Israel Strikes Hezbollah Targets in Tyre After Declaring Combat Zone South of Zahrani River

The Israeli military said on Thursday it had begun new strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure around the southern Lebanese city of Tyre after issuing an evacuation warning to its residents. Israel the previous day had declared all areas south of Lebanon's Zahrani River—an area roughly 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the border and including Tyre—as "combat zones" and told residents to evacuate ahead of attacks against Iran-backed Hezbollah.

The sweeping warning came as many Lebanese tried to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. It is the first evacuation order of its kind since the April 17 ceasefire.

Israel advised all residents of southern Lebanon to move north of the Zahrani River. The order covers an area that includes Tyre and extends roughly 40 kilometres from the border.