Israel’s military renewed an evacuation order from parts of southern Lebanon on Wednesday, continuing its war against Iran-backed Hezbollah, a day after high-profile talks with the Lebanese government’s envoy in Washington.
More than five weeks after the start of the conflict, which erupted when Hezbollah opened fire in support of Tehran, the group condemned talks with Israel as a “national sin” that would further deepen divisions in politically polarized Lebanon.
Tuesday’s meeting, hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, came at a key moment in the wider crisis in the Middle East, a week after a fragile truce between the United States, Israel and Iran.
Israeli and Lebanese envoys assessed the talks as positive, although Israel rejected the possibility of discussing Lebanon’s request for a ceasefire ahead of the meeting. Israel says the goal of the talks is to disarm Hezbollah and achieve peace.
According to Lebanese authorities, the Israeli offensive in Lebanon has claimed more than 2,000 lives and forced 1.2 million people to flee their homes since March 2.
Lebanon complains to the UN
The Israeli army, which has previously ordered the evacuation of the south, on Wednesday reiterated its instructions to residents to withdraw north of the Zahrani River, saying on the X network that it was operating with a “large force” in the area.
Israel last issued a similar order on April 8, with the aim of maintaining control of part of the south to the Litani River, which is south of Zahrani, after the end of the war.
The Israeli army said it had hit more than 200 Hezbollah infrastructure targets in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours.
Hezbollah fired 40 rockets at Israel on Wednesday morning, an Israeli government spokesman said.
US President Donald Trump called on Israel to reduce attacks in Lebanon so as not to jeopardize the truce with Iran. Israel has not carried out airstrikes in the Beirut area since April 8, when it carried out its heaviest strikes to date.
In a complaint to the UN, Lebanon’s foreign ministry said the April 8 attacks killed 303 people, including 30 children and 71 women. Israel claims that more than 250 Hezbollah fighters were killed in those attacks.
United Nations experts on Wednesday condemned the attacks.
The fighting in recent days has been concentrated around the border town of Bint Jbeil. Israel announced on Monday that it had launched a ground offensive against the fighters there.
Hezbollah spokesman Hassan Fadlallah told a televised news conference that the fighters chose “perseverance and martyrdom so that the enemy is not allowed to take control of Bint Jbeil.”
The Lebanese government has been trying to disarm Hezbollah peacefully since that war, but any attempt at forced disarmament could spark a new conflict in a country still recovering from a 1975-1990 civil war.
(Vijesti.ba)
