To correct the headline to clarify that the raid took place before the evacuation warning was issued

BEIRUT, June 9 (Reuters) - Lebanon's Health Ministry said Israel launched an airstrike on the historic southern port city of Tyre on Tuesday, killing at least eight people, and minutes later issued a warning that the entire city should be evacuated for the first time.

The ministry and state media reported that the deaths occurred in an airstrike targeting the eastern edge of the city, in one of the most intense Israeli airstrikes on Tyre since the outbreak of war between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah on March 2.

A video, from a location Reuters confirmed was near the site of the airstrike, showed debris scattered along a road. A crane was seen operating near a damaged building in a smoke- filled alley .

The ministry stated that rescue teams are still searching for survivors under the rubble.

Doctors Without Borders suspends operations at hospitals

Lebanon’s National News Agency was the first to report the raid, which targeted an area known as “Popular Housing,” at 9:22 a.m. local time (0622 GMT).

An Israeli military spokesman issued an evacuation warning to residents of the city this morning on Platform X, including the Christian Quarter, at 9:31 a.m. local time (0631 GMT) .

An Israeli military spokesman said the raid targeted "terrorist infrastructure in the area," but did not respond to a Reuters question about why the raid was launched before the evacuation warning was issued.

The last evacuation warning issued by the army for other parts of Sur was published on June 7.

Sometimes, the Israeli military issues warnings to evacuate areas around specific buildings before targeting them. In other cases, it issues evacuation warnings for large areas of land without specifying the location or time of the strikes, or it carries out strikes without any evacuation warnings.

The Israeli army had previously exempted the Christian quarter from evacuation warnings, and displaced people from other parts of the city had taken refuge there.

The Israeli military said last week that Hezbollah operatives were hiding in the neighborhood, without providing evidence.

The Israeli army called on the Christians in the city to demand that Hezbollah leave, and threatened to evacuate the neighborhood if the Lebanese group's fighters did not leave.

Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Hanin El Sayed told Reuters that parts of Tyre have become one of the last relatively accessible places where one can find shelter, stay with relatives, or access basic services.

The minister stated that the evacuation order raises serious concerns about the delivery of humanitarian aid, and that it may be difficult for relief organizations to reach those in need as people flee.

Wael Marwa, director of Jabal Amel Hospital in Tyre, said that the number of wounded arriving at the hospital has decreased significantly due to many people fleeing the city.

He added that at least 12 wounded people, including women, arrived after the raid on the public housing.

He told Reuters that they were tired and scared, but they were staying, adding that the hospital staff and their families were all living in the hospital because of the intensified shelling in the surrounding areas.

Doctors Without Borders suspends its operations

In a statement, Doctors Without Borders expressed its deep concern over what it described as "forced displacement practices," referring to Israel's warning to residents to leave before the raids.

The organization said these practices "expose people to further harm by forcing them to flee in unsafe and chaotic conditions."

The organization stated that it was forced to suspend its medical activities in several nearby hospitals and the operations of its mobile clinics for one day.

The latest war in Lebanon erupted when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in support of its ally Iran. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion, eventually seizing control of large swaths of southern Lebanon.

The United States announced a ceasefire on April 16, but failed to stop the fighting in southern Lebanon.

Israel continued to issue evacuation orders to residents of southern Lebanon, effectively evacuating one-fifth of the country's area, including areas far from the front lines.