Amidst the devastating war, Dr. Hassan Fakhieh fled with his family from southern Lebanon, but found no shelter as hotels and apartment owners refused to host displaced people, fearing that among them might be individuals targeted by Israel. Israel advanced into new areas of southern Lebanon, deploying troops to target Hezbollah positions amid an escalation of its campaign against the group. The Israeli army stated that one of its strikes on a hotel in central Beirut killed members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. "I didn't leave anyone or any place without asking about an apartment, we searched in several areas, but found no response," Fakhieh said. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that Lebanese displaced by the war with Hezbollah will not be able to return to their homes until the security of northern Israel is guaranteed. Since the war with Hezbollah began two weeks ago, Israel has struck two hotels in Beirut and its vicinity, as well as residential buildings in densely populated areas, sometimes far from Hezbollah's strongholds, causing panic among residents. Tehran, however, claimed that the dead included diplomats.
