Christina Goldbaum

Meanwhile, in Lebanon... Israel has issued these sweeping evacuation warnings for much of southern Lebanon, about 10% of the country.

But our reporting has shown that in private, they're giving a more targeted message.

I went to Kalkaba, a Maronite Christian town near the border with Israel.

It's a town that, after the last escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, had taken in around two dozen Shia families who had been displaced from their border village.

When we were there, we were talking to the deputy mayor, who was telling us how

Other villages nearby had gotten these calls from Israeli military officials telling them that if they had Shia who had been displaced living in their towns, they needed to tell them to leave.

Otherwise, their town would not be safe from Israeli bombardment.

And she was telling us how she had gone to these displaced Shia families, told them to prepare themselves.

that if they got a call telling them to expel their Shia residents, the town would do so.

And later that day, the mayor of the town got the call from Israeli military officials, and within 24 hours, they had put those displaced Shia families on buses heading north out from Kalkaba.

Having spoken to Shia residents, to municipal leaders, to other local leaders who've been receiving these calls, it's become clear to them that Israel is not only intent on changing the geographic map of southern Lebanon, but also the demographic one.

The message that they understand is that Christians and Jews will be allowed to stay.

And now Shia Lebanese who have fled the south are increasingly concerned that they may never be able to return to their homes.

After Israel put out the evacuation warning, you suddenly had huge crowds of people grabbing whatever they could from their homes and apartments, rushing to their cars and trying to figure out how to drive out from that area.

Across the city, you could hear these massive explosions that didn't let up until the early hours of Friday morning.

It was some of the most intense bombing in Beirut since this conflict escalated.

And now people are very afraid that there will be a full-scale Israeli ground invasion of the south and possible occupation of southern Lebanon.

So the country is definitely on edge right now as we wait to see how this conflict escalates.

Syria is very on edge right now. The roads leading into the coast have been closed down. There are new government checkpoints manning those roads. Very few people there have been leaving their homes for fear of what could happen if they do.

Syria is very on edge right now. The roads leading into the coast have been closed down. There are new government checkpoints manning those roads. Very few people there have been leaving their homes for fear of what could happen if they do.