Northern Israel braces for attacks as Hezbollah orders evacuation

BEIRUT – Lebanon’s Hezbollah warned Israeli residents to evacuate towns within 5 kilometres of the border between the countries in a message posted on its Telegram channel in Hebrew early on Friday.

Hezbollah’s message came less than a day after Israel warned residents to leave Beirut’s southern suburbs, prompting an exodus from a swathe of the capital known as Dahiyeh.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted a video on X from near the Lebanon border, in which he said that Dahiyeh would soon resemble parts of Gaza, where Israel’s two-year military campaign against Hezbollah’s ally Hamas has left much of the territory in ruins.

“You wanted to bring hell on us but you have brought hell upon yourselves. The Dahiyeh will look like Khan Younis. Our northern residents will soon live in quiet, peace and security,” said Smotrich, who sits on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet.

Lebanon was pulled into the war in the Middle East on Monday, when Hezbollah opened fire, sparking Israeli airstrikes focused on Beirut’s southern suburbs and on southern and eastern Lebanon.

“Your military’s aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and safe citizens, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the expulsion campaign it is carrying out will not go unchallenged,” Hezbollah said.

Israel has said it will not evacuate its border towns and has sent more soldiers into Lebanon, saying this was a defensive measure meant to protect its citizens who live nearby.

Israeli bombardment and warnings have already forced tens of thousands of Lebanese to flee homes.

The Lebanese health ministry said 102 people have been killed in Israeli attacks. Its figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, said on Wednesday that seven children had been killed.

There have been no reports of fatalities in Israel as a result of Hezbollah attacks.