The Israeli occupation army early Monday ordered residents of the southern Lebanese town of Deir Al-Zahrani to evacuate buildings adjacent to what it described as a facility belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah, shortly before carrying out strikes on the area.
The army said it was conducting the strikes in response to Hezbollah launching two drones at its troops in the “security zone” it maintains in southern Lebanon, calling the attack a violation of the ceasefire.
In an Arabic-language warning, the army said it was targeting a “terrorist facility belonging to Hezbollah,” holding those who failed to leave the area responsible for putting their safety at risk.
Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV later reported Israeli airstrikes on Deir Al-Zahrani.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Sunday called on the United States to take “urgent action” to halt Israeli strikes on the south, condemning what he described as a “dangerous escalation.” The strikes have killed seven people despite the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah and the framework agreement between the two countries’ governments.
Earlier, the Israeli army issued its first evacuation warning in Lebanon in a month, urging residents of buildings in the town of Arab Salim to leave ahead of an attack on what it described as a Hezbollah facility nearby.
The war in the Middle East spread to Lebanon on March 2, after Hezbollah, an ally of Tehran, launched missiles at Israel in response to the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
Israel has been confronting Hezbollah since 2023, when the group opened a “support front” for Gaza and its ally Hamas shortly after the war in the enclave began. Israeli strikes since October 8, 2023, have killed more than 8,920 people, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Source: AFP
