Israel calls on residents of southern Lebanon not to return

The Israeli army, at war with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, on Saturday urged residents from this region to not to return home, a few hours after the missiles fired by the Lebanese movement on northern Israel.

As Israel celebrates Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day, its troops are battling Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to continue the fight against these Islamist groups allied with Iran “until victory.”

The war in Gaza, sparked by an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, and the war in Lebanon are accompanied by an escalation between Israel and Iran, with Israeli leaders threatening to retaliate for an Iranian missile attack on October 1.

In an Arabic message on X, the Israeli army's spokesman for the Arabic-speaking public, Avichay Adraee, wrote: “For your own protection, do not return to your homes until further notice. Do not head south; anyone who heads south risks putting their lives in danger.”

The army also warned health workers in the area to stay away from ambulances that it said were being used by Hezbollah to “transport terrorists and weapons.”

– Sirens during Yom Kippur –

Israeli bombing in southern Lebanon, October 12, 2024 © AFP – Rabih DAHER

A few hours earlier, Hezbollah announced that it had fired missiles at a military base south of Haifa, in northern Israel, bordering southern Lebanon.

Warning sirens sounded in central Israel after the interception of a “projectile fired from Lebanon,” the army said.

In the morning, Israeli bombings targeted the village of Khiam, in southern Lebanon, according to an AFP correspondent on the ground.

This violence is taking place while since Friday evening and until Saturday evening, Israel celebrates Yom Kippur, the day of “great forgiveness” during which the country stops: the borders, airports and most businesses are closed and public transport does not run.

After weakening Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli army has since mid-September shifted the war front towards Lebanon, in order to push Hezbollah away from the border areas and stop its rocket fire to allow the return to northern Israel of some 60,000 displaced residents.

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The front opened in October 2023 by Hezbollah against Israel in support of Hamas turned into open war on September 23 with the start of violent Israeli bombardment on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon.

In addition to these devastating and deadly bombardments, Israel launched a ground offensive on September 30 in southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah stronghold.

– “Unacceptable” –

The port of Haifa, the major city in northern Israel, on October 12, 2024 © AFP – AHMAD GHARABLI

On Friday, Israel came under fire after firing on peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) stationed in southern Lebanon. Four soldiers were injured in 48 hours.

US President Joe Biden has called on Israel to stop firing on UN forces in Lebanon, while his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron has deemed it “unacceptable” that they are being targeted “deliberately by Israeli forces”.

The Israeli army assured on Friday that it had fired in the direction of a “threat”.

Since October 2023, more than 2,100 people have been killed in Lebanon, including more than 1,200 since September 23 and the intensification of Israeli bombings on Lebanon, according to an AFP count based on official figures. The UN has counted nearly 700,000 displaced people.

As fears of a regional conflagration grow, Iran repeated on Friday that it was “ready to defend its sovereignty”, while Israel promised its sworn enemy a “deadly, precise and surprising attack” when it launches its missiles on October 1.

– Deadly raids in Gaza –

In the devastated and besieged Gaza Strip, the Israeli army continues its offensive, mainly pounding the Jabalia region (north), where it accuses Hamas of rebuilding its forces.

According to the local Civil Defense, 30 Palestinians were killed Friday in strikes on Jabalia.

A Palestinian refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip bombarded by Israel, October 9, 2024 © AFP – Eyad BABA

The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures and including hostages killed or killed in captivity in Gaza.

At least 42,175 Palestinians have been killed, mostly civilians, in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to data from the Hamas government's Health Ministry, deemed reliable by the UN. Almost all of the 2.4 million inhabitants have been displaced.

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