Israel tells residents to evacuate from 30 villages in southern Lebanon as the military conducts raids

By Guardian-Yohannes Lowe/Martin Belam/Jonathan Yerushalmy-Tue 01 Oct 2024

Middle East crisis live: Israel orders Lebanese residents to evacuate 30 villages in southern Lebanon

People told to head beyond the Awali river, nearly 35 miles from the border

William Christou

William Christou reports from Lebanon for the Guardian

Israel’s military spokesperson ordered the residents of about 30 border villages in south Lebanon to evacuate, Tuesday at noon, telling them to head north of the Awali river, nearly 35 miles from the border, as Israel conducted what it said were “limited” raids into Lebanon.

The Awali river is a bit north of Sidon, far beyond what is now considered the theatre of fighting in Lebanon. It is unclear why Israel asked residents of certain towns in the south, and not neighbouring ones, to evacuate, nor is it clear why they ordered them to evacuate so far north.

Besides the 30 villages named by the Israeli military spokesperson, many villages south of the Awali river, including Sidon and the southern city of Tyre, were not asked to evacuate.

“The IDF does not want to harm you and for your own safety you must evacuate your homes immediately” Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a post on X, adding that Israel would tell residents when they could return home.

The noon-time announcement came after the Israelis told residents not to move southwards past the Litani river, about 20 miles away from the UN-drawn blue line that separates Lebanon and Israel.

For almost a year, the Israelis have demanded that Hezbollah be removed from the area south of the Litani as fighters used it as a staging ground for rocket attacks on north Israel. Hezbollah has thus far rebuffed its demand.

3m ago13.37 BST

Israel strikes three anti-aircraft radar stations in Syria - report

Israel has struck at least three anti-aircraft radar stations in southern Syria, including one stationed in a military airfield, Reuters has been told be sources. These reports have not been independently verified by the Guardian.

The drone strikes hit two radar stations west of the city of Sweida, including one located in an airbase in the area, the two military sources told Reuters, while another hit a radar station in the adjoining Daraa province. They are part of the Syrian army’s air defences in the southern region.

Syrian state media reported early on Tuesday that three civilians had been killed in Israeli strikes on the capital Damascus (see opening summary for more details).

Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years but these attacks have intensified since last October.

23m ago13.16 BST

600 people seek refuge from Israeli strikes in monastery in south Lebanon, residents say

Local residents have told Reuters that at least 600 people have sought refuge in a monastery on the Israel-Lebanon border as Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon are continuing.

An Israeli military spokesperson warned residents of Ain Ebl and at least 20 other towns to evacuate their homes immediately because the military said it would target homes the IDF said Hezbollah was using.

The residents fled to the monastery in the town of Rmeish, in southern Lebanon, which did not receive an Israeli warning, and were waiting for an army convoy to escort them to Beirut, they told Reuters.

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Death toll in Gaza reaches 41,638 says health ministry

At least 41,638 Palestinian people have been killed and 96,460 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The toll includes 23 people killed in the last 24-hour reporting period, according to the ministry.

The health ministry has said thousands of other dead people are most likely lost in the rubble of the enclave.

Updated at 13.13 BST48m ago12.52 BST

Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, on Tuesday called on Israel to withdraw troops from Lebanon, and warned that the attack would lead to a further escalation of violence in the Middle East.

Reuters reports Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement “Russia strongly condemns the attack on Lebanon and calls on the Israeli authorities to immediately cease hostilities, withdraw their troops from Lebanese territory and engage in a real search for peaceful ways to resolve the Middle East conflict.”

Earlier Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed concern over Israeli troops crossing into Lebanon, and at reports of an Israeli airstrike in Damascus killing three civilians.

54m ago12.45 BST

Israel extends home front safety restrictions to include Jerusalem and Tel Aviv

The Israeli military extended home front safety restrictions on Tuesday to many towns and cities across the country, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

In a message on its official Telegram channel, the IDF said the changes would come into effect from 2pm local time (11am GMT). It said:

The main changes are as follows:

Educational activities can be held in a place where you can reach a protected space in case of an alert.

Gatherings and services can be held with a limit of up to 30 people in an open area and up to 300 people in closed spaces.

Workplaces can operate in a building or place where you can reach a protected space in case of an alert.

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Reuters reports that Poland will limit the number of staff at its embassy in Beirut, with a foreign ministry spokesperson adding that Warsaw would organise transport for Polish citizens who want to leave Lebanon.

