Since October 7, Israel has given ultimatums to Palestinians to evacuate Gaza amid relentless bombardments, still causing civilian casualties. Today, a similar call is being made for Lebanese communities as Israel claims targetting Hezbollah.
BEIRUT — The Israeli military has given residents an ultimatum in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate homes and other buildings where it claimed Hezbollah stores weapons and said it was carrying out “extensive strikes” against the group.
It was the first warning of its kind in nearly a year of steadily escalating conflict and came after a particularly heavy exchange of fire on Sunday.
Hezbollah launched around 150 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in retaliation for strikes that killed a top commander and dozens of fighters.
There was no sign of an immediate exodus from the villages of southern Lebanon
The escalating strikes and counterstrikes have raised fears of an all-out war, as Israel is conducting relentless attacks in Gaza, killing hundreds and thousands of civilians across the besieged enclave.
Hezbollah has vowed to continue its strikes in solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas.
Associated Press journalists in southern Lebanon reported heavy airstrikes targeting many areas on Monday morning, including some far from the border.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the strikes hit a forested area in the central province of Byblos, about 130 kilometers (81 miles) north of the Israeli-Lebanese border, for the first time since the exchanges began in October.
Israel also bombed targets in the northeastern Baalbek and Hermel regions, where a shepherd was killed and two family members were wounded, according to the news agency. It said a total of 17 people were wounded in the strikes.
An Israeli military official said Israel is focused on aerial operations and has no immediate plans for a ground offensive.
Lebanese media reported that residents received text messages urging them to move away from any building where Hezbollah stores arms until further notice.
“If you are in a building housing weapons for Hezbollah, move away from the village until further notice,” the Arabic message reads, according to Lebanese media.
Lebanon’s Information Minister Ziad Makary said in a statement that his office in Beirut had received a recorded message telling people to leave the building.
“This comes in the framework of the psychological war implemented by the enemy,” Makary said, and urged people “not to give the matter more attention than it deserves”.
It was not immediately clear how many people would be affected by the Israeli orders. Communities on both sides of the border have largely emptied out because of the near-daily exchanges of fire.
Residents of different villages in southern Lebanon posted photos on social media of air strikes and large plumes of smoke. The state-run National News Agency also reported air strikes on different areas.
An Israeli air strike on a Beirut suburb on Friday killed a top Hezbollah military commander and more than a dozen fighters, as well as dozens of civilians, including women and children.
Hezbollah began firing into Israel a day after the October 7 attack in what it said was an attempt to pin down Israeli forces to help Palestinian fighters in Gaza.
Israel has retaliated with air strikes, and the conflict has steadily intensified over the past year.
The fighting has killed hundreds of people in Lebanon, dozens in Israel and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border. It has also sparked brush fires that have destroyed agriculture and scarred the landscape.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and fighters in its count. It says women and children make up a little over half of those killed.
C. TRT World
