The Lebanese scene is preoccupied with anticipation regarding a potential military response from Hezbollah to Israel, in retaliation for the assassination of its highest military official, Fouad Shukr. There is also the expected Iranian response to the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital, Tehran, just hours after the Israeli strike on the southern suburb of Beirut that resulted in Shukr's death and caused civilian casualties.
On the ground, residents of the southern suburb have begun to secure alternative housing during this period, whether or not war breaks out. Many families are reportedly leaving for mountainous areas and to hotels that have completely vacant rooms, as confirmed by Pierre Ashkar, the head of hotel owners in Lebanon, who lamented in a statement issued days ago about the hotel tourism season. Approximately 50% of families residing in the suburb have evacuated their homes.
Similar to the situation in the south, measures have been taken to secure housing from residential units and homes belonging to community members in Beirut and its surroundings who reside abroad, under the banner of not closing vacant homes to families in need of shelter, while carefully managing the process of contacting homeowners and compensating them financially, and ensuring the houses are returned to their owners in the same condition they were in prior to this crisis.
Information revealed to "Anbaa" indicated that there are ready evacuation plans in place to avoid chaos during difficult times. Concurrently, Western embassies have advised their citizens, particularly Lebanese with dual nationality, to exercise caution, avoid traveling south of the capital Beirut, and refrain from approaching its southern suburbs, while securing food and medical supplies. The British government urged its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country immediately, stating in a report that British nationals should depart Lebanon now while commercial options remain available. Foreign Secretary David Lammy emphasized that tensions are high and the situation is likely to deteriorate rapidly, asserting that the message to British citizens there is clear: leave immediately.
In turn, the U.S. embassy in Lebanon encouraged Americans to book any available travel tickets to evacuate the country. The embassy stated on its website, "We urge those wishing to leave Lebanon to book any available travel ticket, even if the flight does not depart immediately or does not follow their preferred route," noting that despite the suspension and cancellation of many flights, commercial transport options to leave Lebanon remain available.
Sources close to influential leaders in Hezbollah have indicated that the group is prepared for a long war, lasting no less than two years, during which Israel could be targeted daily by approximately one thousand missiles of various types. Alongside the movement of residents in the suburb, uncertainty shrouds the timing of any response and the possibility of a broader war, coinciding with a state of confusion in the region and flight operations at airports.
This confusion has prompted the setting of schedules and the leaking of information. In this context, an informed source told "Anbaa" that potential delays might aim to create room for a specific settlement, without ruling out that it could occur at multiple levels. One option being considered is to conduct operations against targets outside Israel, in capitals and countries that fully support it.
The source added that the airstrikes carried out by Israeli warplanes the night before last targeted a truck inside Lebanese territory that had arrived from Syrian lands near Baalbek, reportedly carrying food supplies. There were reports of heavy Israeli military aircraft and drone activity throughout the night into the morning hours. The source revealed that diplomatic messages have reached Lebanese officials, all of which are alarming and warn of Israel resorting to a swift war with a level of destructive power different from previous wars, relying on rapid execution through intensive airstrikes and without a ground invasion across the Lebanese border, according to "Anbaa" Kuwait.
