Israel Declares New Area in Lebanon a Combat Zone
The announcement pointed to a fresh escalation after more than 120 strikes hit Lebanon yesterday, even though a ceasefire was announced on 16 April.
With a sweeping new warning, Israel’s military has told residents across a broad stretch of southern Lebanon to head north, declaring the area a combat zone and signaling that the confrontation with Hezbollah is entering a more dangerous phase.
The announcement pointed to a fresh escalation after more than 120 strikes hit Lebanon yesterday, even though a ceasefire was announced on 16 April.
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“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 social media.
The Zahrani River lies about 40km north of Israel’s border with Lebanon, and the Lebanese territory south of it spans roughly 2,000sq/km.
The Israeli military had previously instructed residents south of the Litani River to leave.
It had also issued individual evacuation notices and launched strikes on several dozen towns across the area.
Today’s order marked the first time residents were told to evacuate the entire zone south of the River Zahrani.
The Israeli military also urged civilians to avoid Hezbollah operatives, facilities and weapons sites.
Lebanese security sources said people were fleeing north toward the port city of Sidon, which is already sheltering thousands displaced from other parts of southern Lebanon.
The statement came as Muslims across Lebanon marked Eid al-Adha.
The scene left behind after an Israeli strike on Tyre, Lebanon
More than 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced by Israeli missiles and evacuation orders since 2 March, when Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of its ally Iran.
Israeli strikes have battered southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as the capital, Beirut, killing more than 3,200 people, according to the country’s health ministry.
Clashes have persisted in southern Lebanon despite the US-brokered ceasefire announced on 16 April.
The World Health Organization said that at least 608 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire.
The Israeli military said 10 of its soldiers had been killed since the ceasefire began, six of them in Hezbollah explosive drone attacks.
Israel’s military said it had widened its ground operations in southern Lebanon beyond a security zone occupied by its troops, but gave no details on how far forces had advanced past the so-called Yellow Line.
Beirut has avoided fresh strikes, although Israeli surveillance drones continue to fly over the city every day and reporters said a warplane was heard flying low today.
Three senior Israeli officials said Israel believes it has freedom of action in southern Lebanon, but far less room to manoeuvre in Beirut.
The officials added that Israel did not want to be seen as undermining US President Donald Trump’s potential deal with Iran by bringing down buildings in the Lebanese capital.
A “quite terrifying” reality for people in Lebanon
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said it is especially alarmed by a deepening mental health crisis in Lebanon, where services have been “shattered by the conflict”.
Senior Vice President for Crisis Response, Ciarán Donnelly, said that “people are dealing with the trauma of what they’re experiencing on a daily basis”.
Mr Donnelly told RTÉ’s Six One that “the reality for people on the ground is really quite terrifying for many of them.
“People have been displaced from their homes as a result of bombing and evacuation orders, some have managed to return home only to find that airstrikes and attacks continue.
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“Civilians are continuing to suffer, and the humanitarian response is unfolding in that environment of heightened danger, but also peace and stability feels like an ever elusive reality for people in Lebanon.”
Mr Donnelly said that in conflict situations, the IRC would always urge parties to halt attacks and make room for humanitarian operations to expand and reach those in need.
“But also, to create some of the political conditions for dialogue and a pathway to peace.”
For now, however, the attacks continue.
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