Israeli Military Orders Evacuation of Over 10 Villages in Southern Lebanon

Israel's military issued evacuation orders to residents in more than 10 villages and towns in southern Lebanon on May 3, 2026, extending to areas beyond its current zone of occupation south of the Litani River. The orders included several locations in the Nabatieh district, north of the river where Israel has stationed troops.

Three of these towns received forced evacuation orders for the first time.

Smoke rose from strike sites, such as the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, as reported in the region. Two raids targeted the town of Kafr Dunin in the Nabatieh District following an Israeli warning. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported a series of Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, including on towns not mentioned in the displacement order.

Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health stated that at least 10 people were killed in Israeli attacks across the country on Saturday. The total death toll since the Israel-Hezbollah war escalated on March 2, 2026, stands at 2,659, with 8,183 injured. -brokered ceasefire has been in place between Israel and Lebanon since April 17, 2026, aimed at halting violence between Hezbollah and Israel's military.

The ceasefire was recently extended to mid-May 2026. Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from Beirut, noted that the truce 'exists only in name,' with Israel maintaining five divisions of its invading army and bombing and demolishing homes extensively in the south.

Israel's military chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, threatened to strike Hezbollah 'beyond the Yellow Line' during a visit to Israeli troops on Wednesday.

The Yellow Line marks the area of Israeli control. In the past week, two soldiers and an army contractor were killed by drone attacks in the area, and dozens of soldiers were wounded. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Wednesday that Israel should fully implement the ceasefire before peace talks can take place.

U.S. has called for direct peace negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. Several villages and towns covered by the warning lie north of the Litani River.