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🇱🇧 Lebanon /Disasters & Emergencies

Israel orders new evacuations as forces push deeper into Lebanon

From Naharnet · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Israel issued evacuation warnings for seven southern Lebanese villages on Saturday as its military advanced deeper into the country.
  • The warnings followed landmark security talks in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli delegations and precede further U.S.-brokered negotiations.
  • Both Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of violating a truce that took effect April 17 but has never been observed, with ongoing cross-border attacks.

Israel's military issued evacuation warnings for seven villages in southern Lebanon on Saturday, signaling a deeper push into the country.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Friday that Israeli forces had advanced beyond the Litani River, approximately 30 kilometers north of the border. "Our forces have crossed the Litani, they have moved up to the commanding terrain," he stated, adding that Israel was "hitting Hezbollah head on."

Our forces have crossed the Litani, they have moved up to the commanding terrain. We are hitting Hezbollah head on.

— Benjamin NetanyahuPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Friday that Israeli forces had advanced beyond the Litani River, approximately 30 kilometers north of the border.

The latest warnings came a day after Lebanese and Israeli military delegations held security talks in Washington. U.S.-brokered negotiations are expected to continue early next week, marking the fourth round since the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio via phone to "exert all efforts to reach a ceasefire."

the need to exert all efforts to reach a ceasefire.

— Joseph AounLebanese President Joseph Aoun emphasized in a call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio "the need to exert all efforts to reach a ceasefire."

A truce officially took effect on April 17 but has remained unobserved, with both sides accusing each other of violations. Hezbollah stated Saturday it fired rockets at the northern Israeli settlement of Kiryat Shmona and ambushed Israeli soldiers near Ghandouriyeh. Israel's military confirmed intercepting projectiles from Lebanon, with one hitting near Kiryat Shmona on Friday.

Israeli strikes in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre killed 11 people on Friday, according to Lebanon's health ministry, which condemned the bombardment as a "flagrant violation of humanitarian law." Lebanon was drawn into the wider regional conflict when Hezbollah launched rockets in early March.

flagrant violation of humanitarian law

— Lebanon's health ministryIsraeli strikes in the southern city of Tyre killed 11 people on Friday, according to Lebanon's health ministry, which called the bombardment a "flagrant violation of humanitarian law."
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Naharnet. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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