Israel warned residents to leave Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs on Thursday (March 5), sparking panic as people fled a swathe of the Lebanese capital on the fourth day of full-scale hostilities between the Iran-backed group and Israel.

An Israeli military spokesperson, in a post on X, ordered residents of the southern suburbs to move east and north, posting a map showing four sprawling districts of the capital he said they must leave, part of the area is adjacent to Beirut airport.

Roads out of the suburbs were clogged as people fled by car and on foot, television footage showed. Gunfire was heard in the southern suburbs, warning residents to leave.

Lebanon was pulled into the war in the Middle East on Monday, when Hezbollah opened fire, sparking intensified Israeli airstrikes largely focused on the southern suburbs, southern Lebanon and eastern Lebanon.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

BEIRUT, LEBANON (MARCH 5, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. ROOFTOP SHOT OF TRAFFIC IN BEIRUT AFTER ISRAELI EVACUATION ORDER

HAZMIEH, LEBANON (MARCH 5, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

2. VARIOUS OF TRAFFIC IN STREETS (3 SHOTS)

BEIRUT, LEBANON (MARCH 5, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

3. VARIOUS OF ROOFTOP SHOT OF TRAFFIC (2 SHOTS)

HAZMIEH, LEBANON (MARCH 5, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

4. TRAFFIC IN STREETS (1 SHOT)

BEIRUT, LEBANON (MARCH 5, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

5. VARIOUS OF TRAFFIC IN BEIRUT STREET