Israeli forces struck the southern Lebanese city of Tyre in the early hours of Thursday, hours after warning residents to evacuate and declaring all territory south of the Zahrani River, some 40 kilometres from the border, a "combat zone."
Tyre, Lebanon © Mena Today
Israeli forces struck the southern Lebanese city of Tyre in the early hours of Thursday, hours after warning residents to evacuate and declaring all territory south of the Zahrani River, some 40 kilometres from the border, a "combat zone."
Evacuation orders were issued around 3:30am. By 5am, Israeli aircraft were hitting what the military described as "Hezbollah infrastructure in the Tyre region.
The strikes come as Israel has sharply intensified both ground and air operations across southern and eastern Lebanon over recent days, with Hezbollah reporting "direct" combat, despite the ceasefire theoretically in place since April 17.
Lebanon's Foreign Ministry on Friday welcomed the joint declaration issued Thursday following the ministerial meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the United States, describing it as a significant endorsement of Beirut's sovereign diplomatic path.
Israel's former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, who lost a son in Gaza and boasts of his "Dahiyeh doctrine" of smashing foes with disproportionate force, is surging in polls and could oust Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister in a coming election.
The United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) delivered a unified and unambiguous message Thursday in Manama: Lebanon's sovereignty must be restored, armed groups outside state authority must be disarmed, and the Lebanese file must not be held hostage to Iran's regional agenda.
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