Israeli Army Orders Beirut Southern Suburbs Residents To Evacuate North Or East

The Israeli army issued an urgent warning urging residents of a large portion of Beirut's southern suburbs to evacuate their homes to save their lives.

Ici Beyrouth said residents of Bourj el-Barajneh and Hadath should head east toward Mount Lebanon via the Beirut–Damascus axis, while Haret Hreik and Chiyah residents should move north toward Tripoli or east by taking the Metn Expressway.

Africtelegraph

The Israeli army insisted it was strictly forbidden to move south, warning that any attempt would expose civilians to immediate danger.

Annahar also reported that Avichay Adraee, the spokesperson for the Israeli army, called residents to immediately evacuate and head north or east, avoiding going south.

In parallel with the evacuation alerts, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Lebanon is not seeking to normalize its relations with Israel but to make peace, while stressing that Lebanon’s “minimum requirement” in negotiations is a “clear timetable” for the Israeli withdrawal from the south of the country.

L'Orient Today quoted Salam saying that a meeting between Joseph Aoun and Benjamin Netanyahu at this stage would be “premature,” and it reported that any high-level contact with the Israeli side “requires thorough preparation.”

Al-Jazeera Net

Salam also said progress must come through “consolidating the April 17 cease-fire,” which he said is being violated daily by both Israel and Hezbollah.

The same article said the issue is expected to be discussed in a third preparatory meeting between Lebanese and Israeli envoys in Washington.

Salam laid out Lebanon’s priorities for negotiations, including the full pullout of Israeli forces from more than 600 square kilometers of occupied territory in southern Lebanon, along with the return of displaced residents, the release of prisoners, and the settlement of border disputes.

L'Orient Today also reported that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri hoped “Iranian-American negotiations will soon reach a positive conclusion,” and he said his relationship with Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam is “solid and important for consolidating stability.”

Berri accused Israel of having “violated the cessation of hostilities agreement despite Hezbollah’s commitment,” and he said “any Lebanese agreement with Israel requires guarantees because it does not respect its commitments.”

The article added that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi “confirmed to us that Lebanon is part of any agreement with Washington for a cease-fire,” and Berri said he is “counting on internal unity and the Arab umbrella in the current circumstances.”