Why has Lebanese army withdrawn from border towns?
The Lebanese army said its forces have largely withdrawn from some border towns as Israeli troops continue to push a ground invasion into the country.
The military said in a statement that troops had to reposition to prevent being dispersed and cut off from support lines "as a result of the escalation of the Israeli aggression".
The military has gradually withdrawn from a handful of border towns. Remaining residents in the Christian-majority communities Rmeich and Ain Ebel have appealed to the Lebanese military and leadership to stay.
The military said it would maintain a group of soldiers in those towns.
Israel has said it intends to reoccupy a swathe of Lebanon to create what officials have called a buffer zone to push back Hezbollah.
Israel already occupied southern Lebanon for around two decades until 2000.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that "all the houses in the villages adjacent to the border in Lebanon will be demolished".
Katz's Lebanese counterpart Michel Menassa decried those plans, while Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney denounced what he called an "illegal invasion".
A Lebanese military source told AFP that the army had withdrawn from some southern towns but remained in others.
"Where there is an Israeli incursion or advance, we evacuate," the source said.
"Because... there is a possibility of a direct targeting of the Lebanese army... and even if there is no direct targeting, there is a risk the army could be encircled."
The source said the Israelis had advanced up to 10 kilometers in some places.
Hezbollah early Wednesday claimed cross-border attacks against Israel and said its fighters were engaged in "fierce clashes" with soldiers in the Lebanese town of Shamaa, around five kilometers from the border. It also said it was behind rocket fire targeting a group of Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon.
Late on Tuesday night, air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel's Galilee region, according to the Israeli military's Home Front Command, hours after what Israeli media said was a barrage of more than 40 rockets fired by Hezbollah.
Israel's military has reported several casualties among its ranks in recent days in south Lebanon.
Lebanese authorities say the war has so far killed more than 1,200 people.
Source: Associated Press, Agence France Presse
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