Israeli air force strikes Hezbollah sites in Beirut suburb Dahiyeh

The Israel Air Force conducted a series of airstrikes in the Dahiyeh district in Beirut, targeting Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure sites, the IDF announced on Saturday.

Initially, the IDF announced it had targeted the area in a first wave of airstrikes in the morning. Later in the afternoon, the IDF reported another wave of airstrikes in the area, stressing it had attacked Hezbollah terror targets, among which were a weapons storage facility, a command center, and Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure.

Dahiyeh is a key Hezbollah terrorist stronghold in Beirut, where Hezbollah has systematically embedded its terrorist infrastructure amidst the Lebanese civilian population, according to the IDF.

The IDF's Arabic spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee, had earlier warned Lebanese civilians in Haret Hreik in Dahiyeh to evacuate on Saturday morning on X/Twitter. Shortly after the announcement, Kan reported that there were reports of a strike in the neighborhood. 

#عاجل إلى جميع السكان المتواجدين في منطقة الضاحية الجنوبية وتحديدًا في المباني المحددة في الخرائط المرفقة والمباني المجاورة لها في حارة حريك⭕️أنتم تتواجدون بالقرب من منشآت ومصالح تابعة لحزب الله حيث سيعمل ضدها جيش الدفاع بقوة على المدى الزمني القريب ⭕️من أجل سلامتكم وسلامة… pic.twitter.com/tu7wW9UdYj

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) November 16, 2024

After being warned they were near Hezbollah infrastructure that would soon be targeted, the IDF official instructed civilians to move no less than 500 meters from the sites.

At around Saturday midday, Adraee posted another warning on X, emphasizing that residents of the southern suburban areas in Beirut, specifically in the Haret Hreik and Ghobeiry areas, were "located near facilities and interests affiliated with Hezbollah."

#عاجل إلى جميع السكان المتواجدين في منطقة الضاحية الجنوبية وتحديدًا في المباني المحددة في الخرائط المرفقة والمباني المجاورة لها في المناطق التالية: حارة حريكالغبيري⭕️أنتم تتواجدون بالقرب من منشآت ومصالح تابعة لحزب الله حيث سيعمل ضدها جيش الدفاع على المدى الزمني القريب… pic.twitter.com/Ef4gi17eYj

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) November 16, 2024

Adraee further stressed that the IDF will target these areas "in the near future."

Shortly after, Adraee posted another warning on X, stating that residents in several villages in south Lebanon "must evacuate [their] homes immediately and move north of the Awali River." Adraee listed the following villages: Kafr Hamam, Kafr Shuba, Burj al-Muluk, Khiam, Blat, Debbin, Arnoun, Yuhmur, Deir Siryan, Taybeh, Qasbiya, Mazraat Koutheriyeh al-Rouz, Himyari, Matariyet al-Shumar, and Kafr Tibnine.

#عاجل بيان عاجل إلى سكان #جنوب_لبنان في القرى التالية: كفر حمام، كفر شوبا، برج الملوك، الخيام، بلاط، دبين، ارنون، يحمر، دير سريان، الطيبة، قصبية، مزرعة كوثرية الرز، الحميري، مطرية الشومر، كفر تبنيننشاطات حزب الله الارهابي تجبر جيش الدفاع للعمل ضده بقوة في هذه المناطق ولا… pic.twitter.com/Ebbj2mtpst

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) November 16, 2024

In his post, the IDF Arabic spokesperson wrote that Hezbollah terrorist activities "are forcing the [IDF] to take strong action in these areas," further emphasizing that the IDF does "not intend to harm" Lebanese civilians. Moreover, Adraee said, "Anyone near Hezbollah members, their facilities, or weapons is putting their life at risk."

IDF troops operate in southern Lebanon

The IDF later reported that Divisions 36 and 91 troops have located and destroyed weapon depots, tunnels, and Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon in the last 24 hours with the assistance of the IAF. 

Directed by Fire Brigade 282, the IAF targeted a military compound housing multiple rocket launchers that had fired numerous rockets toward the western Galilee over the past week, the military added.

Ceasefire efforts

The latest strikes come as the US attempts to broker a truce agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, the terror group which began firing at Israel on October 8, 2023. 

Hezbollah rockets on Saturday morning set fires across northern Israel and directly struck a home in Nahariya.