Lebanon crisis deepens: Israel strikes Beirut again as deaths rise, 60,000 displaced
Israel has intensified air strikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon after ordering civilians south of the Litani River to evacuate north. Displaced: 60,000.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has escalated operations by issuing an urgent order for all Lebanese civilians living south of the Litani River — a strategic line around 30 km from the Israeli border — to leave their homes and head north immediately.
The IDF warned the area would become a full-scale combat zone and said no targets would be spared.
Strikes hit the city: homes and hotel wrecked
Israel’s air operation over the past 24 hours has not only targeted military sites but has also widened to residential areas. Among the reported strikes: the Comfort Hotel in Hazmieh, near Beirut, was hit and heavily damaged, while in Baalbek a four-storey residential building was bombed and flattened, with a preliminary death toll of eight.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said cumulative casualties over the past three days had risen to 72 killed and more than 437 injured.
Displacement tops 60,000 as shelters overflow
The order to clear border areas has triggered a large wave of displacement, with more than 60,000 people fleeing north. More than 300 temporary shelters nationwide have filled to capacity, including over 18,000 children, as shortages of food and drinking water worsen.
