The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published an evacuation notice on Thursday for residents of Beirut's Dahieh suburb, calling on them to leave their homes immediately.
The statement published by the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee, stated: "Urgent notice to residents of Dahieh in Beirut - save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately."
According to the notice, residents of the neighborhoods of Burj al-Barajneh and Hadath are instructed to move east toward the Mount Lebanon area via the Beirut-Damascus highway.
Residents of the neighborhoods of Haret Hreik and Chiyah were instructed to move north toward Tripoli via the Beirut-Tripoli highway, as well as east toward the Mount Lebanon area via the Metn highway.
The IDF emphasized that movement southward is prohibited and warned that traveling in that direction could endanger residents’ lives."
Following the warning, Lebanese media reported that residents began to leave the suburb en masse. Videos posted online show traffic jams on roads leading out of the threatened areas.