Israel orders evacuation of southern Beirut as Iran reportedly suspends talks

The Israeli military issued evacuation orders for Beirut's southern suburb of Dahiyeh on Monday amid an escalation with Hezbollah that has threatened to upend efforts to contain regional conflict. 

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued the evacuation order, saying that if Hezbollah continues attacks on Israel, Israel "will respond by targeting objectives in the southern Dahiyeh."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier on Monday they had instructed the military to strike "terrorist targets in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut."

Hezbollah said early on Monday that it had carried out 21 strikes against Israeli troops, vehicles and military installations over 24 hours. The Israeli military announced interceptions over the country's territory and said that a Hezbollah drone strike in southern Lebanon killed one soldier and wounded three others, one critically.

The renewed violence in Lebanon has strained the fragile diplomacy between Tehran and Washington. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday, "The ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon," adding that any violation in Lebanon should be considered a violation of the broader truce.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Tehran’s negotiating team has suspended the exchange of messages with the United States through mediators because of Israel’s offensive in Lebanon.

Lebanese and Israeli representatives are scheduled to convene in Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday for a fourth round of talks to advance a longer-term security and ceasefire arrangement.