BEIRUT: Israeli airstrikes rocked a village near the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on Thursday after Israel ordered immediate evacuation from the area, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported.
The Israeli strikes on Al-Hawsh coincided with an exodus of Lebanese from the Rashidieh camp for Palestinian refugees near Tyre which was also covered by the evacuation warning, the state media said.
Located only five kilometers from Tyre, Rashidieh is one of Lebanon’s most densely populated camps, now seeing an exodus as residents notice evacuation warnings.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces conducted airstrikes near the Lebanese city of Baalbek following evacuation warnings to civilians. Lebanon’s state media reported that Israeli fighter jets launched four strikes on the village of Douris and areas surrounding Baalbek, located in eastern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned Israel’s sweeping evacuation orders, calling them “an additional war crime”. He appealed for international diplomatic pressure to halt Israeli attacks.
“The threats issued by the Israeli enemy against Lebanese civilians to evacuate entire cities and leave their areas and homes are an additional war crime added to the series of crimes committed by the enemy,” Mikati said in a statement.
The Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee via X warned residents of Rashidieh and nearby areas to move “north of the Awali River.” Hours after, Adraee issued another evacuation call for residents of Baalbek, where NNA later reported Israeli airstrikes near the eastern city’s outskirts, hitting the village of Douris.
Meanwhile, a rocket strike from Lebanon killed five people in the northern Israeli town of Metula. Since September 23, over 1,780 Lebanese people have died in Israeli airstrikes, according to health ministry figures, though gaps in reporting likely mean the actual toll is higher.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with US envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk regarding a potential ceasefire arrangement with Hezbollah. Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s demand for security guarantees. His office stated, “The prime minister specified that the main issue is not paperwork for this or that deal, but Israel’s determination and capacity to ensure the deal’s application and to prevent any threat to its security from Lebanon.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also met with the US delegation to address “security arrangements” in Lebanon and the return of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
On the Lebanese side, Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed “cautious optimism” about a possible ceasefire in the coming days, referencing a recent call with US envoy Hochstein, who indicated that a truce might be achievable before the US elections on November 5.
Speaking to broadcaster Al-Jadeed, Mikati said, “The call today with Hochstein suggested to me that perhaps we could reach a ceasefire in the coming days.” He added that Hezbollah has shown readiness for a ceasefire under certain conditions.
Hezbollah’s newly appointed leader, Naim Qassem, on Wednesday, said that while the group is open to a ceasefire, it will only agree if terms are “appropriate and suitable.” Lebanese officials, including Mikati, noted that the potential ceasefire would be contingent on the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The resolution mandates the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory and calls for the deployment of only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
Mikati further indicated Lebanon’s commitment to meeting these terms, stating, “The Lebanese army is ready to strengthen its presence in southern Lebanon” to ensure that only state-controlled military forces and infrastructure are present.