Israel Officially Declares War on Lebanon Days After Launching Terrorist Pager Attacks
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Israeli military has officially declared war on Lebanon, launching extensive air strikes on targets just days after launching a terror attack in Lebanon using pagers and walkie-talkies that killed at least 37.
According to Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military plans to conduct "extensive precise strikes" on homes used by Hezbollah throughout Lebanon.
Hagari issued a warning to Lebanese civilians, urging them to distance themselves from homes he claimed are used by Hezbollah to store and fire missiles.
"We ask residents of Lebanese villages to pay attention to the message and warning published by the IDF and heed them," he said.
Israeli forces have already launched multiple attacks on towns in southern and eastern Lebanon, with Israeli reports claiming that preemptive strikes targeted Hezbollah sites.
Areas hit include town of al-Tayri, Bint Jbeil, Hanine, Zawtar, and Nabatieh in the south, as well as Shaara, Harbata, Hermel, Shamstar, Taria, and Bouday in the east.
“We advise civilians from Lebanese villages located in and next to buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes, such as those used to store weapons, to immediately move out of harm’s way for their own safety,” Hagari claimed in a video he posted online.
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli warplanes carried out more than 80 air raids in the Nabatieh governorate in just half an hour.
The NNA also reported a civilian death due to the strikes in eastern Lebanon, with two family members of the victim and four others injured.
Lebanese broadcaster Al Mayadeen confirmed attacks on towns in the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, including Hermel, Zboud, and Harbata.
Footage shared on social media and verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency showed large plumes of smoke rising from towns in Bekaa and southern Lebanon.
In Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiya, an air strike on Friday resulted in civilian casualties, heightening fears of further israeli violence.
Former CIA Director Leon Panetta, speaking to CBS, expressed concern over the broader implications of the attacks in Lebanon.
“I don’t think there’s any question that it’s a form of terrorism,” Panetta said, referencing the Israeli attacks using pager and walkie-talkie that have already killed at least 37 people, including children and medical personnel.