Israel issues evacuation order to residents in Lebanon’s city of Tyre

Israel’s military on Thursday issued an evacuation order for residents of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre as it intensified operations against Hezbollah targets across the region amid escalating cross-border hostilities.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it would carry out operations against the “Iran-backed group” Hezbollah in the area and warned civilians near designated buildings to immediately move north of the Zahrani River.

“The IDF is compelled to take forceful action against it,” the military said in its evacuation notice.

The warning came as Israeli airstrikes intensified across southern Lebanon. According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, at least two people were killed and another injured in an Israeli strike targeting alleged Hezbollah positions in the village of Deir Aames.

Lebanon’s civil defense said rescue teams evacuated 29 civilians trapped inside buildings damaged during strikes on the towns of Doueir and Nabatieh.

The Israeli army also renewed evacuation warnings for residents in Nabatieh and later expanded alerts to the towns of Kfarhouna, Aaramta, Mlita, Jarjouaa and Houmine al Fawqa, signalling a widening military operation in southern Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed a series of attacks on Israeli forces and military positions in Zawtar al Sharqiya and nearby areas.

The group said it targeted an Israeli Merkava tank near Bustan Zattam using an attack drone and launched rockets, artillery shells and heavy rockets at gatherings of Israeli soldiers and military vehicles near Tallet al Khazzan and the riverbed area.

Hezbollah also claimed its fighters engaged Israeli troops in close-range clashes around 9 am near the Scout Complex in Zawtar al Sharqiya using light and medium weapons, forcing Israeli soldiers to retreat before heavy bombardment resumed in the area.

Separately, Israeli warplanes carried out another strike on a building in the Mashrouaa al Rouz area near the entrance to Abbasiyeh, north of Tyre, completely destroying the structure.

Additional Israeli airstrikes were also reported in Tyre and near the Rashidieh Palestinian refugee camp south of the coastal city.

The latest escalation comes amid continuing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah along the Lebanon-Israel border, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.

According to Lebanon’s health ministry, Israeli attacks since 2 March have killed at least 3,269 people and wounded 9,840 others as of 27 May.

With IANS inputs