Lebanon: Flash Update #30 - Escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, as of 28 September 2024 - 11:00 pm

SITUATION OVERVIEW

At approximately 6:20 pm local time on 27 September, intense airstrikes targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs, resulting in the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah along with other prominent party officials. This is the most intense Israeli strike since the 2006 war in Lebanon, completely leveling dozens of buildings. A few hours after the attack, the Israeli army issued evacuation orders for several neighborhoods in Hadath, Laylake, and Burj el Barajneh in Beirut’s southern suburbs. This caused widespread panic among residents of the southern suburb and triggered a mass wave of displacement as people fled the area. Following the Beirut airstrike and the evacuation orders, at least 100 additional airstrikes hit across Lebanon, targeting the South, Baalbeck-El Hermel, Chouf, Jezzine, Nabatieh, Keserwan, Saida, Zahle, and Beirut southern suburb districts. Moreover, on 27 September night, air traffic at Rafic Hariri International Airport – the only operational commercial airport in the country – came to a near standstill, with only a few flights operating. Most airlines have suspended flights to Lebanon for days or weeks due to the escalating conflict. The Presidency of the Council of Ministers issued a memorandum declaring mourning for the SecretaryGeneral of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, for three days, starting Monday 30 September 2024.