Israel orders fresh evacuations as forces advance deeper into Lebanon

Beirut, Lebanon: Israel’s military on Saturday issued evacuation warnings for residents of seven villages in southern Lebanon after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces had pushed further into Lebanese territory. The warnings follow a day after Israeli and Lebanese military delegations held landmark security talks in Washington, and come ahead of U.S.-brokered negotiations early next week — the fourth round since the latest Israel‑Hezbollah conflict began.

Despite a declared truce that came into effect on April 17, heavy bombardment of southern Lebanon has continued. Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that all efforts must be made to secure a ceasefire.
Iran has insisted that any U.S. agreement to end the wider regional war that erupted in February must include Lebanon. Both Israel and Hezbollah accuse the other of violating the ceasefire and cite those alleged breaches to justify ongoing attacks.

Saturday’s Israeli evacuation warnings covered villages near Nabatieh. Hezbollah said the same day that it fired rockets at the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, ambushed Israeli soldiers near Ghandouriyeh — forcing them to withdraw, it claimed — and struck a military base in northern Israel. On Friday, Israel’s military reported intercepting several projectiles from Lebanon, with one landing near Kiryat Shmona. Hezbollah also said it attacked Israeli forces advancing near the medieval Beaufort fortress (Qalaat al‑Chakif), which Israel used as a base during its occupation of southern Lebanon that ended in 2000.