Israel's military issued evacuation orders for civilians in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Reuters reported on May 31. Earlier that day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz jointly announced that the military would begin striking alleged Hezbollah targets in Beirut, reportedly with U.S. backing.

A day earlier, the United States reportedly accepted Israel's requests to strike Beirut, citing Hezbollah's repeated ceasefire violations, particularly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio failed to secure a revised mechanism under which Hezbollah would halt attacks in exchange for Israeli restraint regarding Beirut strikes.