Deir al-Zahrani under fire… Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon

The Israeli army ordered residents of the town of Deir al-Zahrani in southern Lebanon to evacuate buildings adjacent to what it said was a facility belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah, shortly before carrying out strikes against it.

The Israeli army said it was conducting the strikes in response to Hezbollah launching two drones at its soldiers in the “security zone” it maintains in southern Lebanon, describing the attack as a violation of the ceasefire.

In a message in Arabic, the Israeli army warned that it was targeting a “terrorist facility belonging to Hezbollah,” holding those who failed to leave the area responsible for putting their safety at risk.

Lebanese media outlets later reported Israeli airstrikes on Deir al-Zahrani.

On Sunday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on the United States to “take urgent action” to halt the Israeli strikes in the south, condemning what he described as a “dangerous escalation.” The strikes killed seven people despite the announced ceasefire with Hezbollah and the framework agreement between the governments of the two countries.

The Israeli army had earlier issued its first evacuation warning in Lebanon in a month, warning residents of buildings in the town of Arab Salim that they had to leave before an attack on what it described as a Hezbollah facility nearby.

The war in the Middle East extended to Lebanon as of March 2, after Hezbollah, an ally of Tehran, launched missiles at Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, on February 28.

Israel has been engaged in a confrontation with Hezbollah since 2023, after the group opened a “support front” for Gaza and its ally Hamas shortly after the war broke out in the enclave.

Israeli strikes since October 8, 2023, have killed more than 8,920 people, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.