U.S. urges immediate evacuation amid escalated Israel-Hezbollah conflict
On Saturday, the U.S. Department of State advised U.S. citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible. The communiqué highlighted that citizens should evacuate the country immediately while it is still possible.
The Israeli army reported another wave of airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday evening. Reports indicated that hundreds of targets were attacked, and thousands of rocket launchers were destroyed in a single day. The army added that intense shelling began after it was detected that the Iran-backed group was preparing for a rocket attack on Israel.
Alarm in israel
Air raid sirens were announced in Israel after midnight for areas located several miles from the border with Lebanon. It seems to herald a major Hezbollah attack as reported the "Haaretz" newspaper.
The Times of Israel website adds that the military reported that Hezbollah fired approximately 10 rockets deep into Israeli territory. Further reports indicated there were no casualties.
Videos circulating on social media show actions of Israeli air defence in the northern part of the country.
Raised threat level north of Haifa
Earlier on Saturday, civil defence raised the threat level for all areas of Israel north of Haifa. The last time this level was introduced was nearly a month ago, following a significant preemptive strike on Hezbollah, after which the group launched hundreds of rockets at Israel.
In recent days, there has been another escalation on the Israel-Hezbollah line, raising fears of a full-scale war. Since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah has been regularly shelling northern Israel, which has led to counterattacks.
Israel attacks targets in Lebanon
On Friday, Israel attacked residential buildings in the capital of Lebanon, Beirut. The army reported that Ibrahim Akil, the commander of Hezbollah's Radwan special forces, and approximately ten other high-ranking commanders of the group who were planning an attack on northern Israel were killed. The airstrike killed a total of 37 people, including seven women and three children, and 68 were injured, according to Lebanon's health ministry on Saturday.
Earlier in the week, Lebanon was hit by two waves of coordinated explosions of electronic devices aimed at Hezbollah. At least 37 people were killed, and approximately 3,000 were injured. Israel has not commented on this operation, but Western media suggest its services organized the attack. Hezbollah has vowed revenge on Israel.
Due to the ongoing tension, many airlines have suspended or limited flights to Beirut, Tel Aviv, Tehran, and Amman.
