victims of the latest Israeli air raids, and are said to be in short supply, also seeking blood donations.

Reuters details, “Some of Lebanon’s hospitals could run out of life-saving trauma medical kits within days ​as supplies near depletion following mass casualties from large-scale Israeli strikes over ‌the past day, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.” The WHO outlined that “The life-saving trauma kits include bandages, antibiotics and anaesthetics to treat patients who sustained war-related injuries.”