Israel issues warning to Lebanon residents as strikes continue
The Israeli military has declared large parts of southern Lebanon a “combat zone” and called on the population to flee.
Israelâs military has declared a new swathe of southern Lebanon as a combat zone âand says residents in the area should move north, warning it will act âwith great forceâ against Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in the zone.
The militaryâs statement, posted on âX, appeared to signal further escalation after more than 120 strikes on Tuesday hit Lebanonâs south and east, despite a ceasefire announced on April 16.
âWe advise residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate to the north of the Zahrani River, as all areas south of the river are considered a combat zone,â an Israeli military spokesman posted on X.
The Zahrani River runs east to west about 40km north of Israelâs border with Lebanon, and the Lebanese territory south âof it covers about â2000 square kilometres.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel needed to take âfurther action in Lebanon to protect communities in northern Israel from Hezbollah.
The Israeli military has previously ordered people below the Litani River further south to leave.
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It already issued individual evacuation orders and carried out strikes in several dozen towns between the Litani and Zahrani.
Wednesdayâs order was the first time that residents were ordered to leave the entire zone south of the Zahrani.
The Israeli military urged civilians to stay away from Hezbollah operatives, facilities and weapons sites.
Lebanese security sources told â Reuters that people were fleeing north to the port city of Sidon, already âhosting thousands of displaced âfrom other parts of southern Lebanon.
It comes after Australian activists detained by Israel after being part of a flotilla delivering food and health aid to Gaza arrived home this week in emotional scenes after claims of beatings and abuse.
The new Israeli military statement came as Muslims across Lebanon were celebrating Eid al-Adha.
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More than 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced âby Israeli strikes and âorders to move since March 2, when Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of its ally Iran.
Since then, Israeli strikes have pummelled Lebanonâs south, east âand its capital Beirut, killing more than 3200 people, according to Lebanonâs health ministry.
Fighting has continued in southern Lebanon despite a US-brokered ceasefire announced on April 16.
The World Health Organisation has said at least 608 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli attacks since the âtruce.
The âIsraeli military said that 10 of its soldiers had âbeen killed since the April 16 ceasefire, six of them by Hezbollahâs explosive drones.
The âIsraeli military expanded its ground operations in southern Lebanon past a security zone its troops are occupying but gave no details on the extent of the advance beyond the so-called Yellow Line.
The Lebanese capital Beirut has been spared new strikes although Israeli surveillance drones are heard buzzing above the city every day and a warplane was heard flying low on Wednesday, according to Reuters reporters there.
Three senior Israeli officials said Israel believes it has freedom of action in âsouthern Lebanon but less so in Beirut.
The officials told Reuters that Israel does not want to be seen as derailing US President Donald âTrumpâs potential deal with Iran by knocking down â buildings in the Lebanese capital.
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