By Abdel Raouf Arnaout and Betul Yilmaz
JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL (AA) – The Israeli army issued an immediate evacuation order for residents in two towns in southern Lebanon on Wednesday ahead of attacks.
Military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on US social media company X that the army will shortly attack what he called Hezbollah military infrastructure in Deir Kifa and Shehour in Tyre district.
He attached a map of two sites marked in red in the towns and urged residents to “stay away” from them.
According to the official news agency NNA, students were evacuated from schools in Srifa and Shehour after the warning.
Heavy drones were reported to have flown over the area as a warning strike was launched towards Shehour without any casualties, the agency said.
Tensions have been mounting in southern Lebanon for weeks, with the Israeli army intensifying near-daily air raids inside Lebanese territory, allegedly targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure.
The Israeli army has killed more than 4,000 people and injured nearly 17,000 in its attacks on Lebanon, which began in October 2023 and turned into a full-scale offensive in September 2024.
Under a ceasefire declared in November 2024, the Israeli army was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon this January, but instead only partially pulled out and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.