By Zvi Smith
Israel warned residents of southern Lebanon that its military would be conducting airstrikes against Hezbollah targets, in what is the most extensive evacuation order of south Lebanon since Israel's war with Hezbollah in 2006.
"Remaining south of the Zahrani River could endanger your life and the lives of your families," Israeli military's Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee said in an evacuation notice posted to X.
The order pushes people beyond the Litani River, a key diplomatic boundary, and means emptying a swath of southern Lebanon to a depth of 20-30 miles from the Israeli border, and includes the major population centers of Tyre and Nabatieh.
The area north of the Litani River figured prominently in Israel's operations in Lebanon 20 years ago. It represents the widest area of operation for the Israeli military since then, Orna Mizrahi, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said.
"In 2024, there were incursions north of the Litani, but there has not been a ground maneuver there since 2006," she said. The Israeli military has held five strategic points inside the Lebanese border since the cease-fire in November 2024, which called for Hezbollah to move its forces north of the Litani River.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned of extensive displacement Monday, saying, "Hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents of southern Lebanon who have evacuated and are evacuating their homes will not return to their homes south of the Litani area until the safety of the residents of the north is guaranteed."
Although the Israeli military has no intention of conquering southern Lebanon, Mizrahi said, the operation will involve going house-to-house to clear the area of Hezbollah operatives, command centers, storage units, missiles, launchers, and facilities for manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles, "and they are everywhere," she said.
"It will be a very complicated mission," she said.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 17, 2026 06:04 ET (10:04 GMT)
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