The Israeli army on Tuesday launched a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut’s southern suburbs, following a repeated warning for the area residents to evacuate. 

“The terror activities of Hezbollah force the Israeli army to act against it with force. The Israeli army does not intend to harm you,” Israeli army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee said in a statement. “For your safety, you must evacuate your homes and move away immediately until further notice.”

The warning was directed at residents of the Beirut neighborhoods of Haret Hreik, Ghobeiry, Laylaki, Hadath, Burj al-Barajneh, Tahwitat al-Ghadir and Shiyyah.

Earlier, the Israeli military carried out a series of artillery bombardments and airstrikes across wide swaths of southern and eastern Lebanon overnight and into Tuesday morning, local authorities and residents reported.

Israeli artillery struck several border towns, including Ayta al-Shaab, Ramieh and Yaroun, while warplanes conducted strikes on Majdal, Shaqra and Srifa, according to local media. Further north, aircraft hit al-Rihan in the Jezzine region, and in the western Bekaa Valley, airstrikes targeted the heights of Ain al-Tineh.

Earlier, Israeli fighter jets launched two waves of airstrikes on the town of Ansariyeh after issuing warnings to residents the previous evening. The Lebanese army closed the main road beside Ansariyeh, leading to heavy congestion along the coastal highway toward Sidon, state media reported. Intense bombardment was also reported on the town’s outskirts.

In the south, the Israeli army carried out an overnight strike on Majdal Zoun in the Tyre district and multiple consecutive airstrikes targeting the al-Baraka area in Kounine in the Bint Jbeil district. At dawn, additional strikes were reported in Deir Antar and Shaabiyeh. Residents around the southern city of Khiyam described a fraught night as artillery shells, illumination flares and gunfire echoed for hours, and Israeli forces attempted to press toward the city’s outskirts amid heavy fighting.

The Israeli army said its overnight operations targeted “Hezbollah command centres and other infrastructure” in the southern town of Ansar, which it said had been used to launch rockets toward Israel. Evacuation warnings had been issued to residents there after the rocket fire, the military added.

“Hezbollah embeds its military infrastructure within civilian areas, putting Lebanese residents at risk,” the Israeli army said, arguing that the presence of launchers and fighters within populated areas constituted a “cynical exploitation” of civilians to advance Hezbollah’s objectives.

The army also said it had completed a wave of strikes on branches of the Hezbollah-linked financial association Al-Qard al-Hasan, which Israel contends functions as a financial network for the group. According to the military, airstrikes over the past week have hit nearly 30 sites tied to the organisation, including facilities and vaults used to store funds, manage fighters’ salaries, transfer money from Iran and finance weapons purchases.

The Israeli military first issued evacuation warnings for the Dahiyeh last week and has since carried out dozens of strikes against Hezbollah targets there. According to the army, those operations have destroyed around 30 multistory buildings in the area.

On Tuesday morning, evacuation warnings were also extended to buildings in the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon ahead of further planned strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure.

“The Israeli army will, in the near future, strike military infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terror organisation,” Adraee said, instructing civilians in the affected areas to stay at least 300 metres (328 yards) from targeted buildings.

The military reiterated its call for civilians across southern Lebanon to evacuate as the fighting continues, urging residents to move north of the Litani River for their own safety. Warnings of this kind have been repeated several times since Wednesday, with the army urging residents to leave immediately amid sustained air and ground operations.

The Israeli military also reported several engagements with Hezbollah fighters during ongoing ground operations in southern Lebanon. In one incident, troops from the 769th “Hiram” Regional Brigade identified what the army described as a Hezbollah cell and called in an airstrike to neutralise the threat. In a separate clash, soldiers from the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division targeted a group described as “suspects who were near Israeli army troops and posed a threat,” again directing an airstrike at the group.

In the Rab al-Thalathine area, the army said troops from the 7th Armoured Brigade detected a group of Hezbollah operatives entering a building close to its forces. “Immediately after detection, a tank fired at the terrorists and eliminated them,” the military said, also noting a strike on a building used by commanders of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force that contained a weapons depot.

Israeli forces have moved deeper into southern Lebanon since Hezbollah launched attacks on northern Israel last week, part of what the army describes as an effort to “establish a forward defence that will create an additional security layer for residents of the north,” the military statement noted.