Israel Issues New Evacuation Orders for More Than 10 Southern Lebanon Towns, Some North of the Litani; Lebanese Military Delegation Heads to Tampa Talks on Tuesday
Beirut — Israel's military issued new displacement orders on Sunday to residents in towns and villages in southern Lebanon, including areas beyond its current zone of occupation, Al Jazeera reported. "For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the villages and towns by at least 1,000 metres into open areas," the Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X on Sunday.
The warning covers more than 10 villages and towns, including several in the Nabatieh district that lie north of the Litani River, south of which Israel has stationed troops. Al Jazeera reported that three of the towns were receiving such orders for the first time, showing that Israel's area of operations continues to expand. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency later reported a series of Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, including on towns not mentioned in the displacement order.
Israel's military chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, had on Wednesday threatened to strike Hezbollah "beyond the Yellow Line," which marks the area of Israeli control. "Any threat, anywhere, against our communities or our forces – including beyond the Yellow Line and north of the Litani – will be eliminated," he said. In the past week, two soldiers and an army contractor have been killed by drone attacks in the area and dozens of soldiers wounded.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Wednesday that Israel should fully implement the ceasefire before talks can take place. Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health said at least 10 people were killed in Israeli attacks across the country on Saturday; the total death toll since the Israel-Hezbollah war escalated on March 2 is 2,659, with 8,183 injured, the ministry said.
Diplomatically, a Lebanese military delegation will present Beirut's demands for an end to Israeli attacks in Lebanon at a trilateral meeting in Tampa, Florida, on October 20, the Lebanese presidency said in a post on X on Saturday, according to Reuters. Lebanon and Israel have held a number of direct talks in recent months aimed at ending hostilities since a new war erupted on March 2 between Israel and Hezbollah. Under a deal reached through US-brokered talks, Beirut vowed to disarm Hezbollah, which would in turn lead to Israeli troops gradually withdrawing from Lebanon; but Hezbollah has refused to disarm as long as Israeli forces remain on Lebanese land, and Israel has continued striking southern Lebanon.
(GSM, via Al Jazeera and Reuters)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：自海上望向贝鲁特海滨大道与天际线（资料图，非袭击现场）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，Wusel007 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0 授权 / Photo: The Beirut Corniche and skyline seen from the sea (file photo, not a strike scene). Source: Wikimedia Commons, by Wusel007, CC BY-SA 3.0.
