JERUSALEM: Israel’s military on Sunday (May 3) issued new evacuation warnings in southern Lebanon for villages beyond the area it occupies, despite a truce with Lebanon intended to halt fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah.
“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the villages and towns by at least 1,000 metres into open areas,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.
The warning covers more than 10 villages and towns, including several in the district of Nabatieh, which lies north of the Litani River, south of which Israel has stationed troops.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency later reported a series of Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, including on towns not mentioned in the evacuation warning.
Since Apr 17, a fragile ceasefire has been in place between Israel and Lebanon, which was aimed at pausing the violence between the Hezbollah militant group and Israel’s military.
On Wednesday, Israel’s military chief of staff Eyal Zamir had threatened to strike Hezbollah “beyond the yellow line”, which marks the area of Israeli control.
“Any threat, anywhere, against our communities or our forces – including beyond the Yellow Line and north of the Litani – will be eliminated,” he said during a visit to Israeli troops.
In the past week, two soldiers and an army contractor have been killed by drone attacks in the area, with dozens of soldiers wounded.