Israel Strikes Beirut After Evacuation Warning Sparks Panic and Massive Traffic Jams Across Lebanese Capital

Israel launched strikes on Beirut after issuing an unprecedented evacuation warning that sent the Lebanese capital into panic, with huge traffic jams forming as residents fled the Hezbollah stronghold. The strikes represent a dramatic expansion of the Iran conflict into Lebanon, as Israel steps up military operations across the country in what appears to be a coordinated campaign to degrade Hezbollah's capabilities simultaneously with U.S. strikes on Iran. The targeting of Beirut -- a major metropolitan area of over two million people -- raises the stakes far beyond anything seen in previous Israeli operations against Hezbollah and threatens to draw Lebanon fully into a war it has desperately tried to avoid.