Israel launched massive strikes against the southern suburbs of Beirut on Thursday, hours after issuing an unprecedented evacuation order for more than 500,000 residents. The Israel Defense Forces warned civilians to 'save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately,' prompting a panicked exodus from areas including several hospitals and government ministries.
The strikes mark a significant escalation in Israel's offensive against Hezbollah, which began after the group fired missiles and drones into Israel on Monday. Footage showed smoke billowing over the Dahiya neighbourhood. Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said the suburb would 'look like Khan Younis,' a heavily destroyed area of Gaza.
Meanwhile, Tehran launched retaliatory airstrikes against Israel and US bases across the region. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth promised further escalation, stating, 'If you think you’ve seen something, just wait.' At the White House, Donald Trump offered immunity to members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps if they surrendered, but warned of 'guaranteed death' otherwise.
Trump claimed he should be involved in choosing Iran's next supreme leader after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike. He rejected Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader's son, as 'unacceptable,' saying, 'We want to be involved in the process of choosing the person who is going to lead Iran into the future.'
Iran expanded its campaign, firing more ballistic missiles towards Israel and striking an airport in Azerbaijan, raising fears the conflict could spread further. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz revealed that the decision to assassinate Khamenei was made in November, with the original timeline moved up after riots in Iran. Katz added that Khamenei's successors would be 'unequivocal targets for elimination.'
The evacuation order caused traffic gridlock and forced thousands to flee on foot. At least 102 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli airstrikes, according to the health ministry. The six-day war has also killed at least 1,230 people in Iran and about a dozen in Israel, along with six US soldiers.
