Israel’s military said on Monday it would soon begin operations on Lebanon’s southern coast, marking the escalation of its war with Hezbollah.
“An urgent warning to tourists, sailors, and anyone who uses boats to fish or otherwise use the Awali River route to the south, the IDF will soon operate in the maritime area against the terrorist activities of Hezbollah,” warned Avichay Adraee, spokesman for the Arab military . posted on social media by X.
“To be safe, stop being in the sea or on the beach from now until further notice. Being on the beach and the movement of boats in the area of the Awali River line to the south poses a risk to your health.”
The warning, which applies to a 36-mile stretch along the Mediterranean, comes on the anniversary of a Hamas-led attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, which killed nearly 1,200 people – the deadliest attack in the country’s history.
The attack on 7 October 2023 – which also saw the capture of 250 people, 100 of whom are still being held hostage – began a brutal campaign against Hamas in Gaza and sparked a fierce war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. has increased rapidly in recent weeks.
Israel has been trading arms with Hezbollah for the past year, but last month it increased its bombing of Lebanon and began a limited operation along the shared border, threatening to plunge the region into a wider war.
On Monday, Israeli warplanes pounded Hezbollah in southern Lebanon with more than 120 strikes per hour.
In addition to its coastal warning, the Israeli army also told residents in several areas south of Beirut to evacuate on Monday night local time.
“For your safety and the safety of your families, you must evacuate these buildings and those around them immediately and walk at least 500 meters away from them,” said Adraee in a post on X that shows a map of the area and marked buildings.
Israel’s ongoing strikes – which killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on September 27, killed around 1,400 people and displaced 1.2 million others – have angered Iran, which last week fired 180 missiles at Israel .
Israeli leaders have vowed to respond to the strikes. In a speech marking the anniversary of the Hamas attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel “will continue to fight.”
“As long as the enemy threatens our existence and the peace of our country, we will continue to fight,” Netanyahu said at an event in Ofakim, Israel. “As long as our captors are in Gaza, we will continue to fight.”
Netanyahu reiterated his country’s war goals, including eliminating Hamas and “any future threat from Gaza to Israel,” returning hostages still held in Gaza, and repatriating displaced Israelis.
Israel’s objective in the fight against Hezbollah is to withdraw the army from the border between Lebanon and Israel so that the Israelis can return to their homes in the northern region of the country.
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