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Israel’s air force has published a map illustrating what it says is the extent of rocket fire into Israeli-held territory from the direction of Lebanon today.

1h ago12.18 BST

UK foreign minister Lammy: way forward in Lebanon is 'political solution, not a military one'

UK foreign secretary David Lammy has warned that the situation in Lebanon could become “much, much more dangerous” as he urged Britons to leave the country, and said the way forward is a political solution, not a military one.

PA Media quotes him saying the situation is “volatile and has the potential to deteriorate quickly,” adding:

We continue contingency planning for a range of scenarios in the region but you should not wait for these. We know that events can escalate with little warning and the situation on the ground could become much, much more dangerous. This means there’s no guarantee that another option will become available. The UK government is providing an option for you to leave now. My message is clear: take it.

Speaking later to the BBC, Lammy said:

Our position remains the same. Having spoken to our American colleagues and other allies, we’re calling for an immediate ceasefire. We need a diplomatic solution to the problems in Lebanon, so that Israelis can go back to their homes in northern Israel, and Lebanese can return to their homes in southern Lebanon. So at this time, we want to see a political solution, the Amos Hochstein plan, which is on the table from the Americans, and an immediate ceasefire.

Pressed that neither Israel or Hezbollah was listening to pleas from the international community, Lammy said “We will continue to speak to the Israelis and indeed to other actors in the Middle East. At this time, none of us want to see a regional escalation.”

Hezbollah is a proscribed terrorist group in the UK.

Lammy continued:

None of us want to return to the years in which Israel found itself bogged down in a quagmire in southern Lebanon and pitched battles between Israeli soldiers and the Lebanese side. And that is why we believe that resolution 1701 should be implemented, and that Hezbollah should withdraw up to the Litani River so that Israelis can feel safe in northern Israel. But the way forward is a political solution, not a military one.

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Lebanon's caretaker PM appeals for more aid with about one million people displaced by Israeli attacks

The National News Agency in Lebanon reporters that caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati has met with UN organisations and ambassadors of donor countries. It quotes Mikati saying:

We meet today at a time when Lebanon is facing one of the most dangerous stages in its history, as about one million of our people have been displaced due to the devastating war waged by Israel on Lebanon. We are working diligently in cooperation with the UN institutions to secure the basic needs of the displaced Lebanese, as we have done during all the difficult stages that Lebanon has gone through.
We greatly appreciate the continued support provided by the UN, as well as the support of our sister Arab countries and other friendly countries. Today, we urgently appeal for more support to enhance our ongoing efforts to provide essential assistance to displaced civilians.

2h ago11.39 BST

Clashes in occupied West Bank leave one Palestinian dead, four Israeli soldiers wounded

The Palestine Red Crescent Society reports that two of its staff were fired at with live ammunition by Israeli security forces at the entrance of Balata camp in Nablus when they were trying to transport an injured person.

Earlier Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that a 33-year-old was killed by Israeli security forces in Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It reports that 30 people, including a child, have been detained by Israeli forces in the last 24 hours.

Israeli media reports that four soldiers were injured, one seriously, when they were fired upon while trying to detain a suspect.

2h ago11.27 BST

Israel orders Lebanese residents to evacuate 30 villages in southern Lebanon

William Christou

William Christou reports from Lebanon for the Guardian

Israel’s military spokesperson ordered the residents of about 30 border villages in south Lebanon to evacuate, Tuesday at noon, telling them to head north of the Awali river, nearly 35 miles from the border, as Israel conducted what it said were “limited” raids into Lebanon.

The Awali river is a bit north of Sidon, far beyond what is now considered the theatre of fighting in Lebanon. It is unclear why Israel asked residents of certain towns in the south, and not neighbouring ones, to evacuate, nor is it clear why they ordered them to evacuate so far north.

Besides the 30 villages named by the Israeli military spokesperson, many villages south of the Awali river, including Sidon and the southern city of Tyre, were not asked to evacuate.

“The IDF does not want to harm you and for your own safety you must evacuate your homes immediately” Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a post on X, adding that Israel would tell residents when they could return home.

The noon-time announcement came after the Israelis told residents not to move southwards past the Litani river, about 20 miles away from the UN-drawn blue line that separates Lebanon and Israel.

For almost a year, the Israelis have demanded that Hezbollah be removed from the area south of the Litani as fighters used it as a staging ground for rocket attacks on north Israel. Hezbollah has thus far rebuffed its demand.

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