TThe Israeli army on Thursday urged residents in southern Lebanon to leave areas south of the Zahrani River, citing ongoing clashes with Hezbollah.
In a statement on X, military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the army would continue intensive air strikes and called on civilians to leave “immediately.”
“Air strikes are ongoing as the army operates with great force in the area. For your safety, we again call on you to evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Zahrani River,” he said.
Adraee said the attacks target what he described as Hezbollah activity, warning that civilians near the group’s members or facilities would be at risk.
“Anyone located near Hezbollah operatives, infrastructure or combat means is putting their life in danger,” he said.
He added that remaining south of the river or attempting to move further south could expose civilians to danger.
Lebanon-Israel talks
The warning came as US President Donald Trump said late on Wednesday that Israeli and Lebanese leaders would speak directly on Thursday for the first time in roughly three decades.
The announcement followed a Tuesday meeting at the State Department with Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter.
The meeting was hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, State Department counsellor Michael Needham, and US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz.
Hezbollah was not represented at the meeting.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2, when Israel and the US started a war against Iran, killing its then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, triggering Hezbollah to fire missiles on Israeli positions.
Since then, Israel has intensified its attacks on Lebanon and expanded its invasion into the country's south, killing more than 2,000 people in Lebanon and displacing over 1 million.
