Mark MacKinnon

Hezbollah’s decision to enter the war sparks anger and confusion among Lebanese Even the Shia community, who have long supported the group, question why it has dragged the country into yet another war

In Lebanon, Hezbollah is facing unprecedented criticism - even from its own Shia supporters - over its decision to take the country into another devastating war with Israel.

“Everyone is asking why Hezbollah did this.”

My report from Beirut

Loud explosion audible in central Beirut just now.

Modern warfare - calls warning people to leave the Dahiya are coming from a presumably spoofed Danish number.

Families who got similar calls in Sidon on Tuesday were called from a phony Kazakhstan number...

Current scene looking over the Dahiya after Israel ordered an evacuation of the entire southern suburbs of Beirut. Note the epic traffic jam trying to get out, and people gathering on foot in the parking lot of the soccer stadium.

Gunfire is Hezbollah fighters warning people to keep moving…

Mass panic around me at an IDP centre as people who fled here from the southern suburbs get ready to flee again…

Fighting in Lebanon expands to areas that are not traditional Hezbollah strongholds In some cities, automated calls are sowing fear among residents with warnings of strikes that, more often than not, don’t take place

“I don’t know what’s going on – we have nothing to do with any of this.”

Fear and anger spread in Lebanon as Israel begins targeting areas outside traditional Hezbollah strongholds.

My report from Sidon

A huge fire was seen in Tyre in southern Lebanon after Israeli strikes targeted the city. Local media said the attack came without prior warning

‘We never imagined this’: the Cypriot village on edge after RAF Akrotiri drone strike Evacuations near RAF base have reignited debate as Cypriots question the risks of hosting western military sites

The Iran war comes to Europe. "‘We never imagined this’: the Cypriot village on edge after RAF Akrotiri drone strike" www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

The Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria was evacuated after an Israeli warning that it would be targeted.

People across Beirut - well beyond the Hezbollah-dominated Dahiya - today receiving calls with recorded messages telling them to leave their homes because they are near a Hezbollah target.

Unclear whether these are real warnings, or an attempt to spread panic (and maybe anti-Hezbollah sentiment)….

Dear Spain: The Turbot War (look it up, it was A Thing) is forgiven. Somehow, we’re in this together.

Signed,

Canada.

Diplomacy, early 2026

I can’t decide what’s more baffling - the fact that the IMF paid someone to deliver this very obvious conclusion, or the fact that the NYT thought it worthy of a news alert…

The Israeli military just announced it has "launched a forward defense operation for northern towns."

Read as: Israeli troops have crossed into southern Lebanon.

Given that he said he’d end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours, this is more than a little worrying…

Worse, there’s no air défense here at all…

What a time to be alive...

Hezbollah and Israel open new front in regional war Countries targeted in the Iranian response include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, as well as a British airbase in Cyprus

“I hate the word ‘Hezbollah'" - Lebanon reels as the Iranian-backed militia drags it into another regional war.

My report from Beirut

www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...

'[One expert] predicted that Hezbollah would refrain from starting another war it couldn’t win.

'However, [another] said the “brazenness” of the Khamenei assassination would force Hezbollah’s leadership to consider if war was coming to them whether they chose it or not.'

Ottawa boosting support, but warns Canadians in Middle East to prepare contingency plans — The Globe and Mail Global Affairs says government’s ability to provide consular services during the conflict is limited

Canada’s message to citizens trapped in the spreading Middle East conflict: “Prepare contingency plans that don’t rely on the Government of Canada’s assistance for departure.”

www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...

Four more loud explosions just now - make that six. Sounds like target is again the southern suburbs of the city (where Hezbollah is headquartered)...

Pres Trump told me tonight the US had identified possible candidates to take over Iran, but they were killed in the initial attack. "The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates," Trump told me. "It's not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead. Second or third place is dead."

complete insanity

Another loud explosion heard in central Beirut just now. One or more (presumably) Israeli warplanes audible overheard.

As the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran continues to spread around the Middle East, the Lebanese front might prove the most volatile of all.

My updated report from Beirut

I am indeed.

Good morning from Beirut where a (presumably) Israeli surveillance drone buzzes loudly overhead…

Arabic spokesman for the Israeli military, Avichay Adraee, issues a statement warning the residents of more than 40 villages across southern Lebanon and in the Bekaa valley to evacuate for their own safety. (First strikes in Beirut suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, came without warning.)

Shia Muslims, militias grapple with uncertainty after Khamenei’s assassination Question hanging over Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq is whether Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah will join in the attacks

Ayatollah Khamenei is gone. What now for the crumbling “axis of resistance” that once stood against Israel and the U.S.?

My report from Beirut, where a series of airstrikes this night may signal a further widening of the war

Over on Twitter, Lebanese PM Nawaf Salam just called the rocket fire from southern Lebanon “an irresponsible and suspicious act” that gave Israel a pretext to attack. Adds “we will take all necessary measures to stop the perpetrators and protect the Lebanese people.”