Jerusalem, Aug 25 (EFE).- The Israeli Army warned the early morning this Sunday that an offensive began in Lebanon after identify that The Shiite group Hezbollah “is preparing to launch an extensive attack against Israel.”
The Israel Defense Forces “have identified that the Hezbollah terrorist organization is preparing to fire missiles and rockets towards Israeli territory. In response to these threats, the forces are attacking terrorist targets in Lebanon,” the Israeli army said in a statement.
“From right next to civilian homes in southern Lebanon, we can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack against Israel. We warn civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah operates to move away from danger immediately for their own safety,” the army added.
Since the Israeli authorities made the announcement, air raid sirens have been sounding in the border area with Lebanon.
The Magen David Adom emergency service has raised its alert status to the highest level across the country, although it has not yet received any reports of casualties.
Security situation at airports
The Israel Airports Authority announced that due to the security situation, flights departing from Ben Gurion International Airport have been delayed and will not take off in the coming hours, while flights heading to Tel Aviv are being rerouted.
Hezbollah sided with Islamist group Hamas in its war against Israel last October, and since then violence on the Israel-Lebanon border has escalated to its worst escalation since the 2006 war.
In addition, Hezbollah, an ally of Iran, has vowed to carry out a large-scale attack against Israel in revenge for the death of its top commander, Fuad Shukr. This attack occurred during an Israeli bombing outside Beirut on July 30.
The exchange of fire on the border since October has claimed the lives of at least 636 people. Most of these have been on the Lebanese side and in the ranks of Hezbollah, which has confirmed 392 casualties.
In total, at least 586 people have died in Lebanon, including more than 124 civilians. Meanwhile, in Israel, 49 people have died in the north of the territory. These are 23 soldiers and 26 civilians, including 12 minors. This was in the attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams, in the occupied Golan Heights.
