The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a call on Saturday for residents of neighbourhoods in the Dahieh area of Beirut to distance themselves from Hezbollah assets and facilities as the country prepares for a further assault on the Iran-backed Lebanese outfit.
The call for evacuation came amid escalating tensions in the region, with concerns growing over the potential of a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah. In a post on X, the IDF vowed to dismantle Hezbollah’s offensive capabilities amid the ongoing Gaza conflict.
The IDF calls on the residents of neighborhoods in the Dahieh of Beirut to move away from Hezbollah assets and facilities.We will continue operating to precisely dismantle Hezbollah’s offensive capabilities. Hezbollah has strategically embedded weapons in civilian areas,… https://t.co/OCM3cx9TjS
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 28, 2024
‘Our war is with Hezbollah’
The IDF said that Hezbollah has strategically embedded weapons within civilian areas, which they argue puts Lebanese civilians at risk of harming Israeli civilians. “Our war is with Hezbollah, not the people of Lebanon,” the IDF said, underlining its intention to avoid civilian casualties in its operations against the Iran-backed militant group.
A large-scale Israeli attack on Friday, which reportedly killed 300 people, rocked the Lebanese capital, sending thick clouds of smoke billowing over the city. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah reportedly died in the targeted IDF air strikes on the Iranian-backed outfit’s headquarters in Beirut. This marks the heaviest assault on Beirut in nearly a year of ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, The Times Of Israel reported.
In a video posted on X, the IDF stated that Hezbollah targeted civilians in northern Israel, which was directly hit by a rocket launched from Lebanon. The Israeli military said Hezbollah’s surface-to-sea missiles not only endanger Israeli civilians but also threaten their waters. “When our civilians are targeted, we will defend them—from land, air, or sea,” it added.
Hezbollah. Targets. Civilians.Take a look at this house in northern Israel that was just directly hit by a rocket launched from Lebanon: pic.twitter.com/yzMWxqBKMR
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 27, 2024
It further stated that the Iran-backed Lebanese group has over 150,000 rockets intended to kill Israeli civilians, some of which are strategically placed beneath civilian populations. “We have called on Lebanese civilians in specific buildings in the Dahiya neighborhood to move away from areas being used by Hezbollah. The IDF is defending Israel from Hezbollah. We are not in conflict with the people of Lebanon,” the IDF added.
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