Ali Khamanei’s son Mojtaba Khamenei tipped to become Supreme Leader; Trump’s nuclear claims dismissed by UN; Australia economic impact set to be substantial; US assets targeted

The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of a swathe of southern Lebanon, telling residents to move north of the Litani River on a third day of full-blown hostilities with Iran-backed Hezbollah.

While Israel has already warned residents to leave dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, Wednesday’s evacuation order was the broadest yet.

On Tuesday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had authorised the military to advance and take control of additional positions in Lebanon, where Israeli troops have held several hilltops since a war with Hezbollah in 2024.

Israeli strikes have killed dozens of people in Lebanon since Monday, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Many thousands of Lebanese have already fled their homes.

The war in the Middle East spread to Lebanon on Monday, when Hezbollah opened fire, saying it aimed to avenge the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

Reuters