IDF warns Lebanese citizens: 'Move out of harm’s way, distance yourself from Hezbollah'

In an unusual statement directed at Lebanese citizens on Monday morning, IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari morning warned them to move out of harm’s way just before the Israeli Air Force carried out another large preemptive strike across Lebanon.

“About an hour ago, following indications that Hezbollah was preparing to fire towards Israeli territory, we began striking terrorist targets throughout Lebanon.”

“This is an advance warning for your and your family’s safety. We advise civilians from Lebanese villages located in and next to buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes, such as those used to store weapons to immediately move out of harm’s way for their own safety... Hezbollah is endangering you and your families,” said Hagari.

Hagari’s warning was echoed by the IDF's Arabic spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, as well as via SMS messages sent to residents of southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on Monday morning: “If you are in a building that has Hezbollah weapons, stay away from it until further notice.”

KAN News Arab Affairs correspondent Roee Kais added, “It is my understanding that phone calls are also being made to residents in southern Lebanon with a recorded message in a similar vein (to evacuate homes where there are Hezbollah weapons).”

הודעות שמקבלים תושבים בדרום לבנון ובבקעת הלבנון: "אם אתה נמצא במבנה שיש בו אמצעי לחימה של חיזבאללה, התרחק ממנו עד להודעה חדשה" pic.twitter.com/zGMwDE9tzB
— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) September 23, 2024

Lebanon's National News Agency said the office of the Ministry of Information received a similar phone message with the demand to evacuate immediately.

Video footage on social media purportedly showed the Israeli army taking control of Lebanese radio frequencies to broadcast the same message.

IDF INFILTRATES LEBANON RADIO

An urgent message from the IDF broadcast on Lebanese radio: "The IDF is targeting Hezbollah military positions in your village and does not intend to harm civilians. If you are in or near a Hezbollah-used building, you must evacuate the village by… pic.twitter.com/1T4vtmRCzX
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 23, 2024

The terror group quickly attempted to counter the IDF’s messaging, claiming on its affiliated Telegram channels that the warnings were intended to create panic and reveal the locations of weapons caches by following the resident’s movement.

“It is important to say that the enemy knows nothing and bases his information on examining the general movements, including those of civilians… We emphasize that the resistance does not put the citizens in danger and the best proof of this is that the enemy attacks forested areas,” one statement read.

#عاجل نداء هام وعاجل إلى اللبنانيين!
تعرفون البيوت الكثيرة في القرى اللبنانية مع غرفة مغلقة ومجهولة. بعضها مخزن للأسلحة، أخفاها عناصر حزب الله الذي يستخدمكم دروعًا بشرية.
إنتبهوا! واحذروا! فعلى كل من يمتلك سلاحًا في منزله، أو يتواجد قرب مواقع أو منازل أخفى فيها حزب الله أسلحته… pic.twitter.com/U75h7eGJwa
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) September 23, 2024

Meanwhile, the IDF said it attacked around 150 Hezbollah targets on Monday morning, primarily rocket launchers. The Israeli military told council heads in the north that “an intense day of fighting” was expected on Monday.

On Monday morning, Sky News Arabic cited Israeli sources stating: "We are headed for a wave of attacks on houses in Lebanese villages that Hezbollah uses to store weapons or ammunition."

To illustrate the degree to which Hezbollah has hidden its weapons within populated areas, Hagari showed pictures, video footage and 3-D models of Hezbollah infrastructure hidden across villages in southern Lebanon.

“For over 20 years, Hezbollah has deployed its arms inside homes and militarized civilian infrastructure. As a result, the Hezbollah terrorist organization has turned southern Lebanon into a battlefield.”

Using a 3-D model of a Lebanese village, he said, “Hezbollah stores cruise missiles, rockets, launchers, and drones inside civilian homes, hidden behind the Lebanese population living in the village. We are monitoring these activities, locating the weapons, and destroying them with precise intelligence-based strikes.”

Hagari highlighted one example of an IDF strike several weeks ago that struck a Hezbollah cruise missile hidden inside of a civilian home.

“The terrorists create a designated opening for the missile launch. Here you can see how we identified the terrorist making an opening in the building that exposed the missile in a precise strike. The IDF eliminated the terrorist and this missile launching infrastructure shortly before the launch.”

“On October 8, the Hezbollah terrorist organization decided to join Hamas's war against Israel. Hezbollah’s activities are dragging Lebanon and the entire region into a wider escalation. And [Hezbollah leader] Hassan Nasrallah is responsible for this,” Hagari emphasized.