Israeli army warns of imminent strikes on south Lebanon coast
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike targeting a neighborhood in the southern suburbs of Beirut, October 7, 2024. (AFP Photo)
The Israeli army announced Monday that it would expand its operations against Hezbollah to Lebanon’s coast, specifically south of the Al-Awali river. The army has advised residents to avoid the shoreline in that area.
Army spokesman Avichay Adraee stated, “We will soon operate in the maritime area against Hezbollah’s terrorist activities,” in a message shared in Arabic on social media.
Hezbollah tells not to attack Israeli soldiers
Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced Monday that it instructed its fighters not to attack Israeli forces who recently positioned themselves behind a U.N. peacekeeping site near the Lebanese border village of Maroun al-Ras.
The statement followed a warning from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Sunday, which labeled Israel’s operations near their position as “extremely dangerous” and a threat to the safety of peacekeepers. UNIFIL added that it had repeatedly conveyed these concerns to Israel.
Hezbollah reported an “unusual movement of Israeli enemy forces behind a UNIFIL position, on the outskirts of Maroun al-Ras.” In its statement, the group said it ordered its fighters to refrain from action “to preserve the lives of the peacekeepers,” quoting a field commander.
Israel uses UN soldier as ‘human shields’: Hezbollah
Hezbollah accused Israel of attempting to use UNIFIL forces “as human shields.”
On Saturday, UNIFIL confirmed it remained in all positions near the border, despite an Israeli request to “relocate.”
Israel recently announced plans to carry out limited ground incursions into southern Lebanon. Hezbollah said it had clashed with Israeli forces in the Maroun al-Ras area and confronted several infiltration attempts this week.
Since September 23, Israel has intensified its military campaign against Hezbollah, killing more than 1,110 people and displacing hundreds of thousands in Lebanon, a country already suffering from a severe economic crisis.
U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, mandates that only the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers be deployed in southern Lebanon.
