Hezbollah Issues warning to residents of 23 northern Israeli settlements to evacuate after Beirut strikes

Hezbollah has warned residents of 23 northern Israeli settlements near the border to evacuate immediately, in response to what it described as Israeli attacks on Beirut and other areas of Lebanon. 

In a statement, the group called on people living within 5km of the Lebanese border to leave at once. It said the warning was a response to “the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, civilians and infrastructure”. 

In a statement, written in a style similar to Israeli military warnings, the group said: “Warning to residents of the northern settlements. You are required to evacuate all settlements located within 5km of the border line. The aggression of your army against Lebanese sovereignty, the targeting of peaceful civilians, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the displacement campaign it is carrying out will not go unanswered.”

The warning covered 23 settlements near the border in northern Israel, including Saar, Beit Hillel, Kfar Giladi, Manara, Misgav Am, Yiftah, Ramot Naftali, Malkia, Avivim, Yir’on, Dovev, Shtula, Zar’it, Shomera, Even Menachem, Adamit, Shlomi and Nahariya.

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Meanwhile, Hezbollah launched a new barrage of rockets from southern Lebanon towards northern Israel.

In another statement, the group said it had carried out rocket and artillery attacks on Israeli army positions and troop gatherings in several areas, including Wadi al-Asafir, Tal al-Hamamis in the town of Khiam, the Kfar Kila gate area, a newly established Israeli position in the Lebanese town of Markaba, and the Ruwaisat al-Alam site in the occupied hills of Kfar Shouba.

It also said it had fired rocket and artillery barrages at Israeli military positions and troop concentrations near the Lebanese border, and targeted the naval base in Haifa with a rocket salvo.

Hezbollah added that it also targeted the Yoav barracks in the occupied Golan Heights with rockets.

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