Israeli military warns several Lebanese communities near the border to evacuate

Israeli military warns Lebanese border communities to evacuate amid limited ground incursion against Hezbollah militants, escalating tensions.

The Israeli military on Tuesday (October 1, 2024) warned nearly two dozen Lebanese border communities to evacuate, hours after launching what it said was a limited ground incursion against the Hezbollah militant group.

The warning, posted by the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesman on the social media platform X, specified around two dozen communities in southern Lebanon and asked people to evacuate north of the Awali River, some 60 km (36 miles) from the border.

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That is farther than the Litani River, which marks the northern edge of a U.N.-declared zone that was intended to serve as a buffer between Israel and Hezbollah after they fought to a monthlong stalemate in the 2006 war.

The Army had earlier warned people not to travel south of the Litani, some 30 km (18 miles) north of the border. The border region, which has largely emptied out over the past year as the two sides have traded fire.

An Israeli military official said the troops were within walking distance of the border, focused on villages hundreds of meters (yards) from Israel. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said there had been no clashes yet with Hezbollah fighters on the ground.

Israeli artillery units pounded targets in southern Lebanon through the night and the sounds of airstrikes were heard throughout Beirut.