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AMY GOODMAN: The United Nations is estimating more than 4 million people have been displaced in the Middle East in the two weeks since the U.S. and Israel launched their unprovoked war on Iran. About 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced, and over 800,000 in Lebanon.
We begin today’s show in Lebanon, where Israeli strikes have killed nearly 700 people over the past two weeks. Israel has expanded its bombing campaign to target areas of central Beirut. Israeli officials have also expanded a forced evacuation order for southern Lebanon, almost doubling the size of the zone.
Earlier today, Israel targeted a key bridge over the Litani River, a major crossing point between southern and northern Lebanon. Israel defended the attack on civilian infrastructure, claiming the bridge was also used by members of Hezbollah. This comes as Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz says Israel plans to expand its occupation of areas in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed.
Earlier today, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Beirut. He wrote online, quote, “I have just landed in Beirut for a visit of solidarity with the people of Lebanon. They did not choose this war. They were dragged into it,” unquote. Guterres called on Israel and Hezbollah to negotiate a ceasefire and stop the war.
We go now to Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, where we’re joined by Lylla Younes, who has been reporting on the war for Drop Site News.
Lylla, thanks so much for being with us again. If you can describe what’s happening on the war as Israel expands the zone that it is demanding people evacuate, from southern Lebanon beyond?
LYLLA YOUNES: Yes, Amy. So, the people of Lebanon got another displacement order from the Israelis to now evacuate the region between the Litani River and the Zahrani River. So this is practically the vast majority of southern Lebanon is now under displacement orders. That is approximately 15% of the country.
I think it’s important for listeners who are not familiar with Lebanon to understand this is a very small country and one with densely populated urban areas. There aren’t a lot of places for people to go. The government has opened a number of shelters across Beirut, but many people there have told me that they don’t feel safe.
I visited a shelter in Bir Hassan, which is a neighborhood on the outskirts of the southern suburbs of Dahiyeh, which has actually also been targeted during this war — this escalation, I should say. And people there told me that they have been struggling to sleep the nights from the bombing, which is very close by, and that sometimes they’ll get the — the area will get a warning for the nearby neighborhood of Jnah or even Bir Hassan or an area close by. And then they’ll pick up their things, and they’ll get in their car, and they’ll drive to the waterfront, and they’ll spend the night sleeping in their car or in a tent on the sand.
But, Amy, even there is no longer safe. I, two nights ago, was at Ramlet al-Baida, which is a beach on the end of the Beirut promenade, on the southern end of the promenade. I was there. I kind of watched the sunset. I was observing. There were many displaced people. They had pitched tents. The sunset, people took out their hookahs, had their iftars. I go home. A few hours later, massive massacre right there where I was, at Ramlet al-Baida. A drone fired several bombs on these displaced people in their tents and on the sidewalk, and killing eight, injuring at least 30 others. And again, this is an area in central Beirut, not an area where there is a displacement order.
And while Israel has been issuing warnings for some buildings, like — or areas, like the neighborhood of Bachoura, which is actually very close to where I am right now, there are these other drone attacks where people are being killed, where there are no warnings issued in advance. We saw that happen, as well, last night in another area of Beirut, in Bourj Hammoud, in Jnah, as well. So, you know, despite these absolutely sweeping displacement orders, we are seeing, you know, people actually being targeted, mostly displaced people, outside of those areas.
And the massacres are multiplying — a massacre just today in Saida killing eight. We saw Syrian refugees, displaced, already killed — seven killed in a massacre in Tamnin in the Beqaa Valley; a massive massacre in Nabi Chit, also in the Beqaa Valley, when the Israelis tried to do a nighttime incursion by helicopter.
So, the death toll, as you read in your news updates, it’s mounting. We are at almost 700 people in under two weeks. That’s approximately 50 people a day. You know, we’re reaching numbers that we saw during certain periods of the Gaza genocide here in Lebanon.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Lylla, what’s been the response of the Lebanese government, especially in view of the fact that some of these Israeli attacks, as you mentioned, have been actually even in downtown Beirut?
LYLLA YOUNES: The Lebanese government has condemned the attacks. They have also condemned Hezbollah. So, at the U.N. Security Council yesterday, the Lebanese representative opened up his remarks by distancing the Lebanese government from Hezbollah, saying the Lebanese people did not ask for this war, saying that the government was willing to enter direct negotiations with Israel, which is unprecedented. Lebanon considers Israel an enemy state. It’s important to recall the 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon from 1982 to 2000. And so, usually Lebanon has mediators that are involved in these types of negotiations. Now the government is sort of pushing forward, saying, “Let’s talk. We want to negotiate.” But, reportedly, the White House is actually not answering the prime minister’s phone calls.
And I think it’s also very important to note that this bodes very poorly for the people of Lebanon, because the civilian infrastructure, which is now, as of, you know, today — you read in your news updates, two bridges were targeted — are beginning to be targeted. And the Americans sort of have given the Lebanese government guarantees that the airport and the port will not be bombed, as they were in the 2006 war. But now with the Americans sort of giving the cold shoulder to the Lebanese government, it’s not clear how long those guarantees will actually hold up.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And also, could you talk about the ability of Hezbollah to continue to fire rockets into Israel, given, supposedly, Israel’s crippling strikes on the organization in past attacks in Lebanon?
LYLLA YOUNES: Hezbollah is firing barrages of rockets towards Israel, but the Israeli defense systems are very good at intercepting them. I believe a couple have fallen within Israel. They’ve been targeting particularly missile defense systems, these rocket attacks. But they have been, so far, not, you know, very successful in creating widespread damage in Israel. The Israeli defense systems are very good at intercepting the types of rockets that Hezbollah launches.
And I think it’s also important to note, you know, we don’t know exactly what Hezbollah’s capacity is. Vast weapons stores that they once had were destroyed during the 66-day war in the fall of 2024 and then also over the course of the so-called ceasefire, which was not really a ceasefire. Remember, the United Nations counted over 15,000 violations of the ceasefire reached between Lebanon and Israel in 2024. So, basically, over the past year and a half, Israel has been bombing Lebanon on a daily basis, and bombing particularly — you know, in addition to killing over 300 civilians, has been bombing, you know, routinely bombing, Hezbollah weapons stores. So, it’s not exactly clear how much capacity Hezbollah has.
They’ve been — where they’ve really seen the most success has actually been targeting Israeli soldiers who’ve been — who are inside of Lebanon, and thereby not protected by those missile defense systems — you know, firing anti-tank missiles towards Israelis in the town of Al-Khiyam, for example.
AMY GOODMAN: Lylla Younes, we want to thank you for being with us, investigative journalist and writer based in Beirut, Lebanon. Please be safe. We will link to your articles for Drop Site News at democracynow.org.
Coming up, the Israeli journalist Gideon Levy. He writes in Haaretz, quote, “Everyone in This Country Has Gone Insane.” Stay with us.
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AMY GOODMAN: “Hog of the Forsaken” by Michael Hurley, performed in our Democracy Now! studio.
