Israel Orders Evacuation as Troops Enter South Lebanon

The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of nearly two dozen communities in southern Lebanon after launching what it described as a limited ground incursion against the Hezbollah militant group.

The evacuation order, issued Tuesday by the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson on the social media platform X, directed residents of several southern Lebanese communities to move north of the Awali River, roughly 60 kilometres from the Israeli border.

That area lies farther north than the Litani River, which marks the boundary of a United Nations-declared buffer zone established after the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. The Litani River runs about 30 kilometres from the border and has long served as a reference point in efforts to prevent direct military confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah forces.

The developments mark a significant escalation in tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border, which have intensified over recent months amid regional instability.