UPDATE - Israeli army issues evacuation order for Beirut’s southern suburb despite ceasefire

UPDATES WITH EDUCATION MINISTRY STATEMENT

By Ikram Kouachi

The Israeli army issued an evacuation order on Friday to the residents of Beirut's southern suburb Hadath, for the first time since an ongoing Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement took place on Nov. 27, 2024.

In a statement, the Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee ordered residents in a specific building marked in red on a released map, along with surrounding structures, to “evacuate immediately and maintain a distance of at least 300 meters (984 feet).”

The building that the Israeli army warned to evacuate in preparation for the bombing is bordered by two schools with large numbers of students, an Anadolu correspondent reported.

The Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education has called on educational institutions in the area threatened by Israeli airstrikes to “evacuate immediately.”

"In light of hostile Israeli threats targeting Beirut’s southern suburb and the Hadath area, we have decided to suspend operations in all public and private schools, high schools, and vocational institutions in these regions, including the Rafic Hariri University Complex in Hadath," the ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese National News Agency NNA reported heavy gunfire in Beirut’s southern suburb, though it did not specify the source of the gunfire.

The shots were reportedly fired as a warning to residents following the latest Israeli threat.

Earlier on Friday, the Israeli army claimed that two rockets were fired from Lebanon toward Israel and said: “One was intercepted, while the other landed in Lebanese territory.”

However, the Lebanese group Hezbollah once again denied responsibility for launching the rockets, asserting its commitment to the ceasefire agreement.

The Lebanese news agency NNA also reported continued Israeli military aggression in Lebanon's southern towns.

A fragile ceasefire had been in place in Lebanon since November, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

Lebanese authorities reported over 1,250 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including at least 100 fatalities and more than 330 injuries.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after it refused to comply. It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.