Israel launches military operation against Hezbollah and asks residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate | Today’s news
As the United States and Iran continue to work on a proposed deal to end the war, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah rages on. The Israeli army asked residents across southern Lebanon to leave the region on Wednesday (local time) as it launches operations there.
In a statement, the army also said it would “work with extreme force” against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The warning, which came on the Eid al-Adha holiday, came a day after Israeli troops clashed with Iran-backed Hezbollah along a strategic river in southern Lebanon, with forces pushing further north.
The development comes days ahead of talks in Washington between the Lebanese and Israeli delegations.
Israel is intensifying military operations in Lebanon
Wednesday’s warning is the first order for Lebanese residents to relocate from the south since a cease-fire took effect on April 17 and marks an escalation in the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israeli soldiers have crossed the Litani River and are approaching the southern Lebanese town of Nabatiyeh. Clashes between the two sides also intensified in the town of Zawtar al-Sharqieh, located along the strategic river. However, Israel has not attacked in Beirut or areas near the capital since the ceasefire came into effect.
Earlier, the Israeli military also called on residents of Nabatiyeh and the city of Tire along the Mediterranean coast to leave and stay away, saying Hezbollah members and military positions were there.
Israel targets Hezbollah ‘command centers’
As strikes in the southwestern region intensified in recent days, the AP news agency said roads were jammed with cars trying to flee the area and surrounding neighborhoods, heading north and seeking shelter.
At least four military strikes have hit the area since the Israeli military issued a warning to Tyre. Israel’s military said it was targeting what it called “command centers” belonging to Hezbollah, without giving further details.
Amid an increase in Hezbollah attacks involving exploding drones, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the Israeli military will expand the scope of its strikes against Hezbollah. Israel’s military said it had hit 550 targets since the start of the week, marking a significant increase in the number of attacks.
An Iranian-backed militant group has claimed responsibility for several attacks on Israeli troops in Lebanon and on northern Israeli border villages.
War between Israel and Hezbollah
The war between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, days after the US and Israel launched a joint operation targeting Iran. Days later, an Iranian-backed group fired rockets into northern Israel in a show of solidarity with Tehran. More than a million people in Lebanon have since been displaced and more than 3,200 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to Beirut’s health ministry. Many displaced people are sleeping in public schools that have been turned into makeshift shelters or in tents in camps across the Lebanese capital.
Hezbollah has vowed to continue fighting until the war in Lebanon ends and Israel withdraws its troops from much of the country’s south. The Iranian-backed group also rejected direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon and supported Iran’s talks with Washington about war. Tehran’s conditions also include an end to the war in Lebanon.
Israel’s widespread attacks in recent days have hit areas in eastern Lebanon along the Bekaa Valley, near the border with Syria. On Tuesday, Israel struck near the Qaraoun Dam, Lebanon’s largest dam, on the Litani River.
