Israel-Gaza-Lebanon updates: IDF orders evacuations in Beirut as huge blast hits city

As the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continues, the Lebanese prime minister's office said the total death toll now stands at 2,036 people killed, since the beginning of the conflict on Oct. 8.

On Saturday, 23 people were killed and 93 wounded across both the south, north and other regions of Lebanon, including Bekaa, Baalbek-Hermel and Mount Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

The governor of the Lebanese region of Baalbek-Hermel said Sunday that an Israeli strike hit within 500-700 meters of ancient Roman ruins in the area. The Roman temples in Baalbek are UNESCO World Heritage sites and date back to the second century, according to UNESCO.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon known as UNIFIL, which staffs dozens of posts in southern Lebanon and along the Israeli border, said in a statement Sunday it is "deeply concerned" by recent IDF activity near one of its bases, 6-52, which is manned by Irish peacekeepers.

UNIFIL and the Irish government have both said the IDF requested the troops leave the post, and that both the UN and the Irish government rejected the requests.

UNIFIL released a statement, saying, "This is an extremely dangerous development. It is unacceptable to compromise the safety of U.N. peacekeepers carrying out their Security Council-mandated tasks."

After not issuing any evacuation orders for south Lebanon on Saturday, the IDF issued a new order on Sunday, listing some 25 towns, including 10 new towns and villages added to the list, for a total of 98 towns and villages in southern Lebanon now having been asked to evacuate, according to the IDF.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the country's northern border and spoke with troops participating in the ground operations in Lebanon, where he told them, "In the past 12 months, we are changing reality from end to end."

In a separate briefing this evening, an Israeli security official reiterated points made previously about the different fronts Israel is fighting on. He said troops are on high alert for any attacks Monday, on the anniversary of the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. He also said strikes in southern Beirut would continue.

Herzl Halevi, the chief of the general staff of the IDF, also delivered a speech to troops for the Jewish New Year and the anniversary of Oct. 7, calling it "the day we failed in our mission."

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is scheduled to travel to Washington for a meeting on Wednesday with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Sunday on X.

Gallant and Austin will meet at the Pentagon to "discuss ongoing Middle East security developments," Ryder said.

-ABC News' Chris Boccia

The Iranian authorities have canceled all commercial flights from the country's airports through Monday morning, Iran's state media reported Sunday.

Jafar Yazerlu, a spokesperson for Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, told the Mehr News, the semi-official news agency of the government of Iran, that all fights have been canceled from Iranian airports from 9 p.m. local time Sunday until 6 a.m. Monday.

Yazerlu said the action was "due to operational restrictions." He did not elaborate.

He said customers will receive refunds for their tickets.

-ABC News’ Victoria Beaule