The Israeli military ordered residents of part of a southern Lebanese town to evacuate early Monday ahead of strikes it said were targeting Hezbollah.

The Israeli army warned residents of a designated area in Deir Zahrani to leave immediately, saying it planned to strike what it described as a Hezbollah military facility.

“Hezbollah's terrorist activity compels the IDF to act forcefully against it,” the military said.

The warning followed what the Israeli army said was the launch of an explosive drone toward its forces. It did not say whether any Israeli soldiers had been wounded.

Israeli military spokeswoman Ella Waweya had earlier issued an urgent warning in Arabic to residents of Deir Zahrani, specifically calling on those inside a building marked on an accompanying map, as well as residents of neighboring buildings, to evacuate immediately.

“Following Hezbollah’s blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, after it launched an explosive drone toward army forces, Hezbollah’s activity is forcing the military to act against it forcefully,” she said in a post on X.

Deadly strikes around Nabatiyeh

The latest escalation followed a tense and violent day in and around the southern city of Nabatiyeh.

According to the National News Agency, a strike carried out by Israeli fighter jets on a residential building in the town after midnight killed nine people, including two children, and wounded five others.

Another Israeli aircraft struck a vehicle in the town of Kfarreman carrying three paramedics from the Islamic Risala Scouts Association, killing two of them. 

Israeli aircraft also carried out strikes on the towns of Arabsalim and Kfarreman, while the Israeli military blew up an amusement park located in the area between Zawtar al-Sharqiya, Kfar Tebnit and Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa.

The Israeli escalation came a day after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun appealed to the United States and the international community to intervene to halt Israeli attacks.

Hezbollah movements near populated areas

Local sources in the Nabatiyeh region told Nidaa Al Watan that Hezbollah operatives had been seen moving toward populated areas and using the vicinity of civilian homes as routes of movement and places of cover.

The movements coincided with the launch of drones early Sunday toward Israeli forces deployed on the strategic Ali Taher Ridge, the sources said.

According to Nidaa Al Watan, the activity contributed to the expansion of Israeli strikes deeper into the Nabatiyeh region, fueling growing fears among residents that the movement of military activity into populated areas could expose civilians and their homes to greater danger.

The escalation has also fueled frustration among residents of southern Lebanon over recent remarks by figures associated with the so-called “Axis of Resistance” and close to Tehran, who said that “the south is finished.”

Fears Israel could expand its positions

Official sources told Nidaa Al Watan that developments in southern Lebanon over the past 48 hours had raised serious concern after indications emerged that the Israeli military would not stop at Ali Taher Ridge.

Instead, the sources said, Israel could seek to take control of opposing hills in the area to establish a defensive line protecting what is known as the “Yellow Line” and communities in northern Israel.

The sources said that following the loss of Ali Taher and Hezbollah's withdrawal from the strategic ridge, the group had lost another important defensive position, making it increasingly difficult to protect its remaining positions in southern Lebanon.

Washington seeks to contain escalation

As diplomatic efforts continued to prevent the confrontation from spiraling, Nidaa Al Watan reported that contacts had taken place between Lebanese and U.S. officials.

Washington told Lebanese authorities that it was doing everything possible to keep the situation under control and prevent it from escalating into a full-scale war, according to the newspaper.

Baabda Palace is also expected to receive from the United States this week a proposed date for the next round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Rome, Nidaa Al Watan reported.

Washington remains keen to keep the negotiating track alive, particularly after U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa reportedly succeeded in persuading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to release a number of Lebanese detainees.

The releases were seen as a positive signal that negotiations could continue despite the renewed violence.