More than 80,000 evacuated from southern Lebanon
Agencies :
Tens of thousands of Lebanese people have been displaced following evacuation orders put out by the Israeli military declaring 8 percent of the country’s land mass south of the Litani river as an active combat zone.
In a post on X, Israel’s Arabic military spokesperson called on residents of southern Lebanon “to immediately evacuate their homes and head north of the Litani River” to “guarantee their safety.”
The statement warned that “any movement to the south could put their lives in danger,” and that “anyone who is near Hezbollah members, facilities, or combat equipment is placing their life at risk.”
Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said that 83,847 displaced people had registered in shelters due to the Israeli evacuation warnings, noting that the number of shelter centers had reached 399 across Lebanon.
At least 72 people were killed and 437 others have been injured in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since Monday, when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Under a November 2024 truce, only UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese army may bear arms south of the Litani river.
Israel was supposed to withdraw all its forces but has kept troops in areas it deems strategic, and conducted near-daily air strikes.
Troops from three divisions, including infantry, armored and engineering units were operating in southern Lebanon, Israel’s army said late on Wednesday.
AFP video footage showed what appeared to be two Israeli tanks amid residential buildings in Khiam, about 6 km north of the border.
The UN peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, reported Israeli “movements and military activities” on the Lebanese side, adding in a statement that they violated Lebanon’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Hezbollah said that its fighters had engaged Israeli troops in “direct” clashes in Khiam, while Israel said that two of its soldiers had been “moderately injured” by anti-tank fire.
Meanwhile, an air strike hit a hotel in Hazmieh — the first reported Israeli attack on the predominantly Christian area in Beirut’s suburbs, which is near the presidential palace and several foreign embassies.
Some rooms were gutted in the strike, and wounded people received treatment in the lobby, AFP images showed.
People fled through debris carrying suitcases past the Comfort Hotel’s sign, which had fallen broken to the ground. It was not possible to determine who was targeted in the attack.
A series of strikes on Wednesday hit Beirut’s southern suburbs following evacuation warnings from Israel’s military.
One of the strikes targeted a building near a major hospital, according to an AFP photographer.
Footage showed thick plumes of smoke rising above buildings in the densely populated suburb, which some residents fled when the violence erupted on Monday.
In Aramoun and Saadiyat south of Beirut — two towns outside of Hezbollah’s traditional sphere of influence — the health ministry said that Israeli strikes killed at least six people.
Strikes also targeted a four-story building in the city of Baalbek, in Lebanon’s east, far from the border where Hezbollah also has a strong presence.
