Israel orders evacuations in southern Lebanon after airstrikes kill three.

Israeli air strikes have killed at least three people in southern Lebanon while the military issued fresh orders forcing residents to flee their homes. According to the National News Agency (NNA), drones targeted three vehicles on the Kafr Rumman-Jarmaq highway and the Jarmaq-Khardali road in the Nabatieh area early Monday, resulting in the deaths of the occupants.

Compounding the violence, Israeli forces commanded the evacuation of ten villages ahead of anticipated attacks. Colonel Avichay Adraee, the military's Arabic-language spokesman, justified the action by citing Hezbollah's breach of the ceasefire. "For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move at least 1,000 metres away from these towns and villages to open areas," Adraee stated in a social media post, listing the affected locations which include Nabatieh al-Tahta, al-Louizeh, Sajd, Ain Qana, Harouf, Zibdin, Kfar Reman, Doueir, Adshit al-Shaqif, and Maydun. Most of these communities lie in the south.

The offensive also impacted the city of Tyre, where two homes in the Arzoun municipality were destroyed. Rescue crews responded to the scene to pull out the injured. Further strikes hit the towns of al-Mansouri, Siddiqin, Zibqin, Qlayaa, Yohmor al-Shaqif, Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, and al-Haniya.

Tension remains high in the capital as well. Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut for Al Jazeera, described Israeli drones hovering over the city for a second day in a row. "Nonstop buzzing of Israeli drones over central Beirut and the capital's southern suburbs … flying at low altitude," she reported.

The human toll of the renewed fighting since March 2 has reached over 3,000 fatalities, per the Ministry of Public Health. On Monday, Israeli forces confirmed that one of their own soldiers was killed in southern Lebanon, with another wounded during the same engagement. The military maintains that continued operations are necessary due to the ongoing clashes with Hezbollah.

A drone strike attributed to Hezbollah has killed Israeli soldiers, bringing the total number of military fatalities since the resumption of hostilities to 23, a figure that also includes one civilian contractor. This escalation occurs despite a US-mediated ceasefire agreement that was initially activated on April 17 and subsequently extended into early July, yet Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon and Beirut have persisted.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun declared on Monday that Israel's withdrawal is a "non-negotiable" condition for the Lebanese government, a stance he intends to pursue in upcoming negotiations in Washington, DC. Commemorating the 2000 withdrawal of Israeli forces after two decades of occupation, Aoun stated, "This year, the anniversary of the liberation comes as Lebanon is weighed down by a painful reality." He further emphasized that despite the passage of time, "Israeli attacks have not stopped, and our dear southern villages are still suffering under a renewed occupation."

Diplomatic efforts are underway with a fourth round of US-brokered talks between Lebanon and Israel scheduled for early June, following a meeting of military delegations at the Pentagon on May 29. However, internal divisions regarding the path forward remain sharp. Naim Qassem, chief of Hezbollah, reiterated on Sunday his group's opposition to direct talks with Israel and its refusal to disarm. Qassem argued, "If this government is incapable of guaranteeing sovereignty, it should go," adding a critique of foreign influence by asking, "Where is the sovereignty if America runs the cogs of the Lebanese state?"

The broader geopolitical context involves negotiations between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the US-Israel war on Iran, with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei noting that these discussions are also focused on resolving the conflict in Lebanon.