Mapping Israeli Announced Strikes on Lebanon

Since September 2024, the Beirut Urban Lab has mapped the Israeli army’s evacuation threats in South Beirut. Published on the X platform, the threats warn civilian populations of an imminent assault. Through this mapping, the Lab provides a record of the distribution, location, and intensity of the announced airstrikes. Similar mappings covering the city of Tyre (South Lebanon) and additional localities and regions targeted by Israeli violence are being added as they are produced.  

Dahiya is often simplistically presented as a “Shia ghetto” or “Hizballah’s stronghold,” dehumanizing and sectarianizing its 700,000 dwellers, while weaponizing its vibrant and diverse socio-economic fabric. The spatial production of Dahiya as a contested socio-political territory in relation to Hizballah and other stakeholders has a complex history that is summarized here.

Dahiya’s territory amounts to 15.4 sq.km (municipal Beirut is 21.3 sq.km). It incorporates the four municipalities of Ghobeyri, Haret-Hreik, Bourj al-Brajneh and Mrayjeh-Laylaki-Tahweeta, in addition to sections of the municipalities of Chiyah, Hadath and Choueifat. These municipal territories include dozens of neighborhoods which, as any ordinary neighborhood in other districts of Greater Beirut, are rich with a pulsating and dense urban life, centered on homes, street markets, bakeries, shops, bookstores, small and medium enterprises, restaurants, cafés, mosques, schools, universities, health facilities, sports facilities, government buildings, as well as public and open spaces.

Since 27 September 2024, Dahiya has been the target of 186 Israeli announced strikes, demolishing at least 262 buildings, averaging about 4 strikes/day. On the most violent days during November, Dahiya was struck with over 10 strikes daily. Haret Hreik is the most hit municipal territory, with 95 destroyed buildings, followed by Mrayjeh (51 buildings) and Hadath (49 buildings). Announced strikes are accompanied by additional unannounced strikes that are not featured in the map. 

The Israeli assault on South Beirut’s neighborhoods is implementing in all impunity its “Dahiya doctrine” (introduced during the 2006 war on Lebanon), annihilating the possibility of life in the locality and causing durable forced displacement. According to Martin Coward’s work, this assault is akin to urbicide, which is the deliberate destruction of buildings and infrastructure in ways that also disrupt social, economic and cultural networks, displace populations, and erase the collective memory associated to place. 

Tyre occupies the hearts of Lebanon's populations for its unique public sandy beaches and its laid-back lifestyle, with an old fishermen port, charming winding and narrow streets, and a long corniche welcoming visitors daily during the long months of the summer. The city is also renowned for its Roman archeological sites (hippodrome and baths) as well as its crusaders' cathedral.

Since October 17, the city of Tyre and its immediate vicinities have been subjected to relentless violence. The city's historic core was largely emptied of its population, receiving 3 of the 7 evacuation threats that cover 15% of the city’s total residential fabric.

All in all, 10% of buildings in Tyre and its immediate vicinities, amounting to roughly 1,100 buildings, have received direct evacuation threats, followed by brutal airstrikes that severely damaged the city's fabric.