Israel Strikes South Lebanon After Evacuation Warning

The new order marked the first evacuation warning in south Lebanon since 14 June, when residents of 29 towns and villages were told to flee. In Mansouri, mayor Haidar Madihli told local media that warplanes struck buildings and villas in the Ghazaleh neighbourhood on the edge of town, causing heavy damage.

Madihli said the attacks triggered another wave of movement as families loaded belongings into cars and headed for Tyre, the biggest city in the south. He said about 120 families had returned after the 19 June ceasefire, but that the number had steadily dropped as strikes continued, leaving only 40 to 50 families in the town in recent days.

The Israel strikes south Lebanon came as Israeli and Lebanese officials were in Rome for US-sponsored talks aimed at keeping the ceasefire in place. In late June, the three countries agreed to a trilateral framework that calls for Israeli troops to withdraw gradually from territory they occupy in southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah’s disarmament. Hezbollah has rejected that arrangement, saying the link between Israel’s withdrawal and its own disarmament crossed all red lines.

The broader war has already forced mass displacement across Lebanon. The UN humanitarian office said more than 820,000 people who fled the fighting had started to return home as hostilities eased, but about 360,000 remained displaced, including 26,000 in government shelters. The Lebanese health ministry says at least 4,333 people have been killed since the conflict escalated, while Israeli authorities say 38 Israeli soldiers and four civilians have died on both sides of the border. For Americans watching the region, the latest strikes show how quickly a fragile ceasefire can unravel and why the talks in Rome matter far beyond Lebanon’s border.