Israel’s military has intensified its operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, issuing new evacuation orders that affect more than a quarter of the country’s population, according to the U.N. refugee agency.

The expanded military campaign began two weeks ago with incursions aimed at battling the Iran-backed militant group.

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Rema Jamous Imseis, the U.N. refugee agency’s Middle East Director, reported at a press briefing in Geneva that evacuation orders were issued for 20 villages in the south, adding to the mounting humanitarian crisis.

“People are heeding these calls to evacuate, and they’re fleeing with almost nothing,” she said.

Rising Toll on Civilians

Lebanese authorities report at least 2,309 deaths over the past year, with the majority occurring since late September when Israel’s military campaign escalated.

More than 1.2 million people have been displaced across Lebanon. The casualty figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

In contrast, Israeli officials report around 50 deaths, including both civilians and soldiers, attributed to Hezbollah attacks.

Israel has stated that the ongoing operations in Lebanon are necessary to ensure the safe return of residents who fled northern Israel due to the conflict.

Deadly Airstrikes Raise Legal Concerns

The situation escalated further on Monday when Israeli airstrikes in northern Lebanon killed at least 22 people, including 12 women and two children, according to health officials.

The strike targeted a residential building in the Christian-majority town of Aitou, which was sheltering displaced people from other areas.

The U.N. human rights office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence highlighted concerns over potential violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), urging an investigation into the incident.

He cited the principles of distinction and proportionality, emphasizing the need to protect civilians in conflict zones.

Escalating Violence Amid Regional Tensions

Monday’s airstrike in Aitou is among the deadliest since Israel expanded its military campaign in Lebanon.

Earlier strikes in the southern town of Ain Deleb resulted in over 30 deaths, further intensifying fears of civilian casualties and displacement.

Rescue workers continued to search for bodies in Aitou on Tuesday, reflecting the conflict’s growing toll on the Lebanese population.

The one-year conflict shows no signs of de-escalating as both sides continue to retaliate.

Former President, Donald Trump on Monday called for Vice President Kamala Harris to take a cognitive test, as the debate over health transparency intensifies with less than a month before election day.

The Harris campaign has repeatedly questioned Trump’s fitness for office, urging him to release detailed medical records that he has so far withheld.

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“I believe it is very important that Kamala Harris pass a test on Cognitive Stamina and Agility,” Trump stated on his social media platform, Truth Social.

He further claimed, without evidence, that “her actions have led many to believe that there could be something very wrong with her.”

Trump also revisited criticism of Harris’s recent interview with “60 Minutes,” alleging the show altered her response to a question about Israel.

However, the network released the vice president’s full answer in an online preview before broadcasting a condensed version during the full show.

“She is slow and lethargic in answering even the easiest of questions,” Trump wrote, adding, “We just went through almost four years of that, we shouldn’t have to do it again!”

The Harris campaign, meanwhile, has sought to keep attention on Trump’s own mental acuity.

The vice president released her medical history on Saturday, which described her as being in “excellent health” and possessing the physical and mental resilience required for the presidency.

She used the occasion to urge the 78-year-old Trump to follow suit.

“It makes you wonder, why does his staff want him to hide away?” Harris said at a rally in North Carolina on Sunday. “One must question, are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable?”

Despite increasing pressure, the Trump campaign has not committed to releasing the former president’s full medical records.

Instead, they have referenced updates on his recovery from a July incident in which he was shot and sustained an ear wound.

A spokesperson pointed to Trump’s active campaign schedule as further proof of his health and stamina.

This latest call for a cognitive assessment continues a tactic Trump has used in past elections, where he challenged Democratic rivals to undergo drug tests before debates, suggesting, without basis, that they could be using performance-enhancing substances.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to immediately withdraw peacekeepers deployed in southern Lebanon, citing concerns for their safety.

The appeal comes in the wake of recent clashes that left five members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) injured.

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Netanyahu accused the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah of using the peacekeepers as “human shields” and criticized UNIFIL’s refusal to vacate the border region despite repeated Israeli requests.

In his first public comments on the matter, Netanyahu released a video statement urging urgent action. “Mr. Secretary-General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately,” he said, speaking ahead of a cabinet meeting.

The prime minister claimed that UNIFIL’s continued presence in the conflict zone jeopardized the lives of both the peacekeepers and Israeli soldiers.

He said, “Your refusal to evacuate the UNIFIL soldiers makes them hostages of Hezbollah. We regret the harm to UNIFIL soldiers and are doing our utmost to prevent such harm. But the simplest and most obvious way to ensure this is to withdraw them from the danger zone.”

The call for evacuation highlights the escalating tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border, where clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah have intensified in recent days.