Israel army tells Lebanese to 'move away' from Hezbollah sites

Palestinian youths check the damage at a school sheltering displaced people after an Israeli air strike, in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on September 23, 2024. [ AFP]

The Israeli military on Monday told people in Lebanon to move away from Hezbollah targets and vowed to carry out more "extensive and precise" strikes against the Iran-backed group.

It was the first such warning issued to Lebanese people by Israel's military since the war in Gaza erupted nearly a year ago. Lebanon's Hezbollah says its rocket and other fire into Israel is an act of support for Gaza's Palestinian Hamas militants.

"We advise civilians from Lebanese villages located in and next to buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes, such as those used to store weapons, to immediately move out of harm's way for their own safety," Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a media briefing.

"The IDF (military) will engage in (more) extensive and precise strikes against terror targets which have been embedded widely throughout Lebanon."

Hagari said the military had launched new strikes against Hezbollah sites since Monday morning.

"The strikes will go on for the near future," he said.

In a separate briefing to journalists, a military official emphasised that the appeal made to Lebanese people was the first of its kind.

"This the first time that we do this kind of warning in that way," said the official, who cannot be further identified under military rules.

"If you are in a house where there is a rocket or a cruise missile, get out immediately," the official said, adding that the military was "monitoring from the air" to gauge compliance.

"We are giving them an advance warning. Get out of the house. We are aiming only on the capabilities of the rockets, on the missiles, launchers, etc," he said.

The official also said the Israeli military was currently only focused on an "aerial campaign".

The first goal of the operation, he said, was to "degrade threats" from Hezbollah, while the second was to push Hezbollah back from the border and the third was to destroy infrastructure built near the border by Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force.

He said Israel's "pre-emptive" strikes had already hindered Hezbollah's ability to fire rockets.

"We've been doing it for already a long time, but we are doing it extensively in the last couple of days and also yesterday, and that's one of the reasons that the numbers (of rockets fired) are down," he added.