Beirut, Lebanon - Human Rights Watch said on Thursday that the Israeli military's order for residents of vast areas of southern Lebanon and Beirut to evacuate raised "serious risks of violations of the laws of war".

Despite a nominal ceasefire agreed in November 2024, Israel has been regularly bombing Lebanon and is now preparing a renewed all-out assault on the country after Hezbollah began firing rockets in response to the joint US-Israeli war on Iran.

On Thursday, residents of hundreds of square miles in southern Lebanon were told to evacuate ahead of impending military action.

Israel also an unprecedented order covering the entirety of Beirut's southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah, sending residents in the district of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing in a panic.

"Calling on everyone who lives south of the Litani (River) to evacuate immediately raises serious legal and humanitarian red flags and fears for the safety of civilians," said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch.

"How are older people, the sick and people with disabilities going to be able to evacuate immediately? And how will their safety be guaranteed as they leave?" he said in a statement from the rights group.

HRW said "the sweeping nature" of Israel's call raised "concerns that their purpose is not to protect civilians", adding that the area was home to hundreds of thousands of people.

The evacuation call "raises serious risks of violations of the laws of war", it added.

Lebanese authorities said dozens of people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced from their homes by Israel since Monday.

Israel's self-described fascist finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, warned Thursday that Beirut's suburbs will face devastation similar to Gaza, where Israeli forces have committed a genocide, according to numerous experts.

"Very soon Dahiyeh will resemble Khan Younis," Smotrich said, referring to a southern Gaza city which has been virtually leveled by Israeli attacks.