Israel strikes southern Lebanon after issuing evacuation warnings for Nabatieh as US-Iran deal looms
Following Israeli army warnings to evacuate 24 locations south of the Zahrani River, airstrikes hit Nabatieh and surrounding villages, killing a local official and wounding a Lebanese soldier, while Hezbollah fought Israeli forces on the ground.
Evacuation warnings prompt strikes
On Saturday, the Israeli military issued two warnings to residents of 24 locations, including the city of Nabatieh, to "evacuate your homes immediately and move to the north of the Zahrani River". The river lies around 45 kilometres from the border with Israel. Last month, Israel had declared all areas south of the river as combat zones. Shortly after the warnings, the state-run National News Agency reported Israeli airstrikes in several of the listed areas, including the villages of Rihan and Sujud. An AFP photojournalist heard blasts around Kfar Remman and saw smoke rising from Kfar Tebnit, which was not included in the warnings.
evacuate your homes immediately and move to the north of the Zahrani River
Clashes and casualties
The Lebanese army said one of its soldiers was severely wounded after being hit by an Israeli drone on the road between Kfar Remman and Nabatieh, following an earlier attempt to target him near a hospital. An Israeli strike killed a local official in Rihan, in the Jezzine region. Hezbollah said its fighters launched drone attacks on Israeli military vehicles and thwarted an overnight infiltration attempt near Kfar Tebrnit, engaging in a firefight with medium weapons. The group also reported clashes near Majdal Zoun. Israel's military said it intercepted a suspicious aerial target from Lebanon and struck over 70 Hezbollah infrastructure sites in the past 24 hours.
Ceasefire efforts stalled
Israel and Hezbollah have been at war since early March, when the Iran-backed group drew Lebanon into the Middle East conflict to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes. Over 3,700 people have been killed in Lebanon, authorities say. Neither side has respected an April ceasefire, and a conditional truce deal announced this month after talks in Washington has also failed to halt the fighting. Hezbollah has rejected the conditional agreement, which requires it to cease attacks but does not mention an Israeli withdrawal.
Iran deal looms over Lebanon
The United States and Iran have indicated they are close to a deal to end the wider Middle East war, with a senior US official saying Friday that a peace deal with Iran "includes Lebanon". Iran insists that Lebanon must be part of any agreement. However, Lebanese leaders have accused Tehran of treating Lebanon as a bargaining chip. Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad urged Lebanon to take advantage of the moment.
We want the Lebanese state to negotiate for itself, and nobody is suggesting forfeiting this role, however, the state must abandon the policy of being crushed in the face of the Israelis and submission to the Americans.
President Joseph Aoun said on X that Lebanon faces "a fateful test" and that "either its people unite around a sovereign state…"
