Israel issues new forced displacement orders in southern Lebanon

Israel’s military has issued new displacement orders to residents in towns and villages in southern Lebanon, including areas beyond its current zone of occupation, despite a truce meant to halt fighting with the armed group Hezbollah.

“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the villages and towns by at least 1,000 metres [0.6 miles] into open areas,” the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X on Sunday.

The warning covers more than 10 villages and towns, including several in the district of Nabatieh that lie north of the Litani River, south of which Israel has stationed troops.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency later reported a series of Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, including on towns not mentioned in the displacement order.

Since April 17, a fragile United States-brokered ceasefire has been in place between Israel and Lebanon, which was aimed at halting the violence between Hezbollah and Israel’s military.

On Wednesday, Israel’s military chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, had threatened to strike Hezbollah “beyond the Yellow Line”, which marks the area of Israeli control.

“Any threat, anywhere, against our communities or our forces – including beyond the Yellow Line and north of the Litani – will be eliminated,” he said during a visit to Israeli troops.

In the past week, two soldiers and an army contractor have been killed by drone attacks in the area and dozens of soldiers wounded.

The US has called for direct peace negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, but Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Wednesday that Israel should fully implement the ceasefire before the talks can take place.

Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from Beirut, said the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, in force since mid-April and recently extended to mid-May, “exists only in name”.

“Down south, Israel maintains five divisions of its invading army, and it is bombing and demolishing homes extensively,” he reported.

“What’s significant about the forced evacuation orders issued this morning … is that three of [the towns] are receiving them for the first time. Some of them are even north of the Litani River. That is not unique in this conflict. Israel has done these things before, but collectively, it shows that Israel’s area of operations continues to expand.”

Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said at least 10 people were killed in Israeli attacks across the country on Saturday. The total death toll since the Israel-Hezbollah war escalated on March 2 is 2,659, with 8,183 injured, it said.