At least eight people were killed Tuesday when an Israeli airstrike hit the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, hours after Israel issued its first-ever evacuation warning covering the entire historic coastal city.
According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, the strike targeted the eastern outskirts of Tyre, one of the country’s oldest and most culturally significant cities. Rescue crews were still searching through the rubble for survivors as emergency teams worked at the scene.
The attack marked one of the deadliest strikes on Tyre since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah erupted in March.
Videos from the aftermath showed damaged buildings, debris scattered across roads, and thick smoke hanging over parts of the city as rescue workers used heavy equipment to clear wreckage.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli military ordered residents across Tyre to leave immediately, including those in the city’s northwestern Christian district. The area had previously been excluded from evacuation notices.
Last week, Israel accused Hezbollah of operating within the district, although it did not provide evidence to support the claim. Israeli officials warned that the neighborhood could face evacuation orders if Hezbollah fighters remained there.
The warning triggered a wave of departures from the city. Lebanese state media reported that families fled in large numbers, while civil defense teams helped move elderly residents to temporary shelters.
Medical aid organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) criticized the evacuation order, expressing concern that forcing civilians to relocate under active conflict conditions could place them at even greater risk.
In a statement, the organization said such displacement measures expose people to danger by pushing them into chaotic and often unsafe situations. MSF also announced it had suspended operations at several nearby hospitals and halted its mobile medical services for the day because of the security situation.
The latest escalation comes despite a ceasefire announced by the United States in April that was intended to reduce hostilities in southern Lebanon. Fighting has continued, however, with Israeli forces maintaining strikes across the region and Hezbollah continuing attacks against Israeli targets.
The conflict began when Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel in support of its ally Iran. Israel responded with an extensive air campaign and ground operations that have left large parts of southern Lebanon devastated.
Since then, evacuation orders have expanded well beyond frontline areas, emptying vast sections of southern Lebanon and forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.
Tuesday’s strike on Tyre underscores how fragile the ceasefire remains and highlights the growing humanitarian concerns as civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict.
