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Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon have killed at least 217 people and wounded 798 since Monday, Lebanese authorities said Friday, as tens of thousands of civilians fled their homes and cross-border fighting with Hezbollah intensified.
The expanding attacks have displaced more than 95,000 people across Lebanon, with many residents leaving areas targeted by Israeli evacuation warnings, particularly in Beirut’s southern suburbs and parts of southern and eastern Lebanon.
Cross-border displacement has also increased, with more than 65,000 civilians fleeing the fighting crossing into Syria through the Jdeidet Yabus border gate near Damascus and the Jusiyah crossing in Homs, Syrian authorities said.
Israeli strikes continued across southern and eastern Lebanon, including Beirut’s southern suburbs. Lebanese authorities reported fatalities in multiple locations, including the city of Sidon, where five people were killed.
The Israeli military said it had conducted 26 waves of strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs over the past four days.
Heavy damage was reported in several neighborhoods, with rubble covering roads and buildings severely damaged after residents fled following evacuation warnings issued Thursday.
The population of the affected suburbs is estimated to be between 600,000 and 800,000 people.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned that the conflict could produce severe humanitarian consequences. "Our country has been drawn into a devastating war that we did not seek and did not choose," Salam said. "The consequences of this displacement, at the humanitarian and political level, may well be unprecedented."
Amid the escalating conflict, the Israeli military said eight soldiers were wounded Friday after anti-tank missiles were fired from southern Lebanon at a military position near the border.
Five soldiers from the Givati Brigade sustained serious injuries and three others were lightly wounded. The injured troops were evacuated to hospitals for treatment and their families were notified.
Earlier reports from Israeli media had said three soldiers were injured in fire attributed to Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon. The exact location was not specified.
Hezbollah said it carried out nine attacks Friday using rockets and drones targeting Israeli military sites and Israeli forces operating inside southern Lebanon. The group also warned Israeli residents in Hebrew-language messages posted on its Telegram channels to evacuate communities located within five kilometers of the border.
Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli forces advancing toward the town of Khiam, about six kilometers from the border, claiming the attack forced Israeli vehicles to retreat. The group also said it launched a strike a day earlier targeting a naval base in the northern Israeli city of Haifa.
Several dozen members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps left Beirut over the past 48 hours, according to Israeli defense officials cited in a report by U.S. news outlet Axios.
Many of the officers were members of the Quds Force serving as military advisers to Hezbollah and playing a role in the group’s operational planning.
Israel issued a warning earlier this week telling Iranian personnel in Lebanon to leave within 24 hours or risk being targeted. Some advisers reportedly departed from locations including the Iranian embassy in Beirut, while a smaller group remained to coordinate with Hezbollah operations.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also ordered the government to take measures preventing Iranian Revolutionary Guard members from carrying out military or security activities in Lebanon in preparation for their deportation, the report added.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has maintained a presence in Lebanon for more than 40 years, dating back to its first deployment in 1982.
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Following a ceasefire agreement reached with Hezbollah in November 2024, Israeli forces occupied five hilltops inside southern Lebanon near the border. In recent days, Israeli troops moved into eight additional positions roughly half a mile from the frontier.
Israeli officials described the deployments as defensive measures aimed at preventing Hezbollah fighters from launching ground incursions or targeting Israeli communities with anti-tank missiles.
Israeli officials also said rocket and drone launches by Hezbollah have increased in recent days, with the volume of attacks from Lebanon now exceeding the number of strikes launched directly from Iran.
The escalation comes as the wider regional conflict intensified after Israel and the United States launched military strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. Iran later responded with attacks targeting Israel and locations hosting U.S. bases in countries including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Iran’s Health Ministry said the U.S.-Israeli strikes killed 926 people, including senior officials and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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