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Israel launches fresh strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
Israeli forces conducted a new wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, hitting areas near the coastal city of Tyre, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA). The attacks targeted what Israel described as Hezbollah infrastructure, escalating tensions after days of cross-border clashes.
Collapsed buildings and displaced residents in Tyre
Videos shared on social media showed dust-filled streets in Tyre, one of Lebanon's largest cities, where crowds gathered around damaged buildings. Israeli strikes on Thursday morning struck Tyre and its eastern outskirts, igniting fires in residential areas, the NNA reported.
Rida, a 52-year-old café owner whose home and business were destroyed in last month's strikes, said fear had driven many to flee. "People packed up their things. Everyone is scared," he told reporters by phone on Wednesday, describing crowds gathering near the port.
Largest evacuation order since April ceasefire
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday urged residents south of the Zahrani River-about 40 kilometers from the border-to move north, warning of imminent "extreme force" in response to alleged Hezbollah ceasefire violations. The order covered roughly 14% of Lebanese territory, marking the largest evacuation directive since the truce began on April 17.
Humanitarian groups warned the situation had reached a "perilous tipping point." Agnes Dhur, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Lebanon, said ongoing hostilities were creating "untenable conditions" for civilians, risking long-term consequences.
Displacement crisis worsens as strikes spread
The evacuation zone includes around 300 towns and villages, many already hosting families displaced from other conflict areas. Aid workers said Sidon, a coastal city south of Beirut, could no longer accommodate the influx, urging civilians to relocate further east to the Beqaa Valley or Mount Lebanon.
Lebanese media reported Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley on Wednesday, killing four people in the towns of Choukine and Nabatieh. Hezbollah claimed its fighters had engaged Israeli troops "at point-blank range" in Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh, a town outside Israel's declared buffer zone.
Ceasefire under strain as diplomatic talks falter
Israel accused Hezbollah of repeatedly violating the temporary truce, which has been extended twice since April. Lebanese officials countered that Israeli strikes themselves breached the agreement, threatening to derail U.S.-brokered negotiations aimed at ending the broader conflict.
Iran, which backs Hezbollah, insists any deal must include Lebanon. Israel maintains it reserves the right to counter perceived threats from the group, which it holds responsible for drawing Lebanon into the war on March 2 after Hezbollah launched rockets in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed Iran's supreme leader.
"Ongoing hostilities create conditions that are untenable for civilians and risk long-term consequences."
Agnes Dhur, ICRC Lebanon
Casualties mount as conflict enters fifth month
Lebanon's health ministry reported at least 3,213 deaths since the war began, though its figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Israel said 23 of its soldiers and four civilians have been killed on both sides of the border during the same period.
