BEIRUT, Lebanon — Israel on Tuesday launched a fresh wave of airstrikes across Lebanon, targeting several areas in the south while ordering residents in at least 12 towns to evacuate ahead of further attacks despite an ongoing truce with Hezbollah.
According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, strikes hit parts of the Tyre district and Nabatieh province. AFP photographers on the ground reported extensive destruction in some of the targeted areas.
In the town of Maashuq, near Tyre, an Israeli airstrike caused the top two floors of a residential building to collapse. Nearby buildings and parked vehicles were also damaged, according to AFP images from the scene.
The latest strike came a day after another attack in the same town destroyed a primary healthcare centre linked to the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee, Lebanon’s health ministry said.
Another airstrike struck the Saray neighbourhood in Nabatieh, an area known for its shops, traditional homes, and an old mosque. Images from the area showed thick smoke rising above heavily damaged buildings.
The Israel Defense Forces had earlier issued evacuation warnings for 12 Lebanese towns, including 11 in southern Lebanon and one in the eastern Bekaa region. The military later repeated the warnings, urging residents to leave before further strikes.
In a separate statement, the Israeli military said it intercepted a drone launched from Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it carried out several attacks against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. The group also claimed responsibility for targeting Iron Dome positions in Jal Alam and Margaliot in northern Israel.
The Lebanese civil defence agency said it lost contact with seven citizens following what it described as an Israeli incursion into the southern town of Rashaya al-Fukhar.
According to the agency, Israeli forces later released four of the individuals. However, three others remain in what officials called “Israeli captivity”.
The renewed violence highlights the fragility of the ceasefire that took effect on April 17 after weeks of escalating clashes along the Israel-Lebanon border.
Hezbollah entered the conflict on March 2 after launching rockets into Israel in support of Iran, its main regional ally. The cross-border exchanges have since intensified fears of a wider regional war involving Iran-backed armed groups and Israel.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued to conduct strikes, demolitions, and military operations in southern Lebanon. Israeli authorities say the operations are aimed at dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure and preventing future attacks.
The evacuation warnings have also expanded beyond frontline border villages, reaching towns sheltering thousands of displaced civilians from other conflict-hit areas.
According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli strikes since March 2 have killed more than 3,000 people in Lebanon.
The Israeli military says 20 soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed in southern Lebanon since the fighting began.
The latest escalation comes amid growing international concern over the humanitarian impact of the conflict and the risk of a broader Middle East confrontation.
