Israel’s large-scale airstrikes on Beirut’s suburbs on Thursday evening wreaked havoc, destroying multiple residential buildings and leaving many civilians homeless.
The attack came on the eve of the Eid al-Adha holiday, less than two hours after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning to residents in areas it claims contain underground facilities used by Hezbollah for drone production.
Following the warning, a large number of residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs fled their homes, causing heavy traffic across the area.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the military carried out at least 15 drone strikes and six fighter jet attacks on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital that night.
This marks the fifth attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs since a ceasefire agreement was reached between Hezbollah and Israel in November 2024. The latest strike was larger in scale and caused more severe damage than previous attacks.
At an airstrike site in Beirut’s southern suburbs, locals recounted the terrifying night. Just 30 minutes after Israel issued the evacuation warning, multiple missiles struck the area. Three residential buildings collapsed instantly into rubble, and surrounding structures were severely damaged.
"This is a terrorist attack targeting unarmed civilians. People here have nothing -- no weapons, nothing at all. They (the Israeli military) claim there are weapons here, planes, and all sorts of nonsense. But those are all lies. If they want to fabricate something, they should at least come up with a better excuse. The truth is, the people here love culture and love life. We love everyone and the whole world," said a local resident.
Nearby, an airstrike reduced two 11-story buildings to rubble, and the blast force overturned multiple cars. A few days later, black smoke still rose from the wreckage.
According to locals, the two destroyed buildings had housed many residents. Now, Israeli airstrikes have left them homeless during their traditional festival.
"Up until now, Israel has been attacking the southern suburbs every one or two weeks. As you can see, there are only civilians here, and the residents have no other place to seek shelter.The Israeli military also continues to strike southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley region," said another resident in the southern suburbs.
Israel has escalated airstrikes across Lebanon in recent days. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that there will be no calm in Beirut as long as Hezbollah remains armed.
Israeli strikes destroy buildings in Beirut, leave civilians homeless
Israeli strikes destroy buildings in Beirut, leave civilians homeless
Israeli strikes destroy buildings in Beirut, leave civilians homeless
