Hezbollah orders Israeli border evacuations amid escalating hostilities
BEIRUT, March 6 – Hezbollah on Friday warned Israeli residents living within 5 km (3.11 miles) of the border with Lebanon to evacuate their towns, issuing the message in Hebrew on its Telegram channel hours after Israel urged civilians to leave the southern suburbs of Beirut, signalling intensifying cross-border tensions.
The warning from Hezbollah came early on Friday and appeared aimed at residents of Israeli communities close to the frontier. The group said Israel’s military actions against Lebanon, including what it described as attacks on civilian infrastructure and the displacement of residents, would not go unanswered.The exchange of warnings reflects a sharp escalation in rhetoric and military posture between the two sides as hostilities expand across the Israel-Lebanon frontier.
Hezbollah issues evacuation warningIn its Telegram statement, Hezbollah accused Israel of violating Lebanese sovereignty and targeting civilian areas, saying Israeli military operations and the displacement of residents had crossed a threshold.“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,” the group said in the message directed at Israeli residents near the border.
The warning was issued in Hebrew, a move often used by Hezbollah to communicate directly with Israeli audiences during periods of heightened confrontation.Israel rejects evacuation demandIsraeli authorities said they would not comply with Hezbollah’s demand and indicated that residents of border towns would remain in place despite the warning.Israel has also deployed additional troops into Lebanon, describing the move as a defensive measure aimed at protecting Israeli communities near the frontier.Israeli officials have repeatedly said the military steps are intended to safeguard citizens living close to the border as tensions with Hezbollah intensify.Beirut suburbs already under warningHezbollah’s evacuation notice followed a separate warning from Israel issued less than a day earlier, when Israeli authorities urged civilians to leave the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The advisory prompted residents to flee parts of the capital known as Dahiyeh, an area widely regarded as a stronghold of Hezbollah.Witnesses and local reports described an exodus from sections of the neighbourhood following the Israeli warning, as civilians sought safer areas away from potential military targets.The back-to-back warnings from both sides illustrate the rapidly deteriorating security situation along the Lebanon-Israel border, where rhetoric and military positioning have sharpened in recent days.Israel and Hezbollah have a long history of confrontation along the frontier, and exchanges of threats and military movements often raise fears of broader escalation. The latest warnings to civilians on both sides underscore the growing strain on border communities as tensions continue to mount.
