The Israeli military has declared a new part of southern Lebanon a war zone and ordered residents to move north due to upcoming fighting with the Lebanese armed group "Hezbollah", Reuters reported.
The military statement, published in X, appeared to signal further escalation after more than 120 strikes on Tuesday hit southern and eastern Lebanon despite a ceasefire announced on April 16.
"We advise residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate north of the Zahran River, as all areas south of the river are considered a combat zone," an Israeli military spokesman wrote in X.
The Zahran River flows east to west about 40 kilometers north of Israel's border with Lebanon, and the Lebanese territory south of it covers about 2,000 square kilometers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel must take additional action in Lebanon to protect communities in northern Israel from Hezbollah.
The Israeli military has already ordered people below the Litani River in the south to leave. They have already issued individual evacuation orders and carried out strikes in dozens of towns between the Litani and Zahrani.
Wednesday's order is the first time residents have been ordered to evacuate the entire area south of Zahrani.
The Israeli military has urged civilians to stay away from Hezbollah operatives and sites.
Lebanese security sources told Reuters that people were fleeing north to the port city of Sidon, where thousands of displaced people from other parts of southern Lebanon are already living. The new statement came as Muslims across Lebanon celebrated Eid al-Adha.
More than 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced by Israeli strikes and evacuation orders since March 2, when Hezbollah fired on Israel in support of its ally Iran.
Since then, Israeli strikes have hit southern and eastern Lebanon and its capital Beirut, killing more than 3,200 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Fighting in southern Lebanon continues despite a US-brokered ceasefire announced on April 16. The World Health Organization said at least 608 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire.
The Israeli military said 10 of its soldiers had been killed since the ceasefire on April 16, six of them by Hezbollah drones.
The Israeli military has expanded its ground operations in southern Lebanon beyond the security zone its troops occupy, but has not given details on the scale of the offensive beyond the so-called Yellow Line.
The Lebanese capital Beirut has been spared fresh strikes, although Israeli surveillance drones are heard over the city every day and a low-flying military plane was heard on Wednesday, according to Reuters reporters.
Three senior Israeli officials said Israel believed it had room to operate in the South Lebanon, but less in Beirut.