Heavy Airstrikes Hit Tyre as Evacuation Zone Expands in Southern Lebanon
Heavy Airstrikes Hit Tyre as Evacuation Zone Expands in Southern Lebanon
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Southern Lebanon witnessed a major military escalation on Thursday as intensive Israeli airstrikes targeted the city of Tyre and surrounding areas, coinciding with the largest evacuation operation in the south since the ceasefire agreement took effect on April 17.
The Israeli army launched a series of heavy airstrikes near Tyre hours after issuing evacuation orders for residents of several buildings and towns south of the Zahrani River, amid continuing military tensions with Hezbollah.
An Israeli army spokesperson said the strikes came in response to what he described as violations of the ceasefire agreement. Warning sirens were also activated in the northern Israeli settlement of Shtula over a suspected drone infiltration, as cross-border aerial attacks continued to increase.
Lebanese media reported that six civilians, including children, were killed when an Israeli aircraft targeted a vehicle carrying a displaced family on the Adloun highway in the Nabi Sari area of southern Lebanon during the early hours of the second day of Eid al-Adha.
According to media reports, Israeli forces carried out more than 150 airstrikes over the past 24 hours, targeting around 50 towns and villages in southern Lebanon and the eastern and western Bekaa regions, including areas in Tyre, Nabatieh, and Mashghara.
Evacuation orders covering nearly 300 towns and villages south of the Zahrani River, equivalent to around 14 percent of Lebanese territory, triggered a large wave of displacement from Tyre, Nabatieh, and nearby areas. Humanitarian warnings were issued over the limited capacity of Sidon to receive displaced families, with calls for some civilians to move toward the Bekaa and Mount Lebanon.
The escalation comes ahead of expected talks in Washington between military delegations from both sides, followed by a new round of negotiations in early June, amid international hopes of containing the crisis and preventing a wider regional confrontation.
