Israel expands evacuation zone in southern Lebanon as ground assault on Hezbollah continues

The Israeli military issued a wider evacuation zone for southern Lebanon on Thursday as its forces continue a ground operation against Hezbollah terrorists, officials said.The Israeli Defence Forces warned those living in the communities north of the Litani River to flee the area following some 200 strikes against Hezbollah targets in the south.

The new evacuation perimeter goes further beyond the buffer zone established by the United Nations Security Council during the 2006 war, suggesting the current conflict will spread further into Lebanon.This comes after a Lebanese soldier was killed on Thursday by an Israeli airstrike while evacuating people in southern Lebanon, a first since the conflict began, officials said.

The soldier was at a military post aiding in the evacuation effort when an alleged Israeli strike killed him and left four paramedics injured, according to Lebanese security sources and the Red Cross.The blast resulted in soldiers at the station opening fire in the direction of the strike, the first time the Lebanese army has fired at Israeli troops following orders to abandon the border area earlier this week ahead of the IDF’s invasion.

The IDF did not immediately respond to the allegations, but officials said they were looking into the incident.The Red Cross said the slain soldier was part of an evacuation convoy in the village of Taybeh, which should have been cleared from any attack as it was coordinated with UN peacekeeping efforts.Lebanese officials have condemned Israel’s bombing campaign in southern Lebanon that has caused more than 160,00 people to flee the nation, but Beirut has shown no willingness to aid the Hezbollah terrorists fight off the IDF’s advancements in the region.

It remains unclear if Lebanon’s stance will change following the death of the soldier.If the Lebanese army were to get involved, it would complicate an already hectic battle for the IDF after confirming the death of eight soldiers on Wednesday during its ...