A strike on Chiyah, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, on Nov. 21, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient-Le Jour)
The head of the Burj al-Barajneh municipality, Atef Mansour, on Sunday urged residents of this southern Beirut suburb to "stay away from areas that might be bombed" by Israeli airstrikes, citing safety concerns.
He noted that gatherings ahead of a strike in the "Roueis" area late last week had "caused injuries and cases of poisoning, leading several residents to require hospitalization."
Following each evacuation notice issued by the Israeli army concerning the southern suburbs, dozens of people have been gathering near the sites, often to film the bombings. On Thursday, during such a gathering outside a building threatened by Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee, debris and shards of glass were sent flying toward the crowd during the subsequent airstrike.
Israeli warplanes have been bombing southern Beirut suburbs, southern Lebanon, and the Baalbek and West Bekaa regions almost daily since Sept. 23, as part of a large-scale offensive that they claim is against Hezbollah, despite constantly targeting residential homes and areas. While some strikes on southern Beirut suburbs are preceded by evacuation warnings, this is not always the case. Additionally, some airstrikes have targeted central Beirut without prior warning, with at least four attacks reported in the past week.
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