“If you are in a building containing Hezbollah weapons, move away immediately until further notice,” read a text message sent to residents of Lebanon’s south.
By World Israel News Staff
The IDF’s spokesman released an unusual warning to Lebanese civilians in the south of the country on Monday morning, calling on those unaffiliated with the Hezbollah terror group to flee the region.
In a video posted on social media, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari announced that Israel would carry out targeted strikes on Hezbollah military assets located within civilian communities in southern Lebanon.
“Hezbollah is endangering you and your families. Hezbollah is planning to launch weapons against Israel, and you should distance yourselves immediately for your safety,” Hagari said.
The video included an illustration depicting how Hezbollah terrorists had modified a home to become a launch site for a cruise missile, further blurring the lines between civilian and terror targets.
Additionally, the Israeli military sent Arabic-language text messages to residents of southern Lebanon.
“If you are in a building containing Hezbollah weapons, move away immediately until further notice,” the text message read.
In response to the IDF announcement, the Hezbollah terror group released its own Hebrew-language message to Israeli civilians.
The text appeared to have been written using an automatic translation, and was riddled with spelling and grammatical errors.
“Urgent warning to settlers living in the Palestinian territories,” read the message.
“If you are present in, or live near, a military base, your army is storing weapons and military capabilities there. Anyone who is a member of or physically close to the Israeli terrorist army exposes himself to danger.”
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi HaLevi said in a separate statement that Israel would continue intensifying its military campaign against the terror group.
“The price that Hezbollah is paying has increased, our attacks will increase,” he said.
“We will safely return the residents to their homes, and if Hezbollah has not understood this yet, it will get another blow and another blow — until the organization understands.”