Residents ordered to leave as Israel escalates southern Lebanon offensive

Israel’s military told residents across a large swathe of southern Lebanon to leave their homes and head north yesterday, as the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said his forces were escalating their offensive against Hezbollah.

- Jason Burke

In a social media post, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said areas south of the Zahrani River, which runs roughly 25 miles north of the Israel-Lebanon border, were considered combat zones.

“In light of the repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement by the terrorist organisation Hezbollah, the IDF will act against it with great force,” a spokesperson posted on X.

The warning was the first since a ceasefire went into effect on 17 April and came a day after Israel launched more than 120 airstrikes against Lebanon in one of the heaviest days of bombing in weeks.

The ceasefire brokered by the US last month now appears close to collapse, complicating negotiations to bring an end to the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Tehran, which has a close relationship with Hezbollah, has repeatedly signalled that an end to Israel’s offensive in Lebanon is a condition of any peace deal with Washington.

Donald Trump told reporters at the White House yesterday that Iran wanted to make a deal but that the US was not satisfied with it yet.