The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have urged people in 25 villages and towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately as the military intensified its strikes against Hezbollah camps on Sunday on the eve of the October 7 attack anniversary.
The Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson issued the evacuation alerts, calling on people to head immediately to the north of the Awali River. The IDF said it will notify civilians when it is safe to return.
The Lebanese health ministry claimed that at least 23 people were killed and 93 others injured in fresh Israeli strikes in the country on Saturday. Heavy strikes pounded the city of Beirut, in which several buildings were damaged.
‘Israel faces war on 7 fronts’
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that nearly one year after Hamas attack, his country is now fighting on seven fronts. They include Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yeman, ‘terrorists’ in the West Bank, and the Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, Netanyahu said in a video statement.
“And we are fighting against Iran, which last week fired over 200 ballistic missiles directly at Israel and which stands behind this seven-front war against Israel,” Netanyahu said.
In Gaza, Israel launched a fresh airstrike on a mosque on Saturday after seeing signs of Hamas regrouping. At least 21 people were killed in the attack.
The IDF claimed it had detected the presence of Hamas members in the area. They were trying to "rebuild its operational capabilities in the area," the military said in a statement.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 41,825 people have been killed in the region since October 7 last year. Netanyahu, however, maintained that Israel has a right to defend itself and that it will not forget the 101 hostages.
At least 1,400 people have been killed in Lebanon in the Israeli airstrikes for the last one month. Last week, Israel also launched its ground incursion into Lebanon, targeting the Hezbollah pockets.
Iran minister visits oil fields
Iran’s Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad on Sunday arrived in Kharg island to visit the oil fields amid concerns that Israel might target Iran’s oil terminals in retaliation to Tehran’s missile attack on Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu has asserted that Israel would give a befitting reply to Iran after the latter fired 180 – 200 missiles towards Israel on Tuesday in a fresh escalation of tension in the Middle East.
Axios cited Israeli officials as saying that Iran's oil facilities or nuclear sites could be hit in response. US President Joe Biden, however, said the US will not back Israel if it attacks Iranian nuclear sites.
READ: Will Iran strike Israel's oil refineries and gas fields?