Israeli attacks kill 10 in Lebanon amid threats on Iranian officials

Israeli strikes have hit the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, state-run media say, while 10 people are reported killed across the country as Israel’s deadline for Iranian officials to leave Lebanon expires amid a wider regional war.

The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) on Thursday reported several strikes in the early morning on the Beirut suburbs of Ghobeiry and Haret Hreik. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Israel’s military had earlier issued forced displacement orders for the suburbs where the strikes were reported, warning it was about to hit what it said were targets linked to Hezbollah.

It said the targets included a facility used by the group’s aerial units but did not provide evidence.

An Israeli army Arabic spokesperson, Ella Waweya, issued new forced displacement orders on Thursday afternoon for the entirety of several southern suburbs, namely Burj al-Barajneh, Hadath, Haret Hreik and Chiyah.

Waweya said residents must immediately flee their homes to “save their lives”.

Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith, reporting from Beirut, said the forced evacuation order covered all of the southern suburbs of Beirut, known as the Dahiyeh area.

“We’re talking about an area, according to the latest estimates, with some 400,000 people. I understand that the Israeli army has never before issued an evacuation order for this area,” Smith said.

“There’s been a lot of gunfire in the last 10 minutes or so. That is sort of a warning by the forces in control here to tell people they need to evacuate.”

“This, with the incessant noise of an Israeli drone overhead, is bringing the fight that Israel has with Hezbollah much closer to the centre of Beirut,” Smith said.

Lebanon’s PM seeks to end Iranian presence

Israel on Wednesday gave Iran’s representatives in Lebanon 24 hours to leave the country. That deadline has since expired.

Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett, reporting from Beirut, said: “The Iranians seem to believe that this is a threat against their embassy and are threatening any Israeli embassy if their mission is struck.”

Human Rights Watch called the threats deeply concerning, saying they signal an intent to commit a war crime as people who are not directly involved in hostilities cannot be targeted under international law.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Information Minister Paul Morcos stated after a government meeting on Thursday that they had requested “all necessary measures be taken to prevent any military or security activity by members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Lebanon, as a prelude to their deportation”.

They also rejected Hezbollah’s accusations that the government was aligning itself with Israeli demands, saying that those committing “a sin” were those endangering Lebanon.

This comes after Salam’s cabinet on Monday announced a ban on Hezbollah’s military and security activities.