BEIRUT: Israeli air raids across southern Lebanon killed five people as attacks continued on Saturday despite a United States-brokered ceasefire.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that one person was killed in an air strike targeting the town of Maarakeh, in the Tyre district.

Ali Badie, the mayor of Ar Rihan municipality, was killed in an Israeli attack on the area in the Jezzine district of southern Lebanon. Three people were killed in the towns of Deir al Zahrani and Kafr Reman, in Nabatieh district.

The strikes came shortly after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning for 20 locations, including the city of Nabatieh ahead of raids there.

Tel Aviv issues evacuation warning to residents of 20 towns

Israeli air strikes hit several areas covered by the warning, including the villages of Rihan and Sujud, not far from Nabatieh.

The Israeli army warning ur­­ged residents to “evacuate your homes immediately and move to the north of the Zahrani River”, around 45 kilometres from the southern border with Israel.

The Israeli army last month declared all areas south of the river “combat zones”, and has since been striking the area.

Explosions rock Nabatieh

Eyewitnesses reported explosions and artillery shelling near the hills overlooking Nabatieh.

Hezbollah said on Friday its fighters had confronted Israeli forces advancing towards the town of Majdal Zoun.

Israel and Hezbollah have been at war since early March when the Iran-backed group drew Lebanon into the Middle East conflict with rocket fire at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.

Israel launched a massive campaign of air strikes and a ground invasion, killing more than 3,700 people in Lebanon.

Neither Israel nor Hezbollah have res­pected an April ceasefire, and a conditional truce deal announced this month after the fourth round of direct Leba­nese-Israeli negotiations in Washing­ton also failed to halt the fighting.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2026