Arabic version: إسرائيل تصدر أوامر تهجير في مناطق جنوب لبنان
Israel’s military has issued new displacement orders to residents in towns and villages in southern Lebanon, including areas beyond its current zone of occupation, despite a truce meant to halt fighting with the armed group Hezbollah. The orders were communicated through an Arabic-language post by Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee, urging residents to evacuate their homes immediately and move at least 1,000 meters into open areas.
The warning covers more than 10 villages and towns, including several in the district of Nabatieh that lie north of the Litani River, south of which Israeli troops are stationed. Following the issuance of these orders, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported a series of Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, including on towns not mentioned in the displacement order. Since April 17, a fragile United States-brokered ceasefire has been in place between Israel and Lebanon, which was aimed at halting the violence between Hezbollah and Israel’s military.
On Wednesday, Israel’s military chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, threatened to strike Hezbollah “beyond the Yellow Line,” which marks the area of Israeli control. He stated that any threat, anywhere, against Israeli communities or forces – including beyond the Yellow Line and north of the Litani – will be eliminated. In the past week, drone attacks in the area have resulted in the deaths of two soldiers and an army contractor, with dozens more wounded.
The United States has called for direct peace negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, but Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has insisted that Israel must fully implement the ceasefire before any talks can commence. Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands noted that the ceasefire, in effect since mid-April and recently extended to mid-May, “exists only in name.” He highlighted Israel’s continued military presence in the region, stating that the forced evacuation orders signify an expansion of Israel’s operational area.
According to Al Jazeera, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported that at least 10 people were killed in Israeli attacks across the country on Saturday, bringing the total death toll since the escalation of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict on March 2 to 2,659, with 8,183 injured.
