Israel said late on Sunday it was preparing attacks on sites linked to the financial operations of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group within hours and told residents to leave those areas immediately, as it intensified assaults there and in Gaza.
The warning came hours after Israel said it hit Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in the Lebanese capital Beirut, while officials in Gaza said rescuers were still recovering people from the rubble after an Israeli attack on Saturday that killed dozens.
Following the evacuation announcement by the IDF Spokesperson in Arabic, Colonel Avichai Edrei, Beirut residents are evacuating their homes for fear of being harmed by the attacks. pic.twitter.com/GYGNOLkvW0
— Hertfordshire Friends of Israel 🇮🇱🎗️ (@HertfordshireI) October 20, 2024
“Residents of Lebanon, the IDF (Israeli military) will begin attacking infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association – get away from it immediately,” the military’s spokesperson said in a statement on X.
The Hezbollah-linked financial institution has more than 30 branches across Lebanon including 15 across central Beirut and its suburbs.
A 41-year-old Israeli colonel was killed, and another officer was wounded in combat in northern Gaza on Sunday, the Israeli military said. Israel’s Channel 12 and public
broadcaster Kan reported an explosive device had gone off under a tank.
Colonel Ehsan Daxa, commander of the IDF’s 401st Armored Brigade, fell in Gaza while defending the State of Israel.
May his memory be a blessing🕯️ pic.twitter.com/druLWVLXEe
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) October 20, 2024
In the northern Gaza Strip, officials said rescuers were still recovering people from the rubble after an Israeli attack on Beit Lahiya that left 87 people dead or missing on Saturday, according to the health ministry – one of the highest death tolls for months from a single attack.
Israel said it was investigating reports of the incident.
It marked an intensification of Israel’s offensives against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza and Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, days after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar raised hopes of an opening for ceasefire negotiations to end more than a year of conflict.
With U.S. elections approaching, officials, diplomats and other sources in the region say Israel is seeking through military operations to try to shield its borders and ensure its
rivals cannot regroup.
Israel is also preparing to retaliate for an Iranian missile barrage earlier this month, though Washington has pressed it not to strike Iranian energy facilities or nuclear sites.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was the subject of an assassination attempt by “Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah” on Saturday when a drone was directed at his holiday home. In a
call with former U.S. President Donald Trump, the prime minister reiterated that Israel would make decisions based on its own interests, according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office.
Israel’s government has spurned several attempts by the United States, its main ally and military backer, to broker ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon.
