Israeli strike hit Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV office in south Beirut

W460

The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for dozens of locations in Lebanon on Tuesday, including warning residents in two southern Beirut neighborhoods to stay away from several buildings ahead of an imminent operation.

"Urgent warning to the residents of Lebanon, specifically in the villages which names are shown," said a statement by the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee on Telegram, which listed 50 locations.

"For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately."

Most of the locations were across the south of Lebanon, which Israel regularly targets with the aim of hitting Hezbollah infrastructure.

He told the residents of southern Beirut neighborhoods Ghobeiry and Haret Hreik in another evacuation warning to avoid two buildings.

"You are located near Hezbollah facilities and interests, against which the IDF will operate in the near future," he said.

"For your safety and the safety of your family members, you must evacuate these buildings and those adjacent to them immediately and stay away from them for a distance of no less than 300 meters (984 feet)," he added.

An Israeli strike later hit the south Beirut office of Al-Manar TV, which is affiliated with Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Israel "targets the Al-Manar Channel building in the Haret Hreik area," Al-Manar wrote on Telegram.

In a later warning, Adraee told "those in the southern suburbs of Beirut, especially in the Hadath neighborhood" to avoid a third building.

Lebanon's government on Monday took the unprecedented step of banning Hezbollah's military and security activity, prompting the Iran-backed group to lash out at the decision.

Hezbollah is represented in both the government and parliament, and the move came hours after it announced it had launched rockets and drones towards Israel early Monday to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli attacks.

Israel bombarded Beirut's southern suburbs and dozens of villages in south Lebanon on Monday in response.

The Lebanese government said the Israeli strikes have killed at least 52 people and wounded 154.

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