The confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah widened on Thursday as Israeli strikes moved beyond southern border villages into the western Bekaa, while new evacuation warnings reached populated towns farther from the front line.
Hezbollah responded with rocket fire and drone attacks targeting Israeli troops and vehicles, hours before the first direct negotiating session between Lebanese and Israeli representatives was due to open in Washington.
The Israeli army issued evacuation warnings for eight villages and towns in southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa, some about 40 kilometers from the border. They included Lebaya, Sohmor, Yohmor, and Ain al-Tineh in the western Bekaa, and Teffahta, Kfar Melki, Houmine al-Fawqa, and Mazraat Sinai in the south.
The number of warnings raised to 95, the number of towns and villages ordered to evacuate since the ceasefire agreement took effect on April 17, driving large waves of displacement, particularly from the districts of Nabatieh, Sidon, the western Bekaa, and Zahrani.
In its latest warning, the Israeli army said that “in light of Hezbollah’s terrorist violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Israel Defense Forces is forced to act against it forcefully. The IDF does not intend to harm you.”
“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move at least 1,000 meters away from the villages and towns to open areas,” it added. “Anyone near Hezbollah members, facilities, and combat equipment is putting their life at risk.”
The warnings recalled the early weeks of the war, as Israel’s alert policy expanded to towns relatively far from the border strip, signaling a broader target bank and turning evacuation warnings into a fixed feature of the daily battle.
Thousands of violations since the truce
Figures from Lebanon’s National Council for Scientific Research showed about 8,200 Israeli attacks between March 2 and April 16. Since the ceasefire took effect on April 17 and until May 11, the council recorded 3,318 violations, along with 2,324 air violations.
The numbers suggest the truce has effectively become an open-ended management of the confrontation, with airstrikes, reciprocal shelling, and expanding field operations continuing on both sides of the border.
Heavy strikes
Israeli warplanes intensified strikes on southern Lebanon from the morning, hitting Mansouri, Kfar Tebnit, Teffahta, Kafra, Siddiqine, Jabal al-Batm, and Zebqine.
The bombardment later expanded to the western Bekaa, where Lebaya, Sohmor, and Ain al-Tineh were hit hours after receiving Israeli evacuation warnings.
The escalation also reached Hadatha in the Bint Jbeil district and Kfar Melki in the Sidon district, while Israeli drones struck cars and ambulance centers in several parts of the south.
Alongside the airstrikes, Israeli drones stepped up attacks on civilian vehicles and emergency teams. One person was wounded when a pickup truck was hit near the vocational school between Breiqa and Zrariyeh. An Israeli drone also struck a post used by an ambulance team from the Islamic Risala Scout Association in Qsaybeh, Nabatieh.
The same drone later struck an ambulance belonging to the association inside the courtyard of the civil defense center in Qsaybeh, pointing to a widening scope of attacks that now includes relief and emergency teams.
Strikes also hit Jarjouh, Kfar Melki, Qsaybeh and Houmine al-Fawqa, as well as a car in Kfar Seer and a pickup truck in Zrariyeh. Another strike targeted a fuel station in the Bekaa town of Yohmor, amid reports of casualties.
Hezbollah responds with drones
Hezbollah announced a series of operations against Israeli forces, saying they came “in response to ceasefire violations and attacks on southern villages.”
In successive statements, the group said it targeted gatherings of Israeli army vehicles and soldiers in Bayyada, a Merkava tank in Tal Nahas on the outskirts of Kfar Kila, and an Israeli force moving from Bayyada toward Naqoura.
It also said it struck an Israeli force positioned inside a house in Deir Seryan with artillery shells and a rocket salvo. Hezbollah said it also hit a Merkava tank as it moved through Bayyada with a guided missile, saying the strike “achieved a confirmed hit.”
Drone hits Ras al-Naqoura
In a notable development, Israel’s Kan channel said an explosive-laden Hezbollah drone hit the Ras al-Naqoura area, wounding three people, two of them seriously.
Israel’s Army Radio said sirens were not activated and air defenses failed to intercept the drone, raising questions in Israel over the effectiveness of detection and interception systems against low-flying drones.
Israeli concern grows
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Israeli soldiers moving inside Lebanese territory were wearing body armor and helmets at all times because of growing fears of Hezbollah drone attacks.
The newspaper said drone attacks had wounded 17 Israeli soldiers over the past two weeks, underscoring the growing role of drones in the daily fighting on the northern front.
