Israel has sharply escalated warnings to Lebanon, declaring every area south of the Zahrani River — a waterway running roughly 40km from the border — a “combat zone” and urging residents to leave ahead of strikes targeting Hezbollah.
The sweeping alert, the first of its kind since an 17 April ceasefire, came as Israel’s military carried out broad raids in Lebanon’s south and east, and as Hezbollah said its fighters were battling Israeli forces beyond an Israeli-declared “yellow line” in the south.
The developments unfolded as many Lebanese attempted to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
“We advise the residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate to the north of the Zahrani River, as all areas south of the river are considered combat zones,” the Israeli military said on social media, adding it would act “with great force” against Hezbollah.
Israel has said this week it will step up its campaign in Lebanon and that it is expanding its ground operations there.
Talks are expected on Friday between Lebanese and Israeli military delegations at the Pentagon, with another round of direct negotiations anticipated next week aimed at ending the hostilities.
Before the Zahrani warning, the Israeli military had also issued evacuation notices for the southern city of Nabatieh, along with large parts of the coastal city of Tyre and nearby districts.
The aftermath of an Israeli attack on Tyre, Lebanon
An AFP correspondent said residents from the threatened areas of Tyre gathered in parts of the city not covered by the warning. Authorities, however, cautioned that shelters were full and urged people to travel to Beirut instead.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) later reported strikes on Tyre and its surroundings, while Israel’s army said it was hitting “Hezbollah command centres”.
NNA also reported a wave of strikes on Nabatieh city that caused “huge destruction” in residential neighbourhoods.
Lebanon’s army said today that an Israeli strike in south Lebanon killed one of its soldiers.
Israel’s army chief Lieutenant Colonel Eyal Zamir said: “we are intensifying our operations in order to strike ever more severe blows to the Hezbollah organisation”.
‘Yellow line’
NNA reported additional Israeli strikes in other parts of the south and in the eastern Bekaa valley, as Israel’s military said it was targeting “Hezbollah infrastructure sites”.
Iran-backed Hezbollah said its fighters “clashed with the enemy forces at point-blank range” in the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, just beyond the Israeli-declared “yellow line” in south Lebanon where Israeli troops have been operating.
An Israeli military official said yesterday that soldiers had begun operating outside the “yellow line”, which extends around 10km into Lebanese territory.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Hezbollah also said it carried out three drone attacks on Israeli positions near the two countries’ shared border in northern Israel.
Israel’s military said several explosive drones fell inside its territory, and that no injuries were reported.
Lebanon’s health ministry said the overall death toll since the war began on 2 March has reached 3,269 — up by 56 from a day earlier after heavy Israeli strikes.
The NNA, citing the mayor, said 15 people were killed in yesterday’s strike.
West Bekaa
After Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war by firing rockets at Israel in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Israel has repeatedly hit Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa valley and issued evacuation warnings.
In recent days, strikes have intensified, concentrating on the West Bekaa town of Mashghara.
The area connects south Lebanon with Hezbollah strongholds in the northern Bekaa and serves as a key supply route for the group.
Lebanese military expert Hassan Jouni said the West Bekaa “is a necessary corridor for Hezbollah members if they want to move between the Bekaa and the south” and warned it could become a focal point for additional Israeli attacks.
He said Israel’s operations could soon widen to “target the north Bekaa intensively or even Beirut’s southern suburbs”, areas that have been relatively spared since the ceasefire.
A military delegation of six Lebanese officers, led by the army’s director of operations Georges Rizkallah, will take part in Friday’s Pentagon talks.
A military source told AFP the delegation will “emphasise the need for a ceasefire, and will present the army’s plan for a state weapons monopoly and the extension of state authority across the country”.
Latest Middle East stories
