The armed group Hezbollah has warned Israeli residents living close to the Lebanon border to evacuate their towns as tensions between the two sides continue to rise.
In a message posted on its Telegram channel early Friday, Hezbollah told people in Israeli towns located within 5 kilometers of the border to leave the area. The message was written in Hebrew and appeared to target civilians living near the conflict zone.
The warning came shortly after Israel issued a similar alert to residents in southern parts of Beirut. Israeli authorities had asked people to leave neighborhoods in the southern suburbs of the capital, an area widely known as Dahiyeh. Following the warning, many families quickly left their homes, creating a large movement of people across the city.
The situation in Lebanon became more serious earlier this week when Hezbollah launched attacks toward Israel. In response, Israeli forces carried out airstrikes targeting areas in southern Beirut as well as parts of southern and eastern Lebanon.
Hezbollah said Israel’s actions, including attacks on civilian infrastructure and the displacement of residents, would not go unanswered. The group accused Israel of violating Lebanese sovereignty and harming civilians.
On Friday morning, Hezbollah also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Israeli forces. According to the group, its fighters targeted Israeli troops near the Lebanese border, including areas such as Maroun al-Ras and Kfar Kila.
The group also said it launched attacks on a military camp in the occupied Golan Heights and a naval base near the port city of Haifa.
Meanwhile, Israel has said it will not evacuate its border communities. Israeli officials stated that additional troops have been deployed in Lebanon as a defensive step to protect citizens living near the border.
So far, there have been no confirmed reports of casualties from the latest attacks, but tensions in the region remain high.