Beirut Sees Massive Displacement After Israeli Strikes Threat

(MENAFN) A sweeping wave of civilian displacement gripped Beirut's southern suburbs on Monday as Israeli threats of imminent bombardment sent thousands of residents fleeing — even as a fragile US-brokered ceasefire nominally remains in force.

Roads and arterial routes leading out of the southern suburbs seized up under intense traffic pressure, leaving residents stranded for hours before eventually making their way toward central Beirut, according to a correspondent on the ground.

The mass movement was triggered after Israeli media reported that the army was preparing to issue formal evacuation warnings for neighborhoods expected to come under attack — prompting residents to abandon their homes without waiting for official orders.

The crisis deepened further on the academic front. Lebanese University announced the postponement of all examinations across its faculties and institutes at the Rafic Hariri University Campus in Hadath, Beirut, as well as in the southern city of Sidon, pushing all scheduled tests to next week. The institution cited the deteriorating security environment as the basis for the decision, though it confirmed that exams at all other branches would proceed as planned.

The surge of fear across the capital follows a direct order issued earlier Monday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, instructing the military to launch airstrikes on Beirut — a dramatic and provocative escalation that cuts against the ceasefire agreement brokered by Washington and in effect since April 17.

The timing is particularly volatile. The strike order arrives on the eve of a fresh round of indirect negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv, set to resume in Washington under active US mediation — raising urgent questions about whether diplomatic channels can survive the renewed military pressure.

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