Israel orders Lebanese to leave the south 'immediately'

Israel has warned residents to leave a significant area in southern Lebanon, instructing them to move north of the Litani River as hostilities with the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah intensified on Wednesday.

Lebanon has become a focal point in the regional conflict that erupted after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. Hezbollah responded by firing drones and rockets at Israel on Monday, prompting Israeli retaliation that has claimed dozens of lives.

Nearly 60,000 people have fled the violence, according to the United Nations, joining the tens of thousands already displaced by the 2024 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

An Israeli military spokesperson released a map on Wednesday, outlining the area in southern Lebanon residents were urged to evacuate from the area, which constitutes around 8% of Lebanese territory.

The day after Israel's defence minister authorised the military to take further control, Israeli troops had moved into at least nine towns in southern Lebanon, as reported by a senior Lebanese security official.

The Israeli military confirmed that two soldiers were injured by anti-tank fire, marking the first reported injuries among Israeli troops since the U.S. and Israel began their attacks on Iran last Saturday. Israeli troops advance further into Lebanon

The Lebanese army has redeployed some of its forces along the border due to Israeli incursions into southern Lebanon. The army arrested 26 Lebanese nationals across various locations for carrying illegal weapons but did not specify if they were Hezbollah members. On Monday, Lebanon's cabinet voted to outlaw Hezbollah's military activities.

The Israeli military declined to comment on specific new deployments but said it had positioned troops deeper into Lebanon to prevent attacks on northern Israel communities.

Israel has maintained a presence in several locations within Lebanese territory since the 2024 conflict with Hezbollah.

Hezbollah's leader, Naim Qassem, condemned Israel's actions, calling them a "prepared aggression" and demanded Israel cease its military activities and withdraw from southern Lebanon. He declared that Hezbollah would not surrender, no matter the cost, and insisted that their response was not related to any other ongoing battle.

While Israel has previously warned residents of dozens of villages in the south, Wednesday’s order was the widest yet, covering an area between the border and the Litani River, which is about 10 km (6 miles) north of Tyre, one of Lebanon's largest cities. The Israeli warning urged residents to move north of the river “to guarantee your safety.”

• Israeli troops move deeper into Southern Lebanon as airstrikes against Hezbollah continue
• UN agencies report 30,000 displaced in Lebanon shelters
• At least four killed in Israeli strike in Lebanon's Baalbek

Thousands of Lebanese people have already fled from Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut and the south, regions most affected by the 2024 war.

“We thought we managed to stay out of this conflict, but now we’ve been dragged into it... Who will protect us if an invasion happens?” said Beirut resident Mohammed Dib, expressing relief that he had not been displaced.

Health ministry reports 72 dead in Lebanon

An Israeli airstrike hit a four-storey building in Baalbeck, eastern Lebanon, killing six people and injuring 15, according to the Lebanese National News Agency. Rescue teams were still searching for missing individuals. Another strike targeted a hotel in the Hazmieh area of Beirut, which is outside Hezbollah’s stronghold.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several attacks on Wednesday, including one using a precision-guided missile aimed at a military facility in northern Israel, and another involving drones targeting a base 120 km (75 miles) deep inside Israel.

On Tuesday, missiles launched from Lebanon triggered air raid sirens as far as Tel Aviv, Israel's main commercial hub. Although Hezbollah had not officially claimed responsibility, an Israeli military source confirmed that the missiles were fired by the group.

The Lebanese health ministry reported 72 deaths and 437 injuries in Lebanon since Monday. There have been no fatalities in Israel from Hezbollah's attacks.

During the 2024 conflict, tens of thousands of Israelis were evacuated from towns near the border, but many have since returned. Israeli officials have stated there are currently no plans to evacuate them again.

Hezbollah explained that it opened fire in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday in the U.S.-Israeli attack.

Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin confirmed that Israeli forces had attacked more than 250 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon over a 48-hour period.

Israel has invaded Lebanon multiple times since 1978, occupying a strip of land in the south until 2000, when it withdrew following years of guerrilla warfare by Hezbollah.

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