Israeli strikes hit the Comfort Hotel on the Hazmieh–Baabda border of Beirut and a residential block in Baalbek, with verified footage showing extensive damage and collapsed buildings. More than 40 people have been killed in Lebanon since this front opened, and multiple towns have been ordered evacuated as Israel says it targets Hezbollah infrastructure. Human Rights Watch warned that threats to target non-combatants or Iranian officials would violate international law. The situation appears to be escalating with no immediate diplomatic resolution.
Israeli Strikes Hit Beirut Hotel and Baalbek Residential Block as Mass Evacuations Are Ordered
Smoke rises following an Israeli air strike in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 4, 2026 [Bilal Hussein/AP]
Israeli forces struck the Comfort Hotel on the Hazmieh–Baabda border of greater Beirut and a residential block in Baalbek in eastern Lebanon as the military expanded forced-displacement and evacuation orders across the country.
Lebanese state media and footage verified by Al Jazeera showed heavy damage at the Comfort Hotel: shattered windows, blown-out walls and debris scattered across the site. Al Jazeera correspondent Heidi Pett, reporting from Beirut, said the strike came without warning and raised the possibility it may have been an attempted targeted attack. “The Israeli military is yet to say exactly who or what it was attempting to target,” she reported.
Israel also carried out strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday, saying it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure within densely populated civilian areas. The Israeli military released a map marking buildings in Haret Hreik in red and issued Arabic-language orders urging residents to evacuate those locations.
Casualties and Local Impact
Officials say more than 40 people have now been killed in Lebanon by Israeli attacks since this front opened. Lebanese army sources told reporters that at least four people were wounded in the recent strikes on Beirut, one in critical condition.
In Baalbek, near the Syrian border, a strike on a residential building in the al-Matraba neighbourhood killed at least four people and wounded 11, with verified footage showing the rubble of a collapsed multistorey building as rescue crews searched the scene. A separate Israeli air attack on Aramoun and Saadiyat in the Mount Lebanon area was reported by Al Mayadeen to have killed at least six people and wounded eight.
Evacuations and Military Warnings
The Israeli military issued an “urgent warning” calling for evacuation of 16 towns in southern Lebanon and later extended orders to an additional 13 towns. These measures follow previous forced-displacement directives for more than 50 towns in southern Lebanon, which Israel says are intended to create a broader buffer zone.
The Israeli army also announced it would not tolerate the presence of representatives of the Iranian regime in Lebanon and gave such individuals 24 hours to leave or face strikes.
Human Rights Watch warned that international law forbids deliberately targeting people who are not directly participating in hostilities. “The suggestion that Israeli forces will target Iranian government officials who do not leave Lebanon is both deeply disturbing and an admission of an intent to commit a war crime,” the group said.
Escalation and Cross-Border Fire
Hezbollah said it fired rockets at the Israeli border town of Metulla after striking the Haifa naval base. The Israeli military reported detecting several projectiles from Lebanese territory and said most were intercepted, with one falling in an open area. Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, described the situation as escalating rapidly and noted the absence of clear front lines or active diplomatic mediation.
Humanitarian concerns are mounting as civilians face expanding evacuations and the risk of further strikes. Reports from local media, military statements and on-the-ground footage continue to shape an evolving picture of the conflict.
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