The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has warned residents of southern Lebanon who are leaving the locations of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militias to leave those areas due to “extensive, precise attacks on terrorist targets.”
“Soon, the IDF will carry out extensive, precise strikes against terrorist targets present throughout Lebanon,” the military said in a message on Telegram.
“We advise civilians from Lebanese villages who are in and near buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes, such as those where weapons are stored, to immediately move out of the danger zone for their own safety.”
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said that “Hezbollah has turned southern Lebanon into a battlefield,” putting “you and your families in danger,” the spokesman said in a speech to residents of southern Lebanon.
According to Hagari, the warning applied to dozens of villages in an area up to 80 kilometers north of the Israeli border.
Hagari said the strikes on targets in Lebanon were coming after the Israeli military discovered that Hezbollah was preparing to fire rockets at Israel. He said the strikes would continue to “eliminate the threat.”
When a journalist asked whether Israel was planning a ground offensive in southern Lebanon, Hagari reiterated Israel’s position that it would do everything it could to allow the residents of northern Israel to return to their homes.
