Israel’s Smotrich threatens Beirut suburbs amid evacuation orders

Israel’s Smotrich threatens Beirut suburbs amid evacuation ordersIsrael issues forced evacuation order for entire Dahiyeh area of Lebanon’s capital, home to hundreds of thousands.Published On 5 Mar 2026Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has threatened to turn the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital into another Gaza Strip, as the Israeli military ordered hundreds of thousands of people to immediately leave their homes in Beirut.In a video shared online on Thursday, Smotrich warned that the Dahiyeh area would soon look “like Khan Younis”, a city in southern Gaza that has been decimated in Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in the enclave.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Why is Israel is moving deeper into southern Lebanon?list 2 of 3Israeli attacks kill 10 in Lebanon amid threats on Iranian officialslist 3 of 3Iran war: What is happening on day six of US-Israel attacks?end of list“The southern suburbs will become like Khan Younis,” the Israeli minister said.Smotrich’s threat came just hours after the Israeli Army issued a forced evacuation order for several areas of southern Beirut, sending residents scrambling to gather belongings and quickly leave their homes.In a post on social media, Israeli Army spokesman Avichay Adraee ordered people out of the Burj al-Barajneh, al-Hadath, Haret Hreik and Shiyah neighbourhoods.“It’s unprecedented that the Israeli Army would order this forced evacuation order for the southern suburbs of Beirut,” Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith reported from Beirut, noting that more than 400,000 people live in the area.“There isn’t really anywhere for them to go quickly,” Smith said of the Lebanese families that have been forced to flee. “There’s gridlock on the roads as people try to move out, but how Israel thinks all of those people are going to leave quickly is difficult to understand.”Israel’s forced evacuation order in Beirut comes a day after the country issued a similar directive for all of southern Lebanon, spurring a wave of mass displacement.