Israel orders more forceful evacuations in 26 Lebanese towns amid onslaught

The Israeli army has ordered civilians in 26 border towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately amid air and ground attacks on the country.

Military spokesman Avichay Adraee ordered Lebanese residents to leave their homes and move north of the Awali River on Sunday.

The list of the targeted towns included Houla, Meiss Ej Jabal, and Majdal Selm.

The new forced evacuation orders came amid a massive Israeli aerial campaign across Lebanon, killing at least 1,204 people and injuring 3,411 others since September 23.

Tel Aviv also started a ground invasion of southern Lebanon on October 1.

The military campaign was an escalation in a year long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of Tel Aviv’s brutal offensive on Gaza that has killed nearly 41,900 people, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.

At least 2,036 people have since been killed, over 9,600 injured, and 1.2 million others displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.