Military activity sharply escalated in southern Lebanon on Saturday despite ongoing diplomatic signals of potential breakthroughs in regional negotiations involving Iran and the United States.
The Arabic spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, issued two separate evacuation warnings covering a total of 15 towns and villages in southern Lebanon.
In the first warning, residents of Mahmoudiya, Mleikh, Shbail (Jezzine), Qatrani (Jezzine), and Houmin al-Fawqa were urged to evacuate their homes immediately and move at least 1,000 meters away to open areas, amid Israeli claims of ongoing violations by Hezbollah.
A second evacuation order later expanded the list to additional localities, including Nabatieh al-Tahta, Kafr Tibnit, Zibdin, Arabsalim, Kfar Reman, Habboush, Blat (Marjayoun), Deir Qifa, Harouf, and Jibshit, with similar warnings issued to civilians to leave immediately for their safety.
The IDF stated that Hezbollah’s alleged breaches of ceasefire understandings had compelled it to act “with force,” while insisting that civilians were not the intended target.
Airstrikes in the South and Bekaa
Earlier on Saturday, the Israeli army announced that it had carried out overnight airstrikes in the Bekaa Valley, targeting what it described as an underground Hezbollah weapons production facility used to manufacture arms intended for attacks against Israel.
Additional strikes were reported near Tyre, where the IDF said it targeted infrastructure used by Hezbollah for planning and executing operations against Israeli forces. The military said it took “multiple measures” to reduce civilian harm, including advance warnings, precision munitions, and aerial surveillance.
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) confirmed that one soldier was wounded after an Israeli strike hit military barracks in Nabatieh.The LAF statement, carried by the National News Agency (NNA), said the soldier sustained moderate injuries.
NNA also reported dozens of additional airstrikes across southern Lebanon, with casualties reported in several locations. According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health emergency operations center, the cumulative toll of the ongoing conflict since March 2 has reached 3,123 killed and 9,506 injured as of May 23.
Prospect of U.S.-Iran Deal
On Saturday night, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that an agreement between the U.S. and Iran has been largely negotiated.
He also added that he had spoken on the phone with regional leaders from the UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain—as well as a separate call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who he said are included in the finalization of an agreement.
Trump noted that “the Strait of Hormuz will be opened” in addition to “many other elements” of the agreement.
On Friday, Trump returned to Washington on short notice, fueling speculation of a possible deal or renewed military action in Iran.
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