Israel strikes southern towns after evacuation warning

The Israeli army on Thursday bombed three southern towns after issuing an “urgent warning” for residents to evacuate areas in Mays al-Jabal, Kfar Tebnit and Dibbin.

The strikes targeted two buildings in Mays al-Jabal, one in Kfar Tebnit and Dibbin. Al-Jadeed television said a Syrian worker was lightly wounded in Mays al-Jabal.

The Israeli army later issued new warnings for two more buildings in the southern towns of al-Shahabiyeh and Burj Qalaway.

“In the near future, the IDF (Israeli army) will attack military infrastructure belonging to the terrorist Hezbollah throughout southern Lebanon in response to its prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area,” Israeli army Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on the X platform.

“We issue an urgent warning to the residents of the buildings marked in red on the attached maps and the buildings adjacent to them in the following villages: Mays al-Jabal, Kfar Tebnit and Dibbin,” he said.

“You are located in buildings used by the terrorist Hezbollah. For your own safety, you are obliged to evacuate these buildings and the buildings adjacent to them immediately and move away from them for a distance of no less than 500 meters. Remaining in the buildings exposes you to danger,” Adraee added.

Al-Jadeed television meanwhile reported that residents heavily fled some southern regions after the Israeli threat.

Such warnings were common during the 2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah but became very rare after the November ceasefire.

Israel has continued to strike Hezbollah members and alleged weapons sites despite the truce and its troops are still positioned on five strategic hills in south Lebanon.