Thousands Flee Beirut As Israeli Strikes Escalate On Day 3 Of Iran War

Thousands of residents fled Beirut and southern Lebanon early Monday after the Israeli military said it was striking Hezbollah targets across Lebanon in response to attacks linked to the escalating Iran conflict.

The Israeli military said it began targeting Hezbollah positions after the group launched missiles and drones towards Israel. Hezbollah said the attacks were in retaliation for the killing of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader. The Shia Muslim group is a key ally of Tehran in the Middle East.

Explosions were heard in Beirut, according to witnesses. Lebanese security sources told Reuters that Israel struck the southern suburbs of the capital, an area considered a Hezbollah stronghold.

The Israeli military urged residents in nearly 50 villages in eastern and southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of further strikes. Roads in southern Lebanon and out of Beirut’s southern suburbs were heavily congested as people fled the area.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that combat operations in Iran were continuing and would carry on “until all of our objectives are achieved”. He said “an Iranian regime armed with long range missiles and nuclear weapons would be a dire threat to every American … I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military police, to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death.”

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said 48 leaders had been killed in US and Israeli strikes on Iran. “It’s moving along. It’s moving along rapidly. This has been this way for 47 years,” Trump said. “Nobody can believe the success we’re having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot.”

A suspected drone strike hit RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, the British Ministry of Defence confirmed. There were no casualties. The suspected strike came hours after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain had allowed the US to strike Iranian missile sites from British bases. UK officials are planning a large-scale rescue operation for British citizens in the Gulf.

Oil prices surged and global markets came under pressure. Brent crude rose as much as 13 per cent in early trading to 82 dollars per barrel, a 14 month high. Concerns intensified over oil supplies following reports of effective disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route.

The US Central Command said three US service members were killed in action during operations against Iran. They were the first confirmed US fatalities since strikes began on Saturday. Trump said in a Truth Social video that more casualties were likely.

Iranian state media reported that the death toll from a missile strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran has risen to nearly 165. The school was struck on Saturday morning and is believed to be the deadliest single incident of the US Israeli bombing campaign so far.

In an interview with The Atlantic, Trump said Iran’s new leadership wanted to talk and that he had agreed. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner,” he said.

Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani said Tehran would “not negotiate with the United States,” responding to reports that Iran was seeking to revive talks with Washington.

A Reuters Ipsos poll concluded on Sunday found that 27 per cent of Americans approve of the US strikes that killed Iran’s leader. About half of respondents, including one in four Republicans, said Trump is too willing to use military force.

The conflict has disrupted the airline industry across the Middle East and beyond. Several countries closed their airspace and three major airports linking Europe, Africa and Asia halted operations, affecting hundreds of thousands of travellers.