VIDEO: ‘Israel’ issues evacuation order for residents of southern Lebanon

In the most serious escalation on Lebanon in recent months, the ‘Israeli’ army on Thursday issued an urgent warning to residents of several villages in southern Lebanon, ordering them to immediately evacuate specific homes and surrounding buildings.

The army claimed it would target “military infrastructure” belonging to Hezbollah in the area soon. 

The warning, distributed across multiple platforms, directly named three villages:

• Meis al-Jabal
• Kfar Tibnit
• Debbin

Read more: Read more: VIDEO: Jordan authorities monitor security incident at Allenby Crossing

The notice told residents: “You are in buildings used by the terrorist Hezbollah. For your safety, you must evacuate these buildings and the surrounding structures immediately and stay at least 500 meters away. Remaining in the buildings endangers your lives.”

The army said the attacks were in response to “prohibited Hezbollah attempts to rebuild its activities in the area,” referring to allegations that the group was reconstructing military positions near the border.

'Israel' has been striking Lebanon countless times despite a ceasefire agreement signed last November with Hezbollah.

Direct warnings like these raise serious concerns that they could precede a large-scale military operation in southern Lebanon, and that they could be used as a pretext to strike civilian areas.

Human rights organizations note that forcing civilians to evacuate in this manner, in a conflict zone, does not relieve the attacking force of its obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, raising fears of forced displacement. 

An official response from the Lebanese government is expected in the coming hours.