Israeli forces on Wednesday ordered people in a wide stretch of southern Lebanon to move north, warning that all territory south of the Zahrani River would be treated as a combat zone.
In a message posted on X, an Israeli military spokesperson said, “We advise residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate to the north of the Zahrani River, as all areas south of the river are considered a combat zone.”
The warning, issued as residents marked Eid al-Adha, signalled a further widening of Israel’s military operation against Hezbollah.
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BREAKING: The Israeli Air Force has carried out an airstrike in Sidon, Lebanon.
Sidon is Lebanon’s third largest city and sits well north of the border zone where most of the recent fighting has been concentrated.
Hitting it expands the campaign beyond the Bekaa, Tyre,… https://t.co/3Ryt3pS2So pic.twitter.com/UxxT9lItrl
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 27, 2026
A fresh warning as the front line inches north
The order came after more than 120 strikes on Tuesday hit targets in Lebanon’s south and east, according to Reuters, and after Israeli troops pushed farther north in a series of ground clashes.
The warning was the first since the April ceasefire that explicitly told residents across the south to relocate, underscoring the seriousness of the latest escalation.
The Zahrani River lies about 40 kilometres north of the Israeli-Lebanese border, and the area south of it covers roughly 2,000 square kilometres.
Tyre begins an uneasy march toward Sidon
People were seen leaving the coastal city of Tyre and nearby neighbourhoods, heading north to Sidon, where thousands of displaced people were already sheltering.
Lebanese first responders said some residents had nowhere to go and were staying put despite the risks. The Israeli military said it was targeting Hezbollah command centres and other military-linked sites, while Lebanese reports said strikes continued near Tyre after the evacuation warning.
REGIONAL TENSIONS ESCALATE: The IDF is expanding ground operations further north into Lebanon as Israel battles a deadly new threat: unjammable, fiber-optic drones from Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, President Trump is heavily pressuring Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar to… pic.twitter.com/9tq23781N6
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The bill for this affair is already steep
The latest move comes against the backdrop of a conflict that has already displaced more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon and killed more than 3,200, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
The World Health Organization has said at least 608 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli attacks since the truce. Israel’s military said 10 of its soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire, including six in Hezbollah drone attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this week that the military needed further action in Lebanon to protect communities in northern Israel.
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Talks remain in the background for now
The escalation also comes as regional diplomacy remains in flux. Israeli officials do not want to be seen as derailing possible talks involving the United States and Iran. For now, however, the military order has deepened fears that the ceasefire is fraying further and that Lebanon’s south could face still broader attacks in the days ahead.
