IDF calls on civilians in 25 locales in south Lebanon, including city of Nabatieh, to evacuate immediately

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

The IDF is calling on Lebanese civilians in 25 locales in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately.

Among the list of cities, towns, and villages is Nabatieh, one of the largest cities in southern Lebanon. Nabatieh and several other villages on the list are north of the Litani River.

“Hezbollah’s activity forces the IDF to act against it. The IDF does not wish to harm you,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, says in a statement on X.

“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately. Anyone who is near Hezbollah operatives, their facilities or their weapons, puts themselves at risk,” he says.

Adraee says that any house used by Hezbollah for military purposes is a target.

The Lebanese civilians are called to evacuate and head north. “Attention, do not move south! Any movement south could endanger your life,” the statement says.

The IDF says it will update the civilians when they can return.

Yesterday, the IDF issued similar orders to 24 other villages in southern Lebanon, and the day before that, it warned a further 28.

The military has also warned vehicles must not cross the Litani river in a southbound direction.

The military has described the ground operations in southern Lebanon as “limited, localized, and targeted raids,” with the goal of demolishing Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the border area. Officials have said that the military intends for the operations to end as quickly as possible.

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