The Israeli military on Thursday issued an urgent evacuation warning to residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs, urging them to leave their homes immediately and move toward safer areas.

In a statement posted on X, the Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, called on residents to evacuate without delay.

“Urgent warning to residents of the southern suburbs of Beirut: Save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately,” Adraee said.

Residents of Burj al-Barajneh and Hadath were instructed to head east toward Mount Lebanon using the Beirut–Damascus Highway.

Meanwhile, residents of Haret Hreik and Chiyah were told to move north toward Tripoli via the Beirut–Tripoli Highway, or east toward Mount Lebanon using the Metn Expressway.

Adraee also warned residents not to head south under any circumstances.

“Attention: You are prohibited from heading south. Any movement southward may endanger your lives,” he said, adding that residents would be notified at a later stage when it would be safe to return to their homes.

Shortly after, Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, warned that the southern Beirut suburb will suffer destruction on the scale of Gaza. 

“Very soon, Dahiyeh will resemble Khan Younis,” Smotrich said, referring to a southern Gaza city that has been heavily damaged by Israeli bombardment during the two-year war with Hamas.

“Hezbollah made a mistake, and it will pay a heavy price. We are striking at the head of the octopus in Iran, and at the same time we will sever Hezbollah’s arm,” he said in a video statement as he visited Israel’s northern border.