IDF orders evacuation for all residents south of Zahrani River

Hezbollah claims clashes with Israeli troops north of Litani; IDF dismisses reports

Terror group reports ‘point-blank’ battle in Zawtar al-Sharqiyah amid IDF ground advance; IAF maintains heavy strikes, a day after reportedly killing 31, including Lebanese soldier

Hezbollah on Wednesday said it was clashing with Israeli troops north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon amid a northward advance by Israeli ground forces, though the military dismissed the terror group’s claims, saying it was “unaware of anything unusual.”

The reported battles came a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel was “intensifying operations” in Lebanon by taking strategic positions and reinforcing the security buffer zone in a bid to counter the recent surge in drone attacks by Hezbollah. Earlier Tuesday, the IDF confirmed that it has expanded ground operations beyond the designated security zone in parts of southern Lebanon in recent days.

In a statement Wednesday, the Iran-backed group said its fighters “clashed with the enemy forces at point-blank range” with light and medium weapons in the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, located on the northern bank of the Litani river, which has marked a de-facto frontier separating the war-torn south from the rest of Lebanon.

The village is near the eastern edge of the Israeli-declared “Yellow Line,” where its troops have been operating during the current round of fighting.

Since early Tuesday, the terror group has said its fighters have faced Israeli troops entering the town, which holds strategic importance due to its proximity to the major southern city of Nabatieh, just under five miles (7 kilometers) away. It has also said it launched several rocket, artillery and exploding drone attacks on Israeli troops and vehicles mobilizing along the river toward the nearby village of Yohmor al-Shaqif.

In response to the reports, the Israel Defense Forces said that it was “unaware of anything unusual.”

IDF maintains heavy strikes; 31 said killed Tuesday

Amid the ground advance, Israel continued its intensive strikes, saying midday Wednesday that over the previous 24 hours, it struck more than 150 Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites and operatives in the Lebanese cities of Tyre and Nabatieh, as well as in the Beqaa Valley. The IDF published footage of strikes.

The military issued several evacuation warnings ahead of the strikes, including for the entire city of Nabatieh, the second evacuation order for the city in as many days. Residents of the city were instructed to evacuate north of the nearby Zahrani River.

The IDF also issued evacuation warnings for residents of Tyre and its surrounding Palestinian refugee camps, as well as for the towns of Kfar Houneh, Aaramta, Mlikh, Jarjouaa and Houmin al-Fawqa, who were told to evacuate at least a kilometer away.

After the warnings, the IDF said it launched another wave of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

Later Wednesday evening, the IDF issued a sweeping evacuation warning for the entirety of southern Lebanon, calling on all residents to move north of the Zahrani River, and warning that “all areas south of the river are considered combat zones.”

“We call on all residents of southern Lebanon to stay away from Hezbollah operatives, facilities, and combat equipment,” said military spokesman Avichay Adraee, adding that “the IDF does not intend to harm civilians.”

The announcement was the first broad advisory covering the entirety of southern Lebanon since the ceasefire, which has now largely unraveled, came into effect on April 16.

Wednesday’s strikes followed a similar barrage on Tuesday, which the Lebanese health ministry said killed 31 people, including at least four children and three women, with 40 wounded. The toll did not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Tuesday was one of the heaviest days of bombing in weeks, Lebanese security sources said.

Fourteen were killed in Burj al-Shamali near Tyre, five in Kawthariyat al-Riz, four in Habbush, six in Maarakeh and two in Salaa, the ministry said. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency added that one strike in Nabatieh hit the vicinity of a public hospital, causing “significant damage to the hospital’s departments.”

Several strikes also hit near Lebanon’s largest dam in the Litani river’s Qaraoun lake in the east. The Litani River Authority issued a statement warning that “any direct or indirect targeting of the Qaraoun Dam or its facilities could lead to catastrophic risks for residents, infrastructure, and vital installations in the areas downstream.”

Lebanon’s civil defense said one of its rescuers succumbed to his wounds after a strike on the town of Qaraoun, near the dam, as he was tending to a man hit by a previous attack.

Additionally, the Lebanese military said on Wednesday that a soldier had been killed in an Israeli airstrike near his post in in the Beqaa valley the day before. It said that it had retrieved his body after delays due to security concerns.

Hezbollah drones explode in north, no injuries reported

Meanwhile, Hezbollah continued its drone fire on northern Israel, with sirens sounding in several towns and communities throughout the day Wednesday.

Several explosive drones impacted in areas near the Lebanese border, the IDF said following sirens Wednesday afternoon.

The military said the incident is under investigation. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The army also said it launched an interceptor missile at “suspicious aerial targets” in an area where troops are operating in southern Lebanon, following sirens that sounded in the Rosh Hanikra area.

The results of the interception were under review, the military added, saying that the sirens were sounded according to protocol.

An IDF official admitted to Channel 12 this week that Israel has found itself “defenseless” against the drone threat posed by Hezbollah, with the terror group increasingly deploying first-person view drones guided by fiber-optic cables, which are largely immune to electronic jamming.

Israel has resorted to makeshift methods to defend against the surge in drone use, including placing nets and protective cages above military vehicles.