Israeli army sends evacuation orders to 21 buildings and 15 southern villages

BEIRUT — By mid-afternoon Saturday, the Israeli army had issued evacuation warnings in three separate waves targeting Beirut's southern suburbs, 14 buildings in Sour, and 15 villages in southern Lebanon.

In all three instances, the areas ordered to evacuate were already under bombardment before the warnings — posted by the army's Arabic-language spokesperson on his X account — were issued.

In the southern suburbs, the neighborhoods of Haret Hreik, Burj al-Barajneh and Ghobeiri received evacuation warnings starting at 8:02 a.m. Most of the subsequent strikes occurred less than an hour after the warnings were issued.

The warnings, which failed to provide safe routes, were directed at neighborhoods already bombed earlier in the day. The warnings claimed residents were near Hezbollah's "facilities and interests."

In Sour, Lebanon's southernmost city, 14 buildings were ordered to evacuate shortly after 1:30 p.m. By this time, Sour had already come under heavy Israeli bombardment, along with other villages in the district.

The buildings identified on the maps were in the neighborhoods of Burj al-Shemali, Maashouk and al-Hosh. The accompanying message instructed residents to evacuate the marked buildings and those adjacent to them "immediately" and move at least 500 meters away. No information about safe evacuation routes was provided.

At 3:41 p.m., Adraee issued evacuation warnings to residents of 15 villages in southern Lebanon, instructing them to evacuate "immediately" and move north of the Awali River, about 60 kilometers from the border with Israel. Once again, no safe routes were provided.

"Any movement south could be dangerous to your life," the warning read. "We will inform you of the appropriate time to return to your homes as soon as conditions are suitable."

Such broad warnings, used several times by the Israeli army against the populations of southern Lebanon and many areas of Gaza, are often criticized by human rights organizations and even the U.S. government as tools of forced displacement.

The villages ordered to evacuate included Kfar Hammam, Kfar Shuba, Burj al-Moulouk, Khiam, Blat, Dibbein, Arnoun, Yohmor, Deir Serian, Taybeh, Kossaibeh, Kawthariyet al-Rez, Kfar Tebnin, Homeiri and Matriyet Shumar.

Twice in early October, the Israeli army issued similar evacuation warnings for 25 villages in southern Lebanon, instructing residents to move north of the Awali River.