Israel has launched airstrikes in Lebanon and banned gatherings in the city of Haifa and other northern areas, and continues to strike targets linked to Hezbollah.
Dozens of fighter jets have begun “extensive” strikes on southern Lebanon “after detecting that Hezbollah was preparing to fire into Israeli territory,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said.
The latest Israeli offensive comes a day after it carried out an airstrike in Beirut that the IDF said killed a dozen senior Hezbollah commanders. Lebanon said 37 people – including three children – were killed.
The US government is urging its citizens to leave “via commercial options while they still can.”
Cross-border firefights between Israel and Hezbollah resumed on Friday.
Before the Israeli strikes began in the evening, the Israeli military had earlier said it had destroyed “approximately 180 sites and thousands of (rocket) launch barrels” with strikes
The IDF also said more than 90 rockets were fired into Israeli territory from Lebanon. Hezbollah said it struck 11 Israeli military positions during the day.
On Saturday evening, Hezbollah reported that it had fired dozens of rockets at the Ramat David air base in northern Israel in retaliation for the Israeli strikes.
Earlier this week, 39 people were killed and thousands injured after pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia and political group, explodes in two days through Lebanon.
On Thursday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah blamed Israel for the attacks, saying the country had crossed “all red lines” and vowing “just punishment.”
Israel has not claimed responsibility.
According to Volker Türk, head of the UN human rights organization, the explosions on the pagers and walkie-talkies constitute a violation of international humanitarian law.
On Saturday, the Israeli military announced new restrictions on communities in northern Israel and parts of the southern Golan Heights, effective at 8:30 p.m. local time (17:30 GMT).
The IDF limited gatherings to 30 participants in an open space and 300 participants in a closed space. Educational activities can continue and arrival at work is permitted as long as protected spaces are available.
The restrictions apply to the area around Haifa and further north.
Amid growing fears that the conflict could escalate into full-blown war, the US State Department has issued new travel advisories for citizens currently in Lebanon.
The US Embassy in Beirut urged people to “leave Lebanon while commercial options are still available,” noting that they are already operating at “reduced capacity.”
The embassy added that it “may not be able to provide assistance to U.S. citizens who choose to remain.”
The Foreign Ministry of neighboring Jordan issued similar advice to its citizens, urging residents of Lebanon to leave as soon as possible.
Cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated on October 8, 2023, a day after the attack on Israel by Hamas fighters from Gaza, when Hezbollah fired on Israeli positions in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel recently added the return of displaced people from the north of the country because of the cross-border fighting to his list of war aims.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Thursday that Israel is “new phase of the war” by concentrating its efforts more in the north.
