At least 16 people have been killed and 58 wounded in Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese health authorities. The escalation comes as Israel intensifies its assault and issues mass displacement orders throughout the region.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported on Thursday that six of the victims belonged to the same family. They were killed in an Israeli drone strike while attempting to flee at dawn along the Adloun Highway, a critical route connecting Sidon and Tyre.
The attack occurred as Israel expanded its bombardment across southern Lebanon, targeting residential areas, roads, and civilian infrastructure. The Lebanese army confirmed that one of its soldiers was killed in an Israeli strike in the Nabatieh area, marking the latest in a series of attacks against military personnel. Other soldiers have also lost their lives in recent days in strikes across southern Lebanon and the western Beqaa Valley.
Israel has also issued sweeping displacement orders covering significant portions of the south, including Tyre and its surrounding areas. Residents have been instructed to evacuate immediately and move north of the Zahrani River, approximately 40km (25 miles) from the Lebanon-Israel border. These orders, disseminated on social media with marked buildings, have compelled thousands to flee under the threat of attack.
**‘Things are only going to get worse’**
In Tyre, Israeli air strikes hit a building and a cafe overnight, sparking fires and leaving emergency crews sifting through debris for casualties. The Israeli military stated it is targeting what it refers to as Hezbollah “infrastructure,” yet Israeli strikes have repeatedly impacted civilian neighborhoods and populated areas.
Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto, reporting from Tyre, described the attacks on the city as relentless. “Since midnight, there have been over a dozen strikes on the city of Tyre and its surrounding areas.” He added, “Yesterday, people left the city over the course of the day. It seems like the city, for the most part, is pretty empty.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that Israel’s large-scale forced displacements and continuous strikes on urban centers are placing civilians at severe risk and exacerbating a humanitarian crisis. “The fear is that things are only going to get worse,” Hitto remarked.
Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, noted that a US-brokered ceasefire that took effect last month had failed to halt the violence. “It was just ink on paper. It remained very much an active warzone.” She further stated, “But what we have seen over the past three or four days is some of the heaviest Israeli bombardment yet across southern Lebanon since this latest confrontation began in early March.”
This escalation coincides with the scheduled resumption of United States-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday, starting with technical discussions before progressing to broader negotiations in early June. However, Israel’s significant intensification of military operations in the past two days casts doubt on the prospects for diplomacy.
“It is unclear how these talks will proceed,” Hitto commented. He concluded, “People here are extremely frustrated and would like to see the Lebanese government take a stronger position at these talks, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.”
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