- Safiu Kehinde
The Israeli military has on Monday warned residents of numerous villages across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley to evacuate their homes immediately following attacks by the Hezbollah militia group.
As contained in a statement issued by the Israeli forces, the military told residents to move at least 1,000 meters away to open areas for their safety, adding it does not intend to harm civilians in its planned retaliatory strike on Hezbollah.
The strikes are in response to the activities by the Iran-backed militia, it said.
Hezbollah earlier claimed responsibility for targeting a site south of the city of Haifa belonging to the Israeli military.
The military warned that anyone not getting away from Hezbollah members, facilities, or military equipment would be putting their lives at risk and called on residents to protect themselves and their loved ones by leaving the target areas without delay.
This is the first time since the start of a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel in November 2024 that the Shiite militia has attacked Israel with rockets.
Hezbollah said the attack on Sunday night was “in retaliation for the pure blood” of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in wide-ranging U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran on Saturday morning.
Hezbollah said it attacked the site “with a salvo of advanced rockets and a swarm of drones” on Sunday night.
The Israeli military earlier reported that sirens sounded in several areas in northern Israel during the night after projectiles were fired from Lebanon.
“We will not allow the country to be dragged into new adventures, and we will take all necessary measures to stop the perpetrators and protect the Lebanese people.”
Following the recent U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon pledged its solidarity with Tehran.
Hezbollah is supported by Iran and is considered one of the strongest non-state actors in the world.
Even after the recent war with Israel, in which the militia was severely weakened, it is said to still have considerable military capabilities.