Israeli strikes hit south Lebanon as evacuation orders expand

An AFP correspondent described Nabatieh as nearly deserted, with artillery shelling reported overnight and into Saturday.

Lebanon’s state‑run National News Agency said Israeli airstrikes hit multiple areas in the south on Saturday, including the villages of Rihan and Sujud near Nabatieh, where a local official was killed. The strikes came as the Israeli army ordered residents in 24 locations to evacuate immediately and move north of the Zahrani River, about 45 kilometers from the border.

An AFP correspondent described Nabatieh as nearly deserted, with artillery shelling reported overnight and into Saturday. Explosions were also heard near the Ali Taher hills overlooking the city. Israel’s military said its air force intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” crossing from Lebanon, while Hezbollah claimed drone attacks on Israeli military vehicles.

The escalation underscores the failure of ceasefire efforts. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah has respected the April truce, and a conditional deal announced after U.S.‑mediated talks in Washington this month has not halted fighting. Lebanon says Israel’s campaign of airstrikes and ground operations has killed more than 3,700 people.

Hezbollah has rejected direct negotiations, arguing the deal unfairly demands it cease attacks without requiring Israel to withdraw troops. Lebanese leaders have accused Tehran of using the country as a bargaining chip in wider negotiations over the Iran war. Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad urged Lebanon to assert its own role in any settlement, while President Joseph Aoun warned the country faces “a fateful test” between uniting under a sovereign state or remaining hostage to militias.

Further Israel‑Lebanon talks are scheduled later this month, but with both sides intensifying operations, prospects for calm remain uncertain.