Israel army issues new evacuation warnings in Lebanon
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Black smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the office of the Hezbollah affiliated Al-Manar TV station on March 3.
PHOTO: AFP
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JERUSALEM - The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for dozens of locations in Lebanon on March 3, including warning residents in two southern Beirut neighbourhoods to stay away from several buildings ahead of an imminent operation.
Israel’s military on March 2 vowed to intensify its attacks on the country and make Hezbollah pay a “heavy price” after rocket and drone fire from the Iran-backed militant group.
“Urgent warning to the residents of Lebanon, specifically in the villages which names are shown,” said a statement by the military’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee on Telegram, which listed 50 locations.
“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately.”
Most of the locations were across the south of Lebanon, which Israel regularly targets with the aim of hitting Hezbollah infrastructure.
He told the residents of southern Beirut neighbourhoods Ghobeiry and Haret Hreik in another evacuation warning to avoid two buildings.
“You are located near Hezbollah facilities and interests, against which the IDF will operate in the near future,” he said.
“For your safety and the safety of your family members, you must evacuate these buildings and those adjacent to them immediately and stay away from them for a distance of no less than 300m,” he added.
In a later warning, he told “those in the southern suburbs of Beirut, especially in the Hadath neighbourhood” to avoid a third building.
Lebanon’s government on March 2 took the unprecedented step of banning Hezbollah’s military and security activity
Hezbollah is represented in both the government and Parliament, and the move came hours after it announced it had launched rockets and drones towards Israel early on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei
Israel bombarded Beirut’s southern suburbs and dozens of villages in south Lebanon on March 2 in response.
The Lebanese government said the Israeli strikes have killed at least 52 people and wounded 154. AFP
