The Israeli army has ordered fresh evacuations across wide areas of Lebanon, including densely populated districts of southern Beirut, as cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah deepen and fears grow of a broader regional war.

In a series of Arabic-language messages posted on social media and broadcast by local outlets, Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee listed around 50 locations, largely in southern Lebanon, where residents were told to leave “immediately” and head further north. The warnings covered villages already battered by weeks of exchanges of fire, as well as areas that had previously been considered relatively safer.

Adraee framed the alerts as a life-or-death appeal. Addressing “the residents of Lebanon,” he urged people in the named communities to evacuate their homes “for your safety,” saying Israeli forces would be operating in and around those areas and could not guarantee the protection of civilians who remained.

Separate, more targeted warnings were issued to residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah. People living in Ghobeiry and Haret Hreik were instructed to stay away from two specific buildings that Israel claims are located near Hezbollah facilities. The messages said the Israeli army would act “in the near future” and advised civilians to move at least 300 metres away. A later alert singled out another building in the Hadath neighbourhood, extending the zone of concern on the capital’s southern edge.

The evacuation orders follow Israel’s pledge to escalate its campaign against Hezbollah after a surge of rocket and drone launches from Lebanese territory. Hezbollah has described its latest barrage as retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in strikes it blames on a joint U.S.-Israeli operation, a claim that has further inflamed regional tensions.

Lebanon’s government, under intense internal and external pressure, has announced a ban on Hezbollah’s military and security activities, a move that underscores the depth of the crisis but is unlikely to curb the group’s capabilities on the ground.

Israeli bombardments have pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs and dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, leaving streets choked with rubble and forcing tens of thousands to flee. Lebanese authorities say at least 52 people have been killed and 154 wounded in the latest wave of strikes, figures expected to rise as rescue teams dig through collapsed buildings.