Israel orders evacuation of over 50 Lebanese villages ahead of air strikes

The Israeli army on Monday ordered residents of more than 50 villages in eastern and southern Lebanon to leave their homes, in preparation for attacking what it claimed were sites belonging to “Hezbollah”.  

In a statement accompanied by a list of the villages, Israeli army spokeswoman Ella Waweya said: “For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move at least 1,000 metres away from the villages to open areas.”

The statement added: “Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, facilities or combat equipment is putting their life at risk.”

The villages named in the warning include Srifa, Maaroub, Sela’a and Ain Qana in the Tyre district in the south; Yahmar in the Western Bekaa; Hanine, Yater in the Bint Jbeil district; and Mays al-Jabal and Darouais in Baalbek in the east.

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Earlier on Monday, the Israeli army launched a series of heavy air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and several areas in southern Lebanon. 

An Anadolu correspondent said Israeli warplanes carried out intense raids targeting flats, residential buildings and roads in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The strikes also hit a number of towns in southern Lebanon, including Srifa, Al-Shahabiya and Deir Qanoun al-Nahr, as well as the Al-Salehiya neighbourhood in the city of Nabatieh.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

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