Large-scale evacuation orders issued by the Israeli army for southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs raise serious concerns under international law, the U.N. human rights chief said earlier today.

“With these blanket, massive displacement orders, we are talking here about hundreds and thousands of people,” United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk told reporters in Geneva. “Our colleagues on the ground hear every day about the anguish that people face, about not knowing where to go, not knowing how long it will take.”

This raises serious concerns under international humanitarian law, and in particular when it comes to issues around forced transfer,” Turk added. The Geneva Conventions concerning protection of civilians prohibit individual or mass forcible transfers.

Israel targeted the Lebanese capital, Beirut, with intense bombardment overnight. NBC News witnessed its streets congested as families sought safety following the Israeli military’s evacuation order yesterday, as the IDF said it launched strikes to target Iran-backed military group Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the capital.