The United Nations (UN) says new Israeli evacuation order for 20 villages in southern Lebanon mean more than one-quarter of the country is now affected.
The Middle East director of the office of the UN high commissioner for refugees, Rema Jamous Imseis stated this to journalist at a news briefing in Geneva.
“People are heeding these calls to evacuate, and they’re fleeing with almost nothing,” he said.
More than 1.2 million people have evacuated their homes after Israel issued evacuation orders, warning them to leave or face bombardment.
Attacks by Israel, which also began ground incursions into southern Lebanon, have killed at least 2,309 people over the past year, the Lebanese government said. The majority have been killed since Israel expanded its military campaign in late September.
Meanwhile, Hamas’s armed wing says its fighters have targeted Israeli soldiers with a barrel bomb in the al-Rayyan area of the southernmost city of Gaza.
The attack “killed and wounded” some Israeli forces, according to a statement on Telegram.
Since it’s much-criticized ground offensive on Rafah in May, the Israeli military said its forces had “dismantled” the Hamas battalion there, but fighting continues.
In the same vein, Naim Qassem, one of the prominent Hezbollah leaders says the best possible outcome to the conflict is for Israel to stop attacking Lebanon and Gaza.
“I’m telling the Israelis, the solution is to stop firing. The solution is a ceasefire … After a ceasefire, the [Israeli] settlers can return to the north,” said Qassem.
He said more than two million Israelis in the north will be under constant threat if Israel keeps the war going in Lebanon and Gaza.
“The resistance will never be defeated because they’re the ones that own the land. They will fight and die in dignity. Victory will come with patience.”
In another development, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has demanded security guarantees for all of Italy’s soldiers deployed in Lebanon, where UN peacekeepers have come under fire.
More than 1,000 Italian soldiers serve in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and in a separate mission that trains local armed forces.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Hezbollah Rocket Attacks Kill 25 Israel Soldiers in Haifa
“We believe the attitude of the Israeli forces is completely unjustified,” Meloni said, describing it as a “blatant violation” of a UN resolution on ending hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.
The UN Security Council expressed “deep concern” on Monday after several peacekeeping positions came under Israeli fire in southern Lebanon.
Report says five UN peacekeepers were wounded.