Israel warns all residents in southern Lebanon to leave
Israel has been intensifying its strikes in southern Lebanon in recent days. (Reuters: Rami Shlush)
In short:
Israel has told all residents in southern Lebanon they should evacuate because of fighting with Hezbollah.
It is the first time Israel has taken such a step since a ceasefire came into effect in Lebanon.
Israel has in recent days intensified strikes on Hezbollah targets within Lebanon.
The Israeli military has warned all residents of southern Lebanon to leave the area following days of air strikes, declaring the entire region a "combat zone" as it targets militant group Hezbollah.
It is the first time Israel has made such a sweeping demand since US President Donald Trump announced in April a ceasefire had been imposed in Lebanon.
In a post on social media, the Arabic spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Lebanese residents they should evacuate north of the Zahrani River.
The Lebanese community views those "evacuation warnings" as forced displacement orders, and there are hundreds of thousands of people who live in the area.
The demand to leave has been issued in the middle of the Eid-al-Adha Muslim holiday.
In recent days, the Israeli military has intensified strikes on cities and towns in southern Lebanon, as Hezbollah has launched explosive drone attacks against Israeli soldiers and communities in the north of the country.
On Wednesday afternoon, the IDF launched strikes on the city of Tyre hours after warning of military action.
It also hit Nabatieh and a number of other villages in the south, and followed attacks further north in the Bekaa Valley.
Several children are among those who have been killed in recent days, despite Israel's insistence it does not target civilians.
On Tuesday, it was revealed Israeli troops had pushed further into southern Lebanon, beyond the territory it seized and occupied after its invasion of the country in March and the area it has held since the Trump truce was declared.
In addition to the threat of Hezbollah drones, some analysts have suggested Israel is also trying to pressure Mr Trump to carve Lebanon out of any deal with Iran to end the broader regional war.
Iran has demanded the conflict to Israel's north be included in any formal end to fighting, while Israel has wanted it treated as a separate conflict.
Strikes were seen being conducted across parts of Lebanon on Wednesday. (Reuters)
Israeli media has been reporting deep concerns within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the country's military that the US might force it to stop launching strikes against Lebanon.
The chief of the IDF has reportedly urged the prime minister and the security cabinet to authorise strikes on Beirut to send Hezbollah a message.
Lebanese health authorities say more than 3,200 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since early March, when the latest conflict escalated.
Hundreds of those are women and children, and many healthcare workers are also among the dead.
Hezbollah opened fire on Israel in solidarity with Tehran, days after Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu authorised strikes on Iran.
It sparked an intense bombardment by Israel, which at its height forced the displacement of more than 1 million Lebanese and put immense pressure on the country's struggling and, at times, non-existent social welfare system.
The Israeli and Lebanese governments have been engaged in peace talks since April, hosted by the US, but those negotiations have not included Hezbollah.
It was during those talks that Mr Trump announced a ceasefire in Lebanon. However, senior ministers in the Lebanese government have said the terms of the truce give Israel free rein to attack whenever it perceives a threat.
Mr Trump had told Mr Netanyahu to show restraint after Israeli forces bombed more than 100 different sites in the space of 10 minutes on the day the ceasefire with Iran had come into force.
Lebanese health authorities said about 350 people were killed that day, including many civilians.
Some of the strikes hit densely packed residential areas in Beirut, without any warning.