Border clashes force evacuation of Israel city
Hezbollah militants in Lebanon threaten to open a new front in the Hamas-Israel war.
Daily TribuneHezbollah militants in Lebanon threaten to open a new front in the Hamas-Israel war.
Israel's army has ordered the evacuation of a northern city as clashes with Hezbollah fighters along the border with Lebanon intensifies.
The Northern Command of the army issued the order to the mayor of Kiryat Shmona on Friday.
Israeli authorities have been steadily evacuating communities across the northern frontier, as reservists and columns of tanks and armored vehicles poured into the area.
Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah and allied Palestinian factions have traded cross-border fire with Israel for days, after Hamas gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel on 7 October, killing at least 1,400 people, most of them civilians, according to Israeli officials.
"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) carried out a number of attacks against Hezbollah infrastructure, including observation posts," the army said early Friday.
"In addition, IDF fighter jets struck three terrorists who attempted to launch anti-tank missiles toward Israel."
'Leave Lebanon'
Meanwhile, the United States, United Kingdom and Germany advised their citizens to leave Lebanon.
"We recommend that US citizens in Lebanon make appropriate arrangements to leave the country; commercial options currently remain available," a statement from the US embassy in Beirut said, with a similar warning issued by the British.
"If you are currently in Lebanon, we encourage you to leave now while commercial options remain available," the British embassy said, urging its nationals to "exercise caution."
Germany's foreign office also asked citizens to "leave Lebanon" in a statement warning that border clashes "can escalate further at any time" and advising its nationals to "use existing commercial travel options to leave the country safely."
On Thursday, there were further cross-border exchanges of fire, with Hamas' armed wing saying it launched a salvo of "30 rockets" from south Lebanon towards northern Israel.
