Israel orders evacuation of 20 towns and villages in southern Lebanon

WorldPolitics
13 Jun 2026 • 4:52 PM MYT
DPA International
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Image from: Israel orders evacuation of 20 towns and villages in southern Lebanon
FILE PHOTO - A Lebanese soldier directs the passage of hundreds of cars fleeing the Dahiyeh district in southern Beirut for safer areas after Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, ordered the military to attack targets in the southern suburb of Beirut. (is associated with: «Israel orders evacuation of 20 towns and villages in southern Lebanon») Marwan Naamani/dpa

The Israeli army on Saturday ordered the evacuation of residents from 20 towns and villages in southern Lebanon.

The army reported that there had been several drone attacks by the Lebanese Hezbollah militia on northern Israel since Friday evening.

Army spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X in Arabic that residents should leave their homes immediately for their own safety and move north of the Zahrani River. Anyone staying near Hezbollah fighters, their facilities or munitions is putting their life at risk, he wrote.

It was initially unclear how many people were affected by the evacuation.

The Israeli army had previously reported several air raid alerts in northern Israel following suspected drone attacks by Hezbollah. Among the areas affected were the border towns of Metula and Misgav Am.

A ceasefire has been in place between Israel and the Lebanese government since April. The current conflict is between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia - which refuses to negotiate with Israel. Both Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of continuously violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

Israeli troops are deployed in southern Lebanon and have unilaterally declared areas to be "security zones."