BEIRUT (AP) — The Israeli military on Wednesday told residents across southern Lebanon to leave as it expands its operations there, saying in a statement that the military will “work with extreme force” against Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group. The warning comes a day after Israeli troops clashed with the Iran-backed Hezbollah along a strategic river in southern Lebanon, with Israeli forces pushing farther north, days ahead of talks in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli delegations.Wednesday’s warning is the first that orders the Lebanese to relocate from the south since a ceasefire went into effect on April 17 and follows an escalation in the Israel-Hezbollah war. Israeli Israeli troops have crossed the Litani River, edging closer to the southern city of Nabatiyeh. Israel and Hezbollah have had near-daily exchanges lately, though Israel has not struck Beirut or areas near the capital since the truce started.
The war started on March 2 after Hezbollah fired rockets towards northern Israel in solidarity with Iran. Over one million people in Lebanon have since been displaced, and over 3,200 people killed in Israeli strikes according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
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