Lebanon PM accuses Israel of 'scorched-earth policy' as fresh strikes hit south
Lebanon's prime minister has accused Israel of pursuing a "scorched-earth policy" in the country's south after fresh airstrikes and new evacuation warnings were issued for more than a dozen locations. Nawaf Salam said the situation amounted to a "dangerous" escalation and called for "a swift and real ceasefire". His comments came as Israeli military action continued in southern Lebanon and residents in several areas were told to leave.
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In a televised address, Mr Salam said Israel was "destroying towns and villages and forcing their inhabitants into exile" and warned that the campaign would bring "neither security nor stability". He said Lebanon's engagement with Israel remained necessary despite the violence, pointing to security talks held in Washington on Friday between military delegations from both countries. More US-brokered negotiations are planned next week, although Mr Salam said the outcome was "not guaranteed".
The latest escalation comes against the backdrop of a truce that officially took effect on 17 April but has not been observed. Both Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of violating the ceasefire and say their own attacks are responses to those breaches. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported several Israeli attacks in the south on Saturday, while the Lebanese military said two of its soldiers were seriously wounded by what it described as a hostile Israeli drone near Nabatieh.
The Israeli military also issued fresh evacuation warnings covering villages near Nabatieh and other areas in the east of the country. Hezbollah said it launched multiple attacks targeting northern Israel and clashed with Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon. In a statement, the group said it was confronting Israeli forces around the outskirts of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, Yohmor al-Shaqif and Dibbine, and said the troops had not yet succeeded in taking control of those towns.
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The fighting matters because it sits within a wider and unresolved confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah, which has repeatedly spilled across the border despite the ceasefire announcement. The Washington talks suggest there is still a diplomatic track in motion, but the continued strikes and counter-attacks underline how fragile that process remains. The involvement of US-brokered discussions also points to outside efforts to prevent the conflict from widening further.
What remains unclear is whether the latest evacuation warnings will be followed by further strikes, and whether next week's political meeting will produce any concrete progress. It is also not clear how far the fighting has advanced on the ground around the southern towns named by Hezbollah. For now, the immediate focus is on the scale of the Israeli strikes, the impact on civilians in the south, and whether the talks can produce even a temporary reduction in hostilities.
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