JERUSALEM – Israel’s military on Monday urged residents of southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate homes and other buildings where it says Hezbollah is storing weapons and is conducting “major strikes” against the terror group.
It was the first warning of its kind in a year of intense conflict and came after heavy fire broke out on Sunday. Hezbollah launched about 150 rockets, missiles and drones in northern Israel in retaliation for the strikes that killed a top commander and scores of soldiers.
There were no signs of an immediate evacuation from the villages in southern Lebanon
The intense strikes and strikes have raised fears of an all-out war, as Israel continues to fight the Palestinian Authority’s Hamas in Gaza and tries to recover dozens of hostages taken in the Oct. 7 of Hamas. Hezbollah has vowed to continue its strikes in cooperation with the Palestinians and Hamas, an Iranian-backed militant group, while Israel says it is determined to restore peace along the border.
Associated Press reporters in southern Lebanon reported that there were heavy strikes targeting many areas on Monday morning, including those far from the border.
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Lebanon’s National News Agency said the strikes hit a forested area in central Byblos province, about 130 kilometers (81 miles) north of the Israel-Lebanon border, for the first time since exchanges began in October. No injuries were reported there. Israel also bombed the northeastern areas of Baalbek and Hermel, where a shepherd was killed and two family members were injured, according to the news agency. It said 17 people were injured in the strikes.
An Israeli military official said Israel is focused on air operations and has no immediate plans for ground operations. The official, who did not want to be named in accordance with regulations, said the strikes were aimed at curbing Hezbollah’s ability to launch further strikes in Israel.
Lebanese media reported that citizens received messages urging them to leave any building where Hezbollah stores weapons until further notice.
“If you are in the Hezbollah weapons complex, move away from the village until further notice,” the Arab message said, according to Lebanese media.
The Minister of Information in Lebanon Ziad Makary said in a statement that his office in Beirut received a recorded message telling people to leave the building.
“This comes in the form of a psychological war being used by the enemy,” Makary said, and urged people “to ignore this issue more than it should.”
It was not clear how many people would be affected by the Israeli orders. Communities on both sides of the border are largely relieved of the daily exchange of fire.
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Israel has accused Hezbollah of turning entire communities in the south into military bases, with hidden rocket launchers and other infrastructure. That may lead it to carry out a heavy bombing campaign, even if there is no ground force going in.
The army said it had targeted more than 150 military bases on Monday morning. Residents of different villages in southern Lebanon posted pictures on social media of airstrikes and thick smoke. The state-run National News Agency also reported airstrikes in different areas.
An Israeli airstrike in a suburb of Beirut on Friday killed a Hezbollah military commander and more than a dozen soldiers, as well as dozens of civilians, including women and children.
Last week, thousands of communication devices, mainly used by Hezbollah members, exploded in different parts of Lebanon, killing 39 people and injuring nearly 3,000. Lebanon has blamed Israel for the attack, but Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.
Hezbollah began firing on Israel a day after the October 7 attack in what it said was an attempt to reduce Israeli forces to help Palestinian forces in Gaza. Israel has retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict has escalated slightly over the past year.
The war has killed hundreds of people in Lebanon, dozens in Israel and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border. It also sparked brush fires that destroyed agriculture and damaged the land.
Israel has vowed to push Hezbollah across the border so its citizens can return to their homes, saying it prefers to do so on diplomatic grounds but is willing to use force. Hezbollah has said it will continue its offensive until the cease-fire in Gaza ends, but that appears to be intensifying as the war nears its anniversary.
Hamas-led forces invaded southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and capturing around 250. There are about 100 hostages in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to have died, after most of the others. they were released during a week-long ceasefire in November.
Israel’s offensive has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants by number. It says women and children make up slightly more than half of those killed. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 soldiers, without providing evidence.
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Moure reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.