Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon have killed at least five people and destroyed homes and government buildings despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The Israeli military ordered residents of 24 towns to evacuate north of the Zahrani River, raising fears of mass displacement and humanitarian consequences. Reports that the U.S. and Iran agreed wording for a wider deal have fuelled concern that continued Israeli operations could jeopardise negotiations. Talks resume on June 22 as leaders seek a comprehensive agreement.
Israel Strikes Southern Lebanon: At Least Five Killed; 24 Towns Ordered Evacuated
A man inspects a damaged building following Israeli attacks in Tyre, Lebanon [EPA]
Israeli air strikes across southern Lebanon have killed at least five people and demolished homes and government buildings, officials and local media reported, even as a United States-brokered ceasefire remains in effect.
Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) said one person died in an air strike on the town of Maarakeh in the Tyre district. Ali Badie, the mayor of the Ar-Rihan municipality, was reported killed in an attack in the Jezzine district. Three additional fatalities were recorded in Deir al-Zahrani and Kafr Reman in the Nabatieh district.
According to NNA, dawn strikes also levelled homes and government buildings in the southern town of Bint Jbeil, deepening fears of a widening humanitarian impact in border communities.
The Israeli military issued orders telling residents of 24 towns and villages to leave their homes immediately and move "north of the Zahrani River." The forced-displacement directives cover Deir al-Zahrani, al-Namirieh, al-Sharquieh, al-Dewayr, Harouf, Habboush, Kfarjoz, Zibdine (Nabatieh), Nabatieh al-Tahta, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Kfar Rouman, Al-Mahmoudieh, Sajed (Jezzine), Reihan, Aaramta, Kfarchouba, Mlki, Al-Lawiza (Jezzine), Jarjouh and Arab Salim.
On Saturday the Israeli military said it had activated an air-raid alert in the northern town of Metula after reporting the "infiltration of a hostile aircraft" from Lebanon; officials did not name Hezbollah or any other armed group.
Al Jazeera correspondent Heidi Pett, reporting from Beirut, said air strikes continued from Friday into the evening against towns and villages well north of the so-called "Yellow Line" — the part of southern Lebanon that Israeli forces have long sought to control.
Separately, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that U.S. and Iranian officials had agreed on the wording of a draft deal aimed at ending wider hostilities, with Iranian media saying the text would declare an end to the war "on all fronts, including Lebanon." Observers warned that continued Israeli operations in Lebanon risk undermining any emerging U.S.–Iran accord, because Israel is not party to those negotiations.
The strikes also come despite an earlier ceasefire arrangement between Israeli and Lebanese officials calling for a "complete cessation" of hostilities by Hezbollah; exchanges of fire and air strikes have persisted.
The next round of talks between the two countries is scheduled for June 22, as mediators seek a comprehensive agreement to stabilise the frontier.
Lebanese President said the country faces a "fateful juncture" and must choose to become "a sovereign state that monopolises arms and upholds the rule of law" rather than remain "hostage to the logic of militias and the culture of exclusion." He described national unity as an "existential necessity."
Humanitarian organisations have voiced alarm over the displacement orders and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. The latest strikes add to mounting concerns about civilian safety, potential population displacement and the fragility of negotiated pauses in fighting.
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