The national holiday marks May 25, 2000, when Israeli forces ended a 22-year presence in southern Lebanon following years of conflict. This year’s commemoration came amid continuing hostilities along the Israeli-Lebanese border, prompting Lebanese officials to emphasize the unresolved security situation in the south.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the anniversary should serve as a moment of national solidarity with families affected by the ongoing conflict, including those who have lost relatives, been wounded, displaced or remain in frontline communities.

In a statement posted on social media, Salam said Lebanon would reserve celebrations until Israeli forces had fully withdrawn from Lebanese territory and displaced residents could safely return to their homes.
President Joseph Aoun described the 2000 withdrawal as the result of sacrifices made by residents of southern Lebanon, calling the anniversary a symbol of national dignity.

He said, however, that the occasion was being observed amid continued military operations in southern villages and what he characterized as ongoing violations of international resolutions, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.

Aoun reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to securing a complete Israeli withdrawal through diplomatic negotiations while emphasizing the role of the Lebanese state and armed forces in safeguarding national sovereignty.

The statements came as tensions remained elevated in southern Lebanon. Residents of 10 villages were ordered to evacuate on Monday as bombardments continued and concerns mounted over a broader escalation along the border region.

According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israeli airstrikes on Sunday killed at least 18 people and wounded 21 others. The ministry said the cumulative death toll linked to the conflict had reached 3,151.

The anniversary has long held symbolic significance in Lebanon’s modern history, marking the end of Israel’s military presence in most of southern Lebanon after more than two decades. This year, however, the observance reflected the extent to which renewed cross-border hostilities have reshaped the country’s political and security landscape.

Lebanese leaders used the occasion to underscore both the legacy of the 2000 withdrawal and the challenges posed by the current conflict, as military operations and civilian displacement continue to affect communities across the south.

In separate warnings posted on social media, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged civilians to leave targeted areas immediately and move to safer locations ahead of anticipated strikes.

The initial warning covered 10 villages, most of them located in southern Lebanon, where residents were instructed to relocate at least 1,000 meters from their homes. The Israeli military said the measures were necessary because of what it described as Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire agreement.

Later in the day, Adraee issued a second evacuation notice directed at residents of one building in Rashidiyeh and two buildings in Burj Al-Shamali, both near the city of Tyre. The military alleged that the sites were located near facilities used by Hezbollah and ordered residents to move at least 300 meters away.

The warnings marked the latest escalation in a conflict that has continued despite a ceasefire that came into force on April 17. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire on an almost daily basis since then, raising concerns about the stability of the truce and the potential for broader regional escalation.

Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted locations in and around Tyre that they say are connected to Hezbollah operations. The strikes have caused significant damage in several neighborhoods and contributed to recurring waves of civilian displacement.

Lebanese authorities say Israeli military operations since early March have killed more than 3,100 people, although the figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The casualty toll has become a central point of contention as diplomatic efforts to reinforce the ceasefire continue.

The Israeli military separately announced that one of its soldiers was killed in southern Lebanon on Sunday. According to Israeli figures, the death brought to 23 the number of soldiers killed since the outbreak of hostilities with Hezbollah. One civilian contractor has also been reported killed.

The latest evacuation orders came as Lebanon observed Resistance and Liberation Day, a national holiday commemorating Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. Lebanese leaders used the occasion to call for solidarity with communities affected by the continuing violence rather than celebrations.

The renewed warnings underscore the fragile nature of the ceasefire and the persistent security challenges along the Israel-Lebanon border, where military activity and civilian displacement remain ongoing concerns.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume full-scale military operations in Lebanon, arguing that current measures were insufficient to counter Hezbollah attacks.

“It is time for the prime minister to take a firm stand with Donald Trump and tell him that Israel is returning to war in Lebanon,” Ben Gvir wrote on social media, calling for expanded military action and tougher economic measures against Lebanon.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also advocated a stronger response, specifically urging strikes on Beirut following Hezbollah drone attacks targeting Israeli troops and positions near the border.

“There is an urgent need to put an end to the threat posed by Hezbollah’s explosive drones,” Smotrich said on Telegram, proposing a significantly more forceful military response against targets in the Lebanese capital
Smotrich added that he had approved a special defense allocation of approximately 2 billion shekels ($692 million) to support the development of counter-drone capabilities for Israel’s security establishment.

The comments from the two ministers came after the Israeli military announced the death of another soldier in southern Lebanon, bringing the number of Israeli military fatalities since the conflict began to 23. One civilian contractor has also been killed, according to Israeli authorities.

The current round of fighting began on March 2 when Hezbollah entered the broader regional conflict following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, according to the report.

Hezbollah subsequently launched rocket attacks into Israel, prompting Israeli retaliatory operations that later expanded into a ground offensive in southern Lebanon.

Israeli forces are currently operating within a self-declared security zone extending roughly 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory along parts of the southern border. At the same time, Israel has continued conducting airstrikes deeper inside Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect on April 17.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says the conflict has killed at least 3,123 people in the country since March, although official figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The growing pressure from coalition hardliners reflects increasing frustration within Israeli political circles over the effectiveness of the ceasefire. Opposition leader Yair Lapid described the truce as ineffective, arguing that continued attacks on northern Israel undermine its credibility.

“Either there is a ceasefire or we respond with disproportionate force to every attack against us,” Lapid told reporters.

The calls for escalation come as Israel and Lebanon continue participating in U.S.-mediated negotiations aimed at reducing hostilities and addressing longstanding security disputes. The two sides are expected to hold a fourth round of talks in early June.

However, prospects for a durable settlement remain uncertain. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has opposed the negotiations and rejected calls to disarm the group, while Hezbollah continues attacks on Israeli military targets in southern Lebanon and across the border.

The ministers’ statements underscore the growing tensions within Israel over how to handle the conflict, as military operations, diplomatic initiatives and domestic political pressures increasingly intersect in one of the region’s most volatile confrontations.

Aoun’s remarks came after Israeli strikes targeted several locations in southern Lebanon and the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah announced a drone attack on what it described as a military target in northern Israel.

“The framework that Lebanon has set for the negotiations consists of an Israeli withdrawal, a ceasefire, the deployment of the army along the border, the return of the displaced, and economic aid,” Aoun said in a statement.

“My duty, based on my position and my responsibility, is to do the impossible, and to choose what is least costly, in order to stop the war against Lebanon and its people,” he added.

The ceasefire, initially reached on April 17, was extended by 45 days last week following a third round of talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives in Washington. Hezbollah has opposed the negotiations.

Despite the truce, violence has persisted along the border. Hezbollah said Monday it launched a drone targeting an Iron Dome air defense platform at an Israeli military encampment in northern Israel, describing the strike as retaliation for Israeli ceasefire violations.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported multiple Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, while the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for residents in three southern Lebanese towns.

The latest escalation followed Israeli strikes on Sunday that Lebanese authorities said killed seven people, including a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in northeastern Lebanon, away from the border region.

Israeli forces have maintained operations inside parts of southern Lebanon within a self-declared “yellow line” extending roughly 10 kilometers north of the border. Israeli troops have also carried out demolitions in areas under their control.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel was confronting growing threats from first-person-view drones increasingly deployed by Hezbollah against Israeli forces.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli military operations have killed more than 2,900 people in Lebanon since the conflict began, including more than 400 since the ceasefire took effect in April.

The violence on Monday killed seven civilians and wounded 85 others, according to a provincial health official, marking the latest escalation in tensions between the two countries after months of cross-border fighting.The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said it had documented “tens of civilians killed or injured” in strikes that hit Asadabad, including a university and surrounding areas of the city.

Afghanistan’s foreign ministry condemned the attacks as “a clear breach of the country’s territorial integrity” and summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires in Kabul in protest.Pakistan’s information ministry denied carrying out strikes on residential neighborhoods or the university, calling such allegations a “blatant lie.”

At the university campus in Asadabad, an AFP journalist reported broken windows and damaged solar panels following the attack.Irfanullah, a 20-year-old psychology student, said students dropped to the floor after hearing a loud explosion during class.“Each student tried to get to a safe place, but the windows were broken and some of the students were wounded,” he said.

Another student, Ibadullah, 23, said panic spread immediately after the strike.“Students ran, shoes and books were left on the ground,” he said.Both students declined to provide their surnames for security reasons.Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained strained since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.

The latest violence follows heavy fighting along the frontier earlier this year, as well as Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan cities including Kabul, an escalation that marked one of the most serious military confrontations between the neighbors in years.A temporary ceasefire was agreed in March, and mediator China later said both sides had committed to avoiding further escalation.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities of sheltering militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan, an allegation Kabul denies.

The border between the two countries has remained largely closed since deadly violence in October, severely disrupting trade and cross-border movement.

According to a statement from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs early Sunday, the two South Asian nations committed not only to a halt in hostilities but also to “the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries”.

They further affirmed that follow-up meetings will be held in the coming days “to ensure the sustainability of the cease-fire and verify its implementation in a reliable and sustainable manner”.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, welcomed the accord as “a first step in the right direction”.

Posting on X, he expressed appreciation for the “constructive role played by brotherly Qatar and Türkiye”. He also flagged the next meeting to be hosted by Türkiye, underlining the need for “a concrete and verifiable monitoring mechanism … to address the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil towards Pakistan”.

He added: “It is important to put all efforts in place to prevent any further loss of lives.”

Earlier, both Islamabad and Kabul held talks in Doha on Saturday after the worst violence between the neighbours since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.

According to Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, negotiations took place in Doha with Kabul’s team led by Defence Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob. Meanwhile Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed its Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif led discussions with Taliban leadership.

The cross-border flare-up was triggered by Pakistan’s demand that Afghanistan rein in insurgent groups accused of staging increasingly frequent attacks on Pakistani territory—and which Islamabad says operate from safe havens inside Afghan soil.

The Taliban government denies harbouring armed groups for attacks on Pakistan, instead accusing Islamabad of misinformation, and of sheltering ISIL-linked militants undermining Afghan sovereignty.

On Friday, a suicide bomb near the border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 13 others, according to security officials. Pakistan’s Army Chief, Asim Munir, warned on Saturday that “the Afghan regime must rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan and are using Afghan soil to perpetrate heinous attacks inside Pakistan.”

While the cease-fire agreement marks a positive step, analysts caution that the true test will lie in sustained verification, cross-border monitoring and addressing deep-rooted mistrust. Establishing a credible mechanism to monitor adherence and respond promptly to violations will be crucial if peace is to hold.