One dead in Israeli strike in southern Lebanon after new evacuation order
At least one person has been killed and 12 others injured in an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon's health ministry. The strike hit the roof of a prayer hall at the cemetery in the town of Tibnin. The Israeli military said it was responding to what it called a "blatant violation of the ceasefire" by Hezbollah.
Separate strikes were reported in the town of Mansouri, where the Israeli military issued its first evacuation order in more than a month. The order told residents to leave ahead of what it described as "forceful action" in the area.
Hezbollah has not commented on the events, which took place as Israeli and Lebanese officials attended US-sponsored talks in Rome aimed at preserving the ceasefire.
In late June, the three countries agreed a trilateral framework that should see Israeli forces gradually withdraw from territory it occupies in southern Lebanon in exchange for the disarmament of Hezbollah. Two weeks ago, the Lebanese army was allowed to deploy to one of the first "pilot zones" after Israeli troops pulled out of the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh.
Hezbollah has rejected the agreement, saying the provisions linking Israel's withdrawal to the group's disarmament crossed "all red lines".
The Israeli military announced on Wednesday afternoon that it had begun carrying out "precise strikes" in southern Lebanon, about 30 minutes after its Arabic-language spokesperson urged residents of Mansouri to evacuate. Both statements accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire but gave no further details.
An Israeli military source told Israeli media that displaced residents of Mansouri had returned to the town "under the auspices of the Lebanese army, which established a checkpoint in the area in violation of the agreements". The source said the town was inside the Israeli-declared "security zone" — a 10km-deep strip of occupied Lebanese territory along the border — and that "military activity that endangers the lives of Lebanese civilians" was taking place there.
The evacuation order was the first issued in southern Lebanon since 14 June, when residents of 29 towns and villages were told to flee their homes.
Earlier on Wednesday, the mayor of Mansouri, Haidar Madihli, told local media that Israeli warplanes had carried out four strikes on buildings and villas in the Ghazaleh neighbourhood on the outskirts of the town, causing extensive damage. He said the strikes had triggered a wave of displacement, with families loading their belongings into cars and heading towards Tyre, the largest city in the south.
Madihli added that around 120 families had returned to Mansouri after the 19 June ceasefire, but that the number had steadily fallen as Israeli strikes intensified. In recent days, only 40 to 50 families remained in the town.
The evacuation order came as the UN's humanitarian office said more than 820,000 people displaced in Lebanon by the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah had begun returning to their home areas following a reduction in hostilities. However, the UN said about 360,000 other people remained displaced across Lebanon, including 26,000 living in government shelters.
Lebanon was drawn into the war between Israel, the US and Iran on 2 March, when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in retaliation for a strike that killed Iran's supreme leader. Israel responded by launching a bombing campaign across Lebanon and invading a significant part of the country's south.
At least 4,333 people have been killed during the conflict, including 392 women and 253 children, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Since the ceasefire was announced, the ministry has recorded the killing of 353 people. Israeli authorities say 38 Israeli soldiers and four civilians have been killed on both sides of the border during the conflict.
