Israel Orders Evacuation of Southern Lebanon, Citing Combat Zones Ahead of Strikes on Hezbollah

Israel issued evacuation orders for large parts of southern Lebanon, declaring the areas "combat zones" ahead of fresh strikes against Hezbollah.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) urged residents to move north of the Zahrani River, about 40km (25 miles) from the border, and said it would act "with extreme force".

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The BBC said it was the largest evacuation order since the ceasefire took effect on 17 April, covering about 14% of Lebanese territory, and it reported that earlier on Wednesday Israel carried out strikes on the southern city of Tyre.

The BBC also reported that the later evacuation order for areas south of the Zahrani River covers about 300 towns and villages, while Lebanese officials and humanitarian workers said Sidon could no longer absorb the growing influx of displaced families.

Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with Israeli troops, and the BBC quoted Hezbollah saying its fighters had clashed with Israeli forces "at point-blank range" in Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh, north of the Litani River.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said Israel warned all residents of southern Lebanon to leave, declaring the entire region a "combat zone" as it targets Hezbollah.

In a post on social media, the Arabic spokesman for the IDF told Lebanese residents they should evacuate north of the Zahrani River, and the outlet said the Lebanese community views those "evacuation warnings" as forced displacement orders.

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The BBC reported that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an expansion of its ground operation after Hezbollah drone attacks on troops occupying part of southern Lebanon and on civilians in northern Israel.

The Hindu reported that Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with Israeli troops beyond an Israeli-declared "yellow line" in south Lebanon on Wednesday (May 27, 2026) despite a ceasefire, and it quoted Hezbollah saying its fighters "clashed with the enemy forces at point-blank range" in Zawtar al-Sharqiyah.

The Hindu also said Israel’s army renewed an evacuation warning for Nabatieh and that it subsequently said it was striking "Hezbollah infrastructure sites" in the eastern Bekaa valley and south Lebanon.

The BBC said the escalation threatens to derail talks aimed at ending the war between the US, Israel and Iran, and it reported that Iran insists that any deal must also cover Lebanon.

“The Lebanese front is witnessing a rapid military escalation following urgent evacuation warnings issued by the Israeli occupation army for the city of Tyre, and renewed warnings for Nabatieh and five villages in its district, in parallel with intensive air raids that hit wide areas of southern Lebanon reaching to the Beqaa Valley in the east”

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The BBC also said Israel says it reserves the right to continue to fight the threat from Hezbollah, and it reported that Lebanon was drawn into the war on 2 March when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed Iran's supreme leader.

The Hindu said a military delegation comprising six Lebanese officers, headed by the army's director of operations Georges Rizkallah, will take part in talks at the Pentagon on Friday (May 29, 2026), and it said the delegation will "emphasise the need for a ceasefire".

The BBC reported that the IDF has issued nine evacuation warnings in the past 24 hours, fuelling fears of a major escalation along the Israel-Lebanon border and the prospect of renewed mass displacement.

France 24 reported that Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed 31 people and wounded 40 on Tuesday, Lebanon’s health ministry said, and it described that Israel said it was intensifying operations despite a truce with Hezbollah.