Israel orders evacuation of more southern Lebanese towns

Israel ordered more evacuations and targeted a new location in northern Lebanon on Saturday.

At least five people were killed and 15 wounded in Israeli strikes across three different areas in Lebanon, a security source and a civil defence source told Reuters. One of the targeted locations was in the town of Deir Billa in northern Lebanon, which had not been struck before.

The Israeli military also said Hezbollah had fired nearly 320 projectiles from Lebanon into Israel on Saturday, without giving further details. It declared areas around some towns in north Israel closed to the public.

Also on Saturday, Israel's military ordered residents of 23 southern Lebanese villages to evacuate to areas north of the Awali River, which flows from the western Bekaa Valley into the Mediterranean.

The order, communicated via a military statement, mentioned villages in southern Lebanon that have been recent targets of Israeli attacks, many of which are already almost empty.

The Israeli military said evacuations were necessary for the safety of residents due to increased Hezbollah activities, claiming the group is using sites to conceal weapons and launch attacks on Israel.

Hezbollah denies concealing weapons among civilians.

Two hospitals in the Bekaa Valley, a stronghold area of Hezbollah, sustained damage from Israeli strikes on Saturday, the hospitals said. There were no casualties, they added.

The Israeli military said on Saturday that Hezbollah was using ambulances to transport fighters and weapons and that it would take any necessary action.

The Israeli military also said it had hit around 200 targets in Lebanon with artillery and air strikes and killed around 50 Hezbollah fighters and dismantled dozens of weapons storage sites.

Hezbollah said that it had attacked the outskirts of Tel Aviv with a swarm of drones on Friday, without giving further details. Israel said there were no casualties reported when its military detected and intercepted two drones from Lebanon.