Israel's military on Wednesday declared a new swathe of southern Lebanon a combat zone and said residents in the area should move north, warning it would act "with great force" against Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in the zone. The military's statement, posted on X, appeared to signal further escalation after more than 120 strikes on Tuesday hit Lebanon's south and east, despite a ceasefire announced on April 16. "We advise residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate to the north of the Zahrani River, as all areas south of the river are considered a combat zone," an Israeli military spokesperson posted on X. The Zahrani River runs east to west about 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Israel's border with Lebanon, and the Lebanese territory south of it covers about 2,000 square kilometres.
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Una densa columna de humo se eleva tras un ataque israelí en Nabatieh, Líbano, el 26 de mayo de 2026. © Stringer - Reuters
Israel restrained in Beirut, officials say Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel needed to take further action in Lebanon to protect communities in northern Israel from Hezbollah. The Israeli military has previously ordered people below the Litani River further south to leave. It already issued individual evacuation orders and carried out strikes in several dozen towns between the Litani and Zahrani. Wednesday's order was the first time that residents were ordered to evacuate the entire zone south of the Zahrani. The Israeli military urged civilians to stay away from Hezbollah operatives, facilities and weapons sites. Lebanese security sources told Reuters that people were fleeing north to the port city of Sidon, already hosting thousands displaced from other parts of southern Lebanon. The new statement came as Muslims across Lebanon were celebrating Eid al-Adha. More than 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced by Israeli strikes and evacuation orders since March 2, when Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of its ally Iran.
