Israeli military tells Lebanese who fled villages not to return ‘until further notice’
Israel’s military has warned Lebanese people who were ordered to evacuate dozens of villagers in southern Lebanon to “not return home until further notice”.
In a post on social media, the Arabic language spokesman of the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, said Israel’s “raids are continuing” in the south of the country and “for your safety and the safety of your families”, to stay away from villages ordered cleared of their populations.
Ardraee said in an earlier post that people were “prohibited” from evacuating to the south of the country. “Be careful. You are prohibited from heading south. Any movement south could put you in danger,” he said.
Yesterday, Ardraee warned that “anyone who is near Hezbollah elements, installations, and combat equipment is putting his life at risk” and any house used by Hezbollah for “military needs” can expect to be targeted.
Israel’s ground offensive paused for now; bombing stepped up
Israel is keeping up its air superiority campaign. Remember Hezbollah doesn’t have any anti-aircraft guns. Nearby in Nabatieh town, which has been hard hit in recent days, we’re hearing air raids and artillery, and Hezbollah rockets in return.
Hezbollah is saying about 200 rockets have been fired into Israeli territory. This is back to the way the fighting was before the Israelis announced their ground incursion.
Israel has lost soldiers and been pushed back when it has come via the ground, so it’s back to this bombing campaign that it has the upper hand in. The death toll is rising in Lebanon with 46 killed and 85 wounded in the past day.
‘This was always going to be very different from Gaza'
The death of eight Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon comes amid a three-day public holiday in Israel. The Israeli media are playing it straight, saying this is a difficult operation and they were ambushed in a village where they wanted to dismantle Hezbollah assets.
Reports say the incursion also killed dozens of Hezbollah fighters.
It’s too early for public opinion to swing against this ground operation, but this was always going to be very different from Gaza. Hezbollah forces don’t instantly rush to attack, they take their time and are tactical.
The media are also questioning whether this is going to be a ground “incursion” or a ground “invasion”, saying the next days and weeks will make that clearer.
Israeli strikes killed 45 people in Lebanon on Wednesday
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health says 46 people were killed and 85 wounded as a result of Israeli raids over the past day. The attacks took place in towns and villages in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Mount Lebanon, the ministry said in a statement.
More than 1,900 people have been killed and about 9,000 wounded in Lebanon in almost a year of cross-border fighting, with most of the deaths occurring in the past two weeks.
