Israel strikes Beirut as US warns Iran may target Lebanese universities

Israel's military campaign in Lebanon began after Hezbollah fired into Israeli territory on March 2 in solidarity with Iran, following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iranian targets. The conflict has since expanded with Iranian attacks on Israeli territory, U.S. military bases, and Gulf states.

More than 1,300 people have died in Israeli strikes across Lebanon, while approximately one-fifth of the country's population has been displaced. Israeli evacuation orders now cover roughly 15 percent of Lebanese territory as forces advance toward the Litani River.

Israel has pledged to establish a security zone extending to the Litani River to protect its northern communities. However, tens of thousands of Lebanese civilians remain in their homes in southern Lebanon, including around 9,000 Lebanese Christians in border towns who have refused to evacuate despite advancing military operations.

The humanitarian crisis deepened Friday when three UN peacekeepers with the Interim Force in Lebanon were injured in an explosion at a UN position near the southern border. Two peacekeepers sustained serious injuries, though the source of the explosion remains unknown.

Lebanese troops have withdrawn from southern areas to avoid confronting Israeli forces, leaving civilian populations increasingly vulnerable. The U.S. embassy has repeatedly urged American citizens to leave Lebanon as the security situation deteriorates.

The strikes on Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs represent a continuation of Israel's strategy to degrade the militant group's infrastructure while expanding ground operations in southern Lebanon. Yet the targeting of universities signals a dangerous new dimension to the regional conflict, potentially drawing civilian institutions into the expanding war.