From the Liveblog of
Thursday, March 5, 2026
IDF issues unprecedented evacuation warning for entire Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The IDF issues an “urgent warning” to residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold known as the Dahiyeh, ahead of planned strikes against the terror group.
The unprecedented evacuation order marks the first time that the Israeli military has called on wide swaths of the Lebanese capital to evacuate.
Previous evacuation warnings in Beirut have been for specific buildings that the IDF has then struck. The latest order covers four major neighborhoods in the southern suburbs of the city.
“Residents of the neighborhoods of Bourj el-Barajneh and Hadath move east toward Mount Lebanon on the Beirut–Damascus road. Residents of the neighborhoods of Haret Hreik and Shiyyah move north toward Tripoli on the Beirut–Tripoli road, and also east toward Mount Lebanon via the Metn Expressway,” says army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.
“Save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately,” he says.
“It is forbidden to move south. Any movement southward may endanger your lives. We will notify you when it is safe to return to your homes,” Adraee adds.
#عاجل ‼️انذار عاجل لسكان الضاحية الجنوبية في بيروت – انقذوا حياتكم وقوموا باخلاء بيوتكم فورًا
????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… https://t.co/dSmTNOXvVs pic.twitter.com/o5AkFScE5Y
— Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya | إيلا واوية (@CaptainElla1) March 5, 2026
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