Israel issues new forced displacement orders in southern Lebanon

The warning covers more than 10 villages and towns, including several in the district of Nabatieh that lie north of the Litani River.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.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Woman killed, children injured as Israel attacks Lebanonlist 2 of 3Was Israeli PM’s Lebanon destruction video a snub to Trump?list 3 of 3How is Israel replicating its Gaza tactics in Lebanon?end of listThe 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.