The Israeli military ordered the mass displacement of all of southern Lebanon on Wednesday night, removing people who have been forced from their homes by conflict throughout their lives.
An Israeli military spokesman told residents of southern Lebanon to depart north of the Zahrani River "as all areas south of the river are considered combat zones".
The Israeli army, which has invaded Lebanon in pursuit of Hezbollah, has killed more than 3,100 people and caused widespread destruction and displacement in doing so.
For those who had returned to their homes after an April ceasefire, the return was only brief after fighting between Hezbollah and Israel somewhat lessened. Others have been unable to return, or could only visit for a short time.
Israeli air strikes killed more than 10 people across Lebanon in the second day of an intensified military assault on Wednesday as the country celebrated Eid Al Adha. The true figure is likely to be higher given the challenges and delays in reporting deaths due to the conflict.
The Israeli military had earlier also ordered the forced displacement of Tyre, a day after doing so for the remaining residents of Nabatieh, aiming to empty the two largest cities in the country's south.
Around two hours after the order, Israeli jets began bombing the city, following warnings from paramedics for residents to leave. Footage shared online showed Tyre residents, who have already been repeated displaced, fleeing north yet again.
Along with the daily strikes in southern Lebanon, Israeli jets also carried out attacks in the eastern Bekaa Valley region, which borders Syria, including on Hermel in the far north-east.
“Eid comes this year and Lebanon is still going through the most difficult circumstances, from war, destruction and tragedies,” said Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
“But Eid remains an occasion to adhere to hope and confidence in our ability to achieve our goal of building a strong and just state to advance Lebanon.”
Lebanese authorities said at least nine people were killed on Wednesday. Israeli strikes on Tuesday had killed at least 31 people and wounded 40 others, the Lebanese Health Ministry said, marking one of the heaviest days of bombing in weeks.
A so-called truce agreed in mid-April has done little to bring respite to residents of southern towns and villages, who have faced forced displacement and intense Israeli strikes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the army was deepening its operations in Lebanon, advancing beyond the “yellow line” in the south that marks occupied territory.
Dozens of villages and towns north of the line have already been largely emptied through repeated bombardment and forced displacement orders. The Israeli army has also been razing towns and villages in the occupation zone.
The Israeli escalation follows repeated Hezbollah attacks on its troops with explosive drones guided through fibre-optic cable that the group has named Ababil, after the birds that protect the Kaaba in Makkah. Israel has cited the threat from these drones, which cannot be stopped by electronic jamming, as a justification for increasing its attacks.
Fourteen people, including two children, were killed in Israeli attacks on Burj Al Shamali in the Tyre district on Tuesday, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.
Five people were killed in strikes on Kawthariyet Al Rez, in the Saida district, six were killed in Maarakeh, and two were killed in Selaa, in the Tyre district. Four people, including two children, were killed in Haboush, in the Nabatieh district.
Security sources told Reuters that more than 120 Israeli strikes had pounded southern and eastern Lebanon on Tuesday. The Israeli army also issued displacement orders for dozens of Lebanese towns and villages, as well as the city of Nabatieh.
Some strikes hit near the Beaufort Castle, a nearly 900-year-old fortress in southern Lebanon that Unesco describes as one of the best-preserved examples of medieval castles in the region. At least three strikes also hit near Lebanon's largest water reservoir at the Qaraoun Dam in the east, state media said.
Mr Netanyahu said the Israeli army was operating with “large forces on the ground” and “fortifying the security zone”. Fears of an enhanced campaign came when he said he had ordered the military to “press the pedal even harder”.
The yellow line, which includes more than 50 border villages, was proclaimed by Israel shortly after the US-brokered ceasefire came into effect last month.
Hezbollah said it had targeted Israeli forces and tanks advancing towards the southern Lebanese town of Zawtar Al Sharqiya with explosive drones, rockets and artillery. The group said it struck two Israeli Merkava tanks near the town with “guided missiles” on Wednesday.
The Israeli army on Wednesday morning said a projectile launched from Lebanon fell in an open area in Israel after sirens sounded in several northern areas, but no injuries were reported.
According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, the death toll from the latest Israeli offensive had reached 3,213 with more than 9,700 wounded. The war resumed when Hezbollah fired projectiles into Israel in response to US and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Israeli army said that 10 of its soldiers had been killed since the April 16 ceasefire, six of them by Hezbollah's explosive drones. The World Health Organisation said at least 608 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli attacks since the truce.
