IDF issues rare evacuation warning for central Beirut — Bashoura neighborhood, near St. Joseph University

The Israeli military on Thursday issued an evacuation warning for the Bashoura neighborhood in central Beirut, ordering residents to leave the area ahead of a planned airstrike on a Hezbollah facility. IDF spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee said: "Urgent warning to the residents of Beirut, specifically the Bashoura neighborhood. You are located near a facility belonging to the Hezbollah terror organization, which the IDF will act against." Civilians were instructed to distance themselves at least 300 meters from a specific building. The building is located in central Beirut near St. Joseph University. This is rare — the IDF typically strikes only Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburbs (Dahiyeh). The expansion into central Beirut suggests Hezbollah is dispersing assets into civilian neighborhoods outside its traditional zone. The IDF also reiterated its standing evacuation warning for Dahiyeh.