Paris, Beirut, 6 March 2026. Chaos has gripped Beirut after Israel unilaterally issued an evacuation order for the entire southern suburbs of the city. The order, which has triggered the mass displacement of civilians, affects more than 700,000 people. Transport routes across the Lebanese capital are now paralysed as residents attempt to flee the area.
The evacuation order was communicated publicly through the account of the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Ella Waweya, a Lieutenant Colonel. The document instructs residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs to "save their lives" by leaving their homes, without providing any indication of when they may return or any further clarification. Overnight, heavy Israeli bombardments were reported in Dahiyeh.
"Families are fleeing en masse by car toward areas they believe to be safer. Those who do not have vehicles are leaving on foot, in a climate of panic. In the suburbs, warning shots have been fired to push residents to leave. But some simply cannot go," said Wadih Alasmar, CLDH President. He added: "This escalation comes at a time when the country is already exhausted. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by Israel’s bombardments and invasion of Southern Lebanon. This situation is not sustainable."
International humanitarian law prohibits the forced displacement of civilians in armed conflict unless the security of the civilians concerned or imperative military reasons so demand. Even in such cases, these exceptions are strictly limited. Any displacement must be temporary, and civilians must be allowed to return to their homes as soon as hostilities have ceased. Warnings must also be issued both effectively and sufficiently in advance to allow civilians adequate time to evacuate. Civilians who remain in place do not lose their protected status under international humanitarian law and cannot be targeted simply because they did not leave. Israel has repeatedly demonstrated its failure to comply with these conditions, disregarding the distinction between combatants and civilians, and using evacuation orders as de facto permanent measures of population displacement.
This evacuation order, along with the ground invasion in Southern Lebanon, forms part of an unjustified campaign of bombardment and military incursion carried out by Israel in Lebanon, without credible military objectives, and raising serious concerns under international humanitarian law. Since Monday 2 March, at least 123 people have been killed and 683 injured.
"This evacuation order is deeply shocking. After launching a ground invasion under the cover of its war with Iran and Hezbollah, Israel is now applying in Beirut the same modus operandi used in its offensive in Gaza, with large-scale evacuation orders," said Alexis Deswaef, FIDH President. He added: "As in Gaza, Israeli officials are displaying blatant contempt for international humanitarian law. Their total impunity over the past three years has paved the way for this new catastrophe. France, which prides itself on maintaining privileged relations with Lebanon, cannot remain indifferent when the country’s capital is now under siege and threatened with destruction."
As the United States and Israel continue their war against Iran, a conflict that appears to be spiraling out of control by the day, Israel is expanding its bombing campaign and ground invasion in Lebanon. FIDH and its Lebanese member organisation call for an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, and the return of displaced populations. They also urge third states and Israel’s allies to act without delay to condemn and prevent this new escalation, whose gravity is unprecedented for Lebanon.