Mass evacuations in southern lebanon and expected escalation of hezbollah attacks

Rocket trails are seen in the sky above the coastal city of Netanya amid a barrage of Iranian missile attacks on March 5, 2026. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)

#Hezbollah

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has once again intensified its urgent appeals for residents of southern Lebanon to abandon their homes and move north, towards the region beyond the Litani River

The IDF spokesman in Arabic, Colonel Avichay Adraee, issued a direct and emphatic warning: anyone remaining near Hezbollah operatives, their military installations, or weapons depots is at imminent risk of death.

Homes or structures used by the group for military purposes may be targeted at any time, without further warning.

This recommendation explicitly covers areas such as the cities of Tyre and Bint Jbeil, where Hezbollah’s presence is considered significant.

According to official estimates from the Israeli army, more than 300,000 Lebanese civilians have already left their villages and communities in the south of the country since the escalation of fighting.

This number reflects a considerable exodus, adding to the displacement of nearly 1.2 million people recorded during the clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in 2024. The persistence of the conflict, marked by intense exchanges of fire and ground and air operations, continues to force entire families to flee in search of relative safety further north, away from areas of active military operation.

Alongside this critical humanitarian situation in Lebanon, the IDF is closely monitoring the evolution of threats from multiple fronts.

During the recent night, Iran launched several ballistic missiles against central Israel in three separate waves, but all were successfully intercepted by Israeli air defenses, causing no impact or casualties.

Despite the gradual decrease in the intensity of Iranian fire since the beginning of the war – with only a small number of projectiles launched in the last few hours – the Israeli army observes that the rate of fire from the Tehran regime may stabilize at still dangerous levels, with no expectation of a complete interruption in the short term.

Throughout the conflict, 13 locations in residential areas of Israel have registered impacts or fragments of Iranian missiles, including heavy warheads that hit cities such as Beit Shemesh, Tel Aviv, and Beersheba, as well as submunitions that caused damage and injuries in other regions.

Images of the escape from Dahiyeh, in southern Beirut.

While direct attacks from Iran show signs of decreasing, the focus of the IDF’s concerns is increasingly shifting to Hezbollah, the Tehran-backed terrorist group operating from Lebanese territory.

In recent hours, Hezbollah has launched dozens of rockets and drones against northern Israel, with some projectiles reaching the center of the country.

Two impact sites have been confirmed in the north, although there are no immediate reports of serious injuries in most of the recent incidents.

Military assessments indicate that Hezbollah’s rate of fire could accelerate significantly in the coming days, amid the prolonged regional confrontation.

This expectation of intensification occurs within a context of mutual retaliations, with the IDF continuing to carry out airstrikes against weapons depots, command centers, and the group’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon and even in Beirut suburbs.

The combination of these elements – the ongoing exodus of Lebanese civilians forced to leave their homes and the prospect of increased rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon – reflects the complexity and volatility of the northern front for Israel.

The army maintains the stance that its operation aims to neutralize concrete threats, but acknowledges that Hezbollah’s persistent presence in civilian areas complicates the scenario, exposing entire populations to heightened risks.

Meanwhile, adjustments to internal defense measures in Israel, such as the gradual permission for limited gatherings and the reassessment of restrictions on schools and workplaces, signal attempts to balance security and normalcy amidst a multifaceted war involving regional and international actors.

The unfolding of these events highlights the fragility of stability in the Middle East, where actions on one side trigger chain reactions, directly affecting civilians on both sides of the border.

The international community is watching with concern, but so far there are no clear signs of imminent de-escalation on this specific front.

Published in 03/05/2026 09h33

Portuguese version

Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.

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