Israel has issued another evacuation order for southern Lebanon, significantly expanding the area residents are being told to leave.
The latest instruction tells people to move north of the Zahrani River, almost doubling the zone covered by previous warnings. A map published on social media by the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, showed the newly enlarged area extending to within around 7km of the coastal city of Sidon.
Lebanese officials say about 800,000 people have already been displaced, and the expanded order is likely to drive that figure higher, placing even greater pressure on the authorities.
Earlier this week, Adraee had already urged residents to head north of the Litani River, saying Israeli raids were continuing in the area.
Separately, Amnesty International said Israel’s sweeping evacuation orders were too broad to amount to meaningful civilian protection and did not give the military licence to treat the affected areas as free-fire zones